Country

Latvia

Local name: Latvija

Coordinates: 57°00′00″ N 25°00′00″ E

Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Population: 1,847,785; 1.8M
Continent: Europe
Local time: UTC+02:00; Europe/Riga · UTC+02:00

About Latvia

Latvia is a country in Europe. It is divided into 43 regions. Its population is 1,847,785.

From Wikipedia

Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to the southeast and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,573 km2 (24,932 sq mi), with a population of 1.83 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built: 1918
Area: 64,594 km²
Official website: president.lv

Source: Wikidata

Photos of Latvia

Lucavsala Olgerts V · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hare Island ScAvenger · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ķīpsala Olgerts V · CC BY-SA 4.0
Daugavgrīvas Sala Photographer: Mosbatho · CC BY 4.0
Lake Sivers alinco_fan · CC BY 3.0

Travel notes for Latvia

From Wikivoyage

Latvia (Latvian: Latvija) is one of the three Baltic states in Europe. The biggest travel destination in the country is the capital Riga, whose Old Town is a World Heritage Site. There are many other great places to see, both urban and rural. Latvia's unspoilt sea coast is a 500-km-long unique biome, mainly consisting of empty beaches, white soft sand, and dunes covered with pine trees. Forests cover approximately half of Latvia's territory and are home to many nature trails, nature parks and wildlife preserves. The city of Liepāja with its magnificent beach and the unique formerly secret military neighbourhood of Karosta, Kuldīga, recognised in 2023 as a UNESCO world heritage site, with Europe's widest waterfall, and Cēsis with its medieval castle ruins are just some of the various sights.

Understand+

History:

In the ancient and medieval world, the territory of today's Latvia was known for its particular significance to commerce. The famous route from the Vikings to the Greeks mentioned in ancient chronicles stretched from Scandinavia through Latvian territory, along the river Daugava, to the Kievan Rus and Byzantine Empire. In the 12th century, German traders arrived, bringing with them missionaries who attempted to convert the pagan Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes to the Christian faith. The Germans founded Riga in 1201, making it the largest and most powerful city on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea during the Late Middle Ages.

After gaining independence in 1918, Latvia achieved considerable results in social development, economy, industry and agriculture. On 16 June 1940, Soviet foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov presented the Latvian representative in Moscow an ultimatum, accusing Latvia of violating a pact and conspiring against the Soviet Union. The Soviet forces invaded Latvia soon after and "People's Governments" were formed to provide a legal backing for a complete takeover, followed by Latvia being incorporated into the Soviet Union on 5 August 1940. Nazi Germany occupied the country the following year, ruling Latvia until the Soviet Red Army reoccupied the country in 1944. Both Nazi Germany and the USSR under Stalin were extremely brutal and murderous during their rule: the Nazis and their local collaborators murdered over 90,000 Latvians, including 75,000 Latvian Jews, while the Soviets, also having local collaborators, threw well over 90,000 Latvians into Siberian Gulags, from which many never returned, and had many thousands arrested locally, with many being shot or tortured.

Get in+

Visas:

Latvia is a member of the Schengen Agreement. See Travelling around the Schengen Area for more information on how the scheme works, what countries are members and what the requirements are for your nationality. In summary:

There are normally no immigration controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty; there may be such controls temporarily, such as in connection with important events and various crises.

The operators may carry out identity checks before passengers board international flights, ferries or trains, even between Schengen countries.

Citizens of the EEA countries and Switzerland do not need visas to travel in the Schengen area, and may stay up to 90 days with no requirements other than having a valid ID card or passport. See European Union#EEA citizens.

Normal visas granted by any Schengen member are valid in all countries that have signed and implemented the treaty (with exceptions for some overseas territories). The granting country may offer additional rights (such as longer stays or right to work) that apply only locally.

By plane:

Riga International Airport (RIX IATA) is the only airport in Latvia with regular international flights and is 10 km southwest of Riga. Bus 22 operates on a route from the airport to the centre of Riga (and vice versa), a ticket from the driver costs €2. Alternatively, you can buy yellow e-tickets (for 1, 3 or 5 days) from the Narvesen kiosk just outside the airport. Various other methods of transport are available on-site such as taxis.

Alternatively, you can fly to Kaunas in Lithuania and take the Flybus to Riga.

By train:

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged