Latvia is located in Northern Europe, in the center of the Baltic States. It is bordered by Lithuania in the south, Belarus in the southeast, Russia in the east, Estonia in the north and the Baltic Sea in the west. Almost half of the country is forested. Towards the coast is the landscape mostly flat. 12,000 rivers flow through Latvia, but only 17 of them are longer than 100 kilometers. The largest river is the Daugava. Visit petwithsupplies for Typical Latvia.
Riga, the capital of Latvia, is one of the most beautiful cities in the Baltic States. Riga’s landmark is the 137-meter-high wooden tower of St. Peter’s Church. The city offers a wide variety of architectural styles. The numerous museums offer informative exhibitions on the history of the city and the country. The medieval town houses, including the so-called Three Brothers, are further gems in Riga’s old town. The most important monument is the Statue of Liberty in the Freiheitsallee. The stars symbolize the three Latvian provinces of Vidzeme, Kurzeme and Latgale.
There are various ethnic groups and numerous minorities in Latvia. This includes people who entered the country and have immigrated to this. Their descendants mostly belong to the minorities. The time when Latvia was part of the Soviet Union brought changes in the Latvian population. The Latvians mixed with the immigrants and a mixed Latvian group was formed.
As a result of this change and the predominantly Russian immigrants, Russian became an important language in Latvia. When Latvia regained its sovereignty, the Russian language was stripped of its official status. Latvian became the official language of the country. Now the Russian-speaking population in Latvia had a problem. Because many of the immigrant Russians could not speak Latvian. After all, they never had to learn the Latvian language because Russian was dominant.
In 1995 there was a new regulation in Latvia according to which all citizens born in Latvia after 1940 were granted Latvian citizenship. Their descendants were also recognized as Latvians. All others must now take a language test and an exam in Latvian history in order to obtain Latvian citizenship.
Latvia climate
The continental climate in Latvia is humid and temperate due to the maritime influence of the Baltic Sea. The summers are warm, the weather is quite mild in spring and autumn, but winters can be very cold due to the northern location. If Latvia is affected by cold air masses from inside Russia, they have temperatures very low with frequent snowfalls.
Precipitation falls throughout the year, and the heaviest rainfalls occur in autumn.
Best time to travel to Latvia
The best travel time is generally considered to be warmth period between May and September viewed. During this time it is often pleasantly warm and the days are getting longer. The summer months of July and August are best for swimming in the Baltic Sea. However, in the Baltic Sea off Latvia, even in summer, no Mediterranean temperatures are reached, 20 ° C water temperature is usually the upper limit, normally 17 to 18 ° C are reached.
Latvia – how to get there
Airplane: the main Latvian airline – Air Baltic offers direct flights to more than 30 European cities. Ryanair offers flights between Riga and London (Stansted), Liverpool, Stockholm (Skavsta), Frankfurt (Hahn), Tampere and Dublin. EasyJet flies from Riga to Berlin (Schönefeld), Norwegian to Oslo.
Airports: Latvia’s internationalairportis the Riga International Airport.
Ship: regular ferry connections there are between Riga and Lübeck and between Riga and Stockholm. Some ferries also connect Ventspils with Germany and Sweden. Timetables are available from the ferry information office in Ventspils, among others.
Rail: from Riga there are regular train connections to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Lviv and Vilnius.
Car: crossing the borders to and from Lithuania and Estonia by car or motorcycle is straightforward.
Bus: international bus companies such as Eurolines and Ecolines are based at the Riga bus station. Eurolines and a few smaller companies offer trips from Riga to Vilnius, Moscow, Tallinn, St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. Both Eurolines and Ecolines timetables include trips to various cities in Poland, Germany – including Warsaw and Berlin – and other Western European cities.
Latvia – traveling in the country
Rail: A convenient way to travel from Riga to Jurmala is by S-Bahn. Trains travel also from Riga to Sigulda, Cesis and Liepaja.
Car: Latvia Road network is well developed and the roads are well maintained. It is therefore easy to travel to Latvia with your own vehicle.
Car rental
Most car rental companies have their offices in the Arrivals Hall of Riga Airport. Budget offers inexpensive small cars, for example. If you want to save money, you can also use aolder carRent from a local provider.
Buses run several times a day from Riga to Liepaja, Cesis and Sigulda.
Local transport: most of the larger cities have excellent public transport networks with buses, trolley buses and trams.
