| Local name: Latvijas Republika |
| Surface :
64,589 sq.km or 24,937 sq.miles - Latvia
is situated on the Baltic coast and borders Estonia in the north,
Lithuania in the south, the Russian Federation in the east and Belarus
in the southeast. |
| Population :
2,351,400 inhabitants |
| Electricity: 220
volts AC, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are in use |
Climate: Latvia’s weather is
governed by a moderate oceanic climate, with pronounced cyclone
activity and a considerable amount of precipitation. Summer: June -
August. Winter: December - February. The average temperature in summer
is 15.8°C (in the capital 16.1°C), the average temperature in winter
is –4.5°C (in the capital –3.8°C). The warmest month - July, the
coldest - January.
The average precipitation amount in summer is 195 mm, in winter - 116
mm. |
| Capital:
Riga - population 764,328 |
System: Type of government:
democratic, parliamentary republic.
Legislative power is in the hands of a single chamber parliament - the
Saeima, consisting of 100 deputies. Parliamentary elections take place
every 4 years. The country’s head of state is the President, who is
elected by the Saeima for a period of 4 years. The President signs
laws, chooses the Prime Minister (who heads the government) and
performs representative functions. |
VISAS:
Required by all except the following for a stay
of up to 90 days:
nationals of countries in the table above; nationals of Andorra,
Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hong
Kong (SAR), Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Korea (Rep),
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua,
Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Switzerland,
Uruguay and the Vatican City; transit passengers continuing their
journey by the same or first connecting aircraft, provided holding
onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport, except
citizens of: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran,
Iraq, Congo (Dem Rep), Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka who
must obtain an airport transit visa issued prior to arrival. PASSPORTS:
Passport valid for 3 months after expiry date of visa with at least 2
blank pages required by all. |
| Languages: Latvian, Russian |
| Religions: Evangelic Lutheran, Roman
Catholic and Russian Orthodox |
| Money: Latvian national currency is
the lats (LVL), 1 lats consists of 100 santims |
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+ 371 |
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+ 2 (GMT
+ 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in
October) |
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