Latvia is rich in history and natural beauty. Latvia is one of the three Baltic states, situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. The country is also bordered by Russia and Belarus.
The country has a population of 1,9 million people (in 2020), capital and largest city is Riga, spoken languages are Latvian (official), English (especially younger generation), and Russian.
With an area of 64,589 km, Latvia is about half the size of Greece. Mostly flat landscape has almost 500 km of coastline, half of the territory is covered with forest, making Latvia one of the greenest countries in Europe. There are four major regions: West Latvia (Kurzeme), East Latvia (Latgale), North Latvia (Vidzeme), and South Latvia (Zemgale).
Latvia is a developed country, with a high-income advanced economy; ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It performs favorably in measurements of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, living standards, and peacefulness. Latvia is a member of the European Union, Eurozone, NATO, the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the Nordic-Baltic Eight and others.
You don’t need to go to a health food store in Latvia to find organic food, because locals find fantastic ingredients on their own. From birch sap juice in spring to berries in summer and mushrooms in autumn, Latvians are a nation of foragers, farmers, hunters and fishers.
So, enjoy the nature, the history, the food and atmosphere while you’re in Latvia.
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Official tourism information available: Visit Latvia.