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This collection of pictures from Latvia is the result of a trip to its capital city Riga and the seaside resort of Jurmala.
If you look up my articles from Latvia, you will also find a video, a world heritage site, and regular travelogues. Before you do, start with these pictures from Latvia.
This gallery has pictures from the Old Town or Riga and from the beach town of Jurmala on the Baltic coast of Latvia. Riga's city centre is a World Heritage Site.
50 Photos
Afterwards, find all photo galleries on Sandalsand.
Fast facts
Learn about the country on Wikipedia. Here is an excerpt:
Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states and borders Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast. It also shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.
Centuries of German, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, was mainly executed by the Baltic German aristocracy. The Republic of Latvia declared independence from the German Empire in the aftermath of World War I. However, by the 1930s the country became increasingly autocratic.
The country’s de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II. Latvia was forcible incorporated into the Soviet Union, and invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941. The Soviets re-occupated Latvia in 1944 and formed the Latvian SSR for the next 45 years. As a result of extensive immigration during the Soviet occupation, ethnic Russians became the most prominent minority in the country. Russians now constitute nearly a quarter of the population. The peaceful Singing Revolution started in 1987, and ended with the restoration of de facto independence on 21 August 1991. Since then, Latvia has been a democratic unitary parliamentary republic.
Latvia today
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 also peacefulness.
