ABOUT LATVIA

The Republic of Latvia can boast of a culture and traditions that are centuries old. The territory that is now Latvia was first inhabbited soon after the Ice Age, in approximately 9000 BC. By the 1270's, the crusaders had established the state of Livonia, a political union of territories belonging to the Livonian Order of Knights and to the Catholic church, covering the homelands of the Couronians, Semgallians, Latgallians, Selonians and Finno-Ugrians (Estonians and Livs) in the territory of present-day Latvia and Estonia. Regular economic and cultural ties were developed between Livonia and neighbouring areas of Europe. In 1282 Riga ( founded 1201 AD, by German bishop Albert ) was admitted into the Hanseatic League of northern Germany, thereby assuming a central mediating role in east-west trade. However, while Riga began to flourish as a large trading centre, the trade and property rights of non-Germans in Riga were severely restricted. At the same time, it must be noted that the political and economic unity of the Livonian order eventually stimulated the unification of the local tribes into one (Latvian) linguistic community. The beginning of the 19th century heralded the onset of the consolidation of the Latvian nation, when Latvians first began to consider themselves to be members of a viable separate nation. The first Latvian language newspapers were published. A group from the Latvian intelligentsia, referring to theselves as the "Young Latvians", was instrumental in developing the Latvian literary style, and Latvian culture, and a national awakening in the middle of the 19th century can be linked to their efforts to achieve for the Latvian nation, the same rights other nations enjoyed. These efforts also signaled the beginning of a fight for national self-determination. Beginning in the 1880's the Russian government began a programme of deliberate Russification in the Baltic provinces, which endangered both the autonomy of the Balto-Germanic provinces, as well as the burgeoning nationalistic movements of the Baltic peoples. As concers it's location - Latvia is located near The Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. The area of Latvia is ~64600 sq.km. The capital of Latvia is Riga Climat in Latvia is moderate, with temperature variations. Winters can be very cold ( although sometimes winter is more like autumn ). Summers are comparatively cool and cloudly ( in general ). Latvia is divided into 4 cultural parts - Vidzeme, Kurzeme, Zemgale, Latgale. The official language in Latvia is Latvian. Russian, English & German are widely spoken. Ethnic composition consists of Latvians ( 58% ), Russians ( 29% ), Byelorussians ( 4% ), other( 9% ). In May 1, 2004 Latvia becomes a member of European Union.

Visas: Many nationalities require a visa, and a few require an invitation as well. Citizens of Andorra, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UK, Australia and the USA can travel visa-free for stays of up to 90 days; citizens of many countries do not require a visa if they already have one for Estonia or Lithuania
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +2
Dialling Code: 371
Electricity: 220V ,50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric