Living in Latvia

Latvia is located in the Baltics on the Baltic Sea and borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania; around 1.9 million people live there. Extensive forests, lakes, rivers and a long, flat coastline shape the landscape. The climate is temperate: summers are usually mild, while winters are cold, especially in the east and inland. In Riga, many people live in city apartments and use buses, trams or bicycles; outside the capital, cars and regional buses are more important. Employment is concentrated more heavily in Riga and other larger cities, while smaller towns are shaped by agriculture, timber processing and regional services. In their free time, people meet with family and friends, spend time in nature or by the sea.