Latvia

Latvia is a country in northern Europe on the Baltic Sea. It sits between Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia has wide sandy beaches, dense pine forests, and a beautiful capital city with fancy old buildings.

Land and People

About 1.8 million people live in Latvia. The capital is Riga, the largest city in the Baltic states. Latvia is flat with lots of forests, rivers, and lakes. The sandy beaches along the Baltic coast are popular in summer.

A tall red brick castle standing in the forests of Latvia.
A tall red brick castle standing in the forests of Latvia. (Nikater / Wikimedia Commons)

Culture and Fun Facts

Latvians love to sing and have a massive song and dance festival every five years. Riga has one of the best collections of art nouveau buildings in the world. Dark rye bread is eaten with almost every meal. Midsummer is the biggest celebration of the year.

Fun Facts

  • Latvia's song and dance festival brings together over 40,000 performers.
  • Riga has the largest collection of art nouveau buildings in Europe.
  • About half of Latvia is covered in forest.

Did You Know?

Every five years, Latvia holds a huge song and dance festival where over 40,000 performers come together. Singing has always been a big part of Latvian culture. The tradition is so special that it is protected by UNESCO.