GENERAL INFORMATION

Latvia is located in Northern Europe on the shores of Baltic Sea.
Capital: Riga (764 thousands inhabitants).
Area: 64.5 square kilometers.
Neighboring countries: Lithuania, Estonia, Belarus, and Russia.
The Highest Point of Latvia is Gaiziņkalns – 311,6 m above sea level.
The Longest River in Latvia is Gauja – 452 km. The total length of Daugava is 1005 km, but the state territory is 352 km. There are about 750 rivers in Latvia, which are longer than 10 km.
The Largest Lake According to its Area is Lubānas – 80 km2.
The deepest lake is Drīdzis – 65,1 m. There are about 3000 lakes in Latvia, which are bigger than 1ha.

GEOGRAPHY & CLIMATE
The climate of Latvia is transitional between continental and maritime.
Average temperature in winter time -5 up to -10 and summer +15 up to +20 degrees calcium.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE
Total population: 2.3 million inhabitants. 57.7 % Latvians.
State language: Latvian is the official state language. However Russian, English and German are widely spoken. Latvian belongs to the Baltic language group, part of the Indo-European language family. The language has three main dialects with the Latgallian dialect, spoken in the eastern part of Latvia, especially distinctive.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Currency
Latvian LATAS, 1 euro =
Coins:
Banknotes:
Master card and visa are widely accepted in Lithuania. American Express and Dinners Club cards are accepted in larger establishments.
Time Zone
(GMT + 2) – Central European Time (CET), from April to October – summer time.
Metric System
European metric system is used. Temperature is measured in degrees Celsius.
Voltage, Plugs
The electrical supply is 220 volts AC, 50 Herz, European-style 2 pin plugs are used.