Latvia - Łotwa

Latvia (flight. Latvija, Republic of Latvia - Latvijas Republika) - a country located in Northern Europe, one of the Baltic countries. It borders with Lithuania, Belarus, Russia and Estonia. To the west, it has a coast with the Baltic Sea.

Characteristic

Latvia is located in a lowland, almost 60% is below 100 m above sea level. The highest point is Gaizinkalns (312 m above sea level). The territory of Latvia is 64 589 km², and the population is approximately 2 million 285 thousand.

Geography

Latvia is generally a lowland country - the average altitude is 87 m above sea level. The coast of the Latvian Baltic Sea is basically level, flat and sandy. Apart from the Gulf of Riga and the Courland Peninsula, the coast is not varied. The main river of the country is The Dvina. The country is also very rich in lakes (1/6 of the country's area), of which there are about 3,000.

fauna and Flora

Latvia's fauna is not much different from that of the surrounding areas - there are only more animals and water birds. The flora is mainly forests (almost 50% of the country). There are also peat bogs and swamps (about 10% of Latvia). The forests mainly consist of pine, spruce and birch.

Climate

Temperate climate, continental in the east; the average annual temperature is 4.5 to 6.5 ° C. The temperature in July is 17 ° C, and in January –5 ° C.

History

 Main article: in: History of Latvia.

Policy

The president of Latvia is Andris Bērziņšand the prime minister Laimdot Straujum. Latvia is a democratic state with a unicameral parliament.

Economy

Society

In Latvia, Russians constitute the largest minority - about 27% of the population. Due to the fact that many do not speak the Latvian language, they do not have Latvian citizenship. Such a large number of Russians is due to the fact that during the times of the USSR, Russians were resettled there and the country was industrialized. The main religion is Lutheranism (mainly northwestern Latvia) - others are Catholicism (especially Poles, Lithuanians and Latvians from the eastern part of the country) and Orthodoxy (mainly Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians).

Traditions

Culture and art

Preparations

Visas

A visa for Poles is not obligatory, there is no border control at the border with Lithuania and Estonia.

Customs regulations

There are no specific customs restrictions.

Currency exchange

The currency of Latvia is the euro - it's best to exchange it before leaving.

Insurance

No insurance needed -> Latvia is from 2004 in European Union.

Drive

By plane

From Okecie to Riga, by Eurolot, 1h 25m.

By car

You can get there from Poland by crossing the state border, e.g. in Budzisko and then via the international road E67 (Via Baltica). The road network is relatively dense, but many are of poor quality, and off the main roads you can often find gravel or sand.

By bus

By train

By ship

That Sweden There are ferries to Riga.

Border crossings

• Terehova - with Russia on the route to Moscow,
• Grebneva - with Russia towards Petersburg.

At the borders with Lithuania and Estonia there is no border or customs control - crossing them is allowed anywhere.

Regions

Cities

76 localities [1] have municipal rights in Latvia. The largest city is with over 700,000 inhabitants. inhabitants, capital city of Riga. Only two cities exceed the number of 100,000. residents. Next to the capital, it is Daugavpils in the south-east of the country. The cities of Latvia usually developed on the sites of the former settlements of the Balts and Livs tribes and the castles of the Knights of the Sword. Many of them developed thanks to their convenient location on the rivers (Jełgawa, Jēkabpils, Valmiera, Kieś, Kuldīga). The country's largest cities also include Courland's two frost-free ports on the Baltic Sea, namely Ventspils and Liepāja. The smallest town is Durbe with 424 inhabitants, located near Liepaja.

• Riga
• Daugavpils
• Liepaja
• Jelgava
• Jurmala
• Ventspils
• Scary
• Valmiera

Interesting places

• Gauja National Park,
• Kemeri National Park,
• Slitere National Park,
• Kuldiga,
• Teica marshes,
• Grini.

Transport

Trip

Tongue

The official language is Latvian, similar to Lithuanian. You can also communicate in Russian.

Shopping

Gastronomy

Latvian cuisine is relatively similar to the Polish regional (north-eastern Poland) - mainly meat dishes (e.g. zeppelins).

Accommodation

For free

In many places, especially by the sea, there are free places to set up tents - most often it is a piece of land, access to water in the form of a spring, stream, toilet and, possibly, some benches, a place for a fire, etc.

very cheap

Paid campsites of various standards. Most of them are on the Baltic Sea, much less in the interior.

Moderate

Expensive

• Reval Hotel Latvija - EUR 120 per night, double room, 400 m from the Old Town; air conditioning, cable, telephone, mini bar, breakfast included. Access from the airport approx. PLN 50.

Science

work

Security

There is no particular threat of common crime.

Health

contact

Telephone

The area code for Latvia is 371.

Internet

post

Tourist information

Diplomatic representations

The Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Riga

Mednieku iela 6b, LV 1010 Riga, Latvia

Contact - phones

Switchboard: 371 67 03 15 12

Consular Section: 371 67 03 15 14

Political and Economic Department: 371 67 031 512/500

Emergency telephone number: 371 29 47 56 09 (outside office hours)

Contact - fax

Embassy: 371 67 03 15 49

Consular Section: 371 67 03 15 54

Political and Economic Department: 371 67 03 15 49

Web page: https://ryga.msz.gov.pl/pl/

Contact - e-mail: Embassy: [email protected], Consulate: [email protected]

Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Warsaw

ul. Królowej Aldony 19

03-928 Warsaw

Phone: 48 22 617 11 05

Fax: 48 22 617 11 06

Web page: https://www.mfa.gov.lv/pl

E-mail: [email protected]

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