News: In Baltic nation of Latvia, the Latvian Environment and Meteorology Centre has reported that country recorded a temperature of -32 degrees Celsius recently.
Key Facts about Latvia
- Location: Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of northern Europe.
- Boundaries: 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.
- Capital: Riga – the largest city in the Baltics.
- It is famous for its stunning Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage medieval Old Town.
- Climate: Latvia has a temperate climate.
- Rivers: The longest river on Latvian territory is the Gauja (452 km).
- The longest river flowing through Latvian territory is the Daugava, which has a total length of 1,005 km of which 352 km is on Latvian territory.
- Peaks: Latvia’s highest point is Gaiziņkalns, 311.6 m (1,022 ft).
- Coastlines: The length of Latvia’s Baltic coastline is 494 km.
- An inlet of the Baltic Sea, the shallow Gulf of Riga is situated in the northwest of the country.
- Political System: It is a parliamentary republic. The head of state is the President, and the government is led by the Prime Minister.
- Independence: Latvia first declared independence in 1918.
- It was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union from 1940-1941 and 1944-1991.
- It restored its independence in 1991 after the “Singing Revolution” and the peaceful Baltic Way protest.
- It is a member of:
- European Union
- Eurozone
- NATO
- The Council of Europe
- The United Nations
- The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
- Traditions: Rich folklore, with over 1.2 million folk songs (Dainas), celebrating nature, life cycles, and mythology. Midsummer’s Eve (Jāņi) is the most important annual celebration.
