According to Countryaah website, Latvia has a total of around 2.2 million residents.
Ethnic composition
In Latvia there are 59% Latvians, 28% Russians, 4% Belarusians, 3% Ukrainians, 2.5% Poles and 1% Lithuanians.
Religious affiliation
In Latvia there is the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church and the Jewish synagogue community.
National language
The national language is Latvian.
Capital and other cities
The capital of Latvia is Riga with a population of about 699,200. According to Abbreviation Finder, LVA stands for Latvia in English. Click to see other meanings of this 3-letter acronym.
Other cities are:
Daugavpils with approx. 130,000 residents
Liepaja with approx. 110,000 residents
Jelgava with approx. 75,000 residents
Jurmala with approx. 61,000 residents
and Ventspils with approx. 55,000 residents.
Latvia: geography
National borders
Latvia has a border with a total length of 1,150 km. Check topmbadirectory for politics, flags, famous people, animals and plants of Latvia.
There are limits to:
Belarus with a length of 141 km
Estonia with a length of 339 km
Lithuania with a length of 453 km
Russia with a length of 217 km
Coastline
Latvia has a coast to the Baltic Sea with a length of around 530 km.
Area and land use
Latvia covers an area of 64,597 km².
Thereof:
ForestAround 40% of the country is forested, that is more than two thirds of the country.
Meadow and pasture landAround 13% of the land is used as meadow or pasture land.
Arable land and fieldsAround 39% of the land is used as arable land or fields, especially for growing grain, potatoes, fodder crops and sugar beets.
SwampThe total area of swamps and bogs takes up about 10% of the country.
MountainsThere are no mountains in Latvia.
National borders
Latvia has a border with a total length of 1,150 km.
There are limits to:
Belarus with a length of 141 km
Estonia with a length of 339 km
Lithuania with a length of 453 km
Russiawith a length of 217 km
Coastline
Latvia has a coast to the Baltic Sea with a length of around 530 km.
Tidal range in Latvia
On the Latvian coast, the mean tidal range is between 20 and 40 cm.
For detailed explanations of ebb and flow, see Tides, Ebb and Flow.
Compare
The world’s highest tidal range can be found in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, where it is up to 16 m, and at spring tide even over 20 m. The Bay of Fundy is located on the Atlantic between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, which is called Nova Scotia in German and whose capital is Halifax. On the German North Sea coast it varies between 1 m and 3 m. In the western Baltic Sea, on the other hand, the tidal range is only 0.3 m, while it is barely noticeable in the eastern Baltic Sea.
Longitude and latitude
Latvia extends over the following geographical latitude (abbreviation Δφ) and geographical longitude (abbreviation Δλ):
Δφ = around 55 ° – 58 ° north latitude Δλ = around 20 ° – 28 ° east longitude
You can find detailed information on this subject under Longitude and Latitude.
Time
For Latvia the following value applies to Central European Time (CET), i.e. the time without summer time. A minus sign means that it is earlier there, a plus sign that it is later than CET:
Δ t (CET) = + 1 h
Further and detailed explanations of the time can be found under Time zones, time.
Highest level of the sun in Riga
Riga lies at a northern latitude of around φ = 57 °.
If the sun or its image point is at the northern tropic, i.e. at δ = 23.5 °, summer begins in Riga, this is June 21. Then, for the highest position of the sun at noon, according to Eq. 1 (see position of the sun):
57 ° = (90 ° – h) + 23.5 °
so:
H = 56.5 °
At 56.5 °, the sun in Riga has the highest level of the entire year above the horizon (more precisely: above the horizon).
mountains
Gaizina Kalns
The highest point in the country is the Gaizina Kalns with a height of only 311 m.
Rivers
There are around 12,400 rivers and streams in Latvia.
Daugava (Düna)
The longest river in Latvia is the Daugava (Düna) with a total length of 1,020 km. In Latvian territory the river is 375 km long. The Daugava has been regarded as the land of fortune since the Romantic era. It should be mentioned that the Daugava has the largest hydroelectric power plants in the country.
Other rivers in the country are:
Gauja
The Gauja has a length of 452 km and flows through Latvia and Estonia.
Magnifying glass
The magnifying glass has a length of around 119 km
Salaca
The Salaca passes through Latvia and Estonia with a length of around 95 km.
Lakes
Lubans
The country includes around 3,000 lakes. The largest lake is the Lubans with an area of about 80.7 km².
Burtnieku
Another large lake is the Burtnieku with an area of around 40 km².
Islands
Riga Bay, Baltic Sea
Riga Bay
Latvia borders the Riga Bay, which is part of the Baltic Sea, as well as the “open” Baltic Sea.
The Riga Bay (Bay of Riga) borders Latvia further north and Estonia. The bay covers an area of around 16,330 km², with a maximum depth of around 60 m. In the north-west, the Estonian island of Saaremaa (Ösel) forms the border with the open Baltic Sea. About 25 km away from Riga, along the south coast of the bay, you will find the health resort Jurmala – which stretches for almost 30 km along the bay and is the largest Baltic resort in the Baltic States.
