Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi), with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population.
Latvia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea on the level northwestern part of the rising East European platform, between Estonia and Lithuania. About 98% of the country lies under 200 m (656 ft) elevation. With the exception of the coastal plains, the ice age divided Latvia into three main regions: the morainic Western and Eastern uplands and the Middle lowlands. Latvia holds over 12,000 rivers, only 17 of which are longer than 100 km (60 mi), and over 3,000 small lakes, most of which are eutrophic. The major rivers include the Daugava, the Lielupe, the Gauja, the Venta and the Salaca. Woodlands cover around 52% of the country. Other than peat, dolomite, and limestone, natural resources are scarce. Latvia has 504 km (313 mi) of sandy coastline, and the ports of Liepāja and Ventspils provide important warm-water harbors for the Baltic coast.
This article provides an overview of the transport infrastructure of Latvia.
Latvian Higher League or Virslīga, known for sponsorship reasons as Optibet Virslīga since 2019, is a professional football league and the top tier of association football in Latvia. Organised by the Latvian Football Federation, the Higher League is contested by 10 clubs.
Historical Latvian Lands or formerly Cultural regions of Latvia are several areas within Latvia formally recognised as distinct from the rest of the country. These are: Kurzeme (Courland), Zemgale, Latgale, Vidzeme, and Sēlija (Selonia). While some of these regions are seen purely as culturally distinct, others have historically been parts of different countries and have been used to divide the country for administrative and other purposes.
JSC Latvian Railway was established on 2 September 1991. It is seen as the successor of the Latvian State Railways company which was established on 5 August 1919 and dissolved by the Soviet occupation of Latvia in 1940.
The Latvian Basketball League also known as the Pafbet LBL for sponsorship reasons, is the top-level national basketball championship in Latvia composed of 6 teams. Since 2018/19, only the playoff matches are played, as the top Latvian clubs play the regular season in the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League. The LBL is governed by the Latvian Basketball Association, the national governing body of basketball in Latvia.
Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital is an outpatient and hospital health care service provider in Riga, Latvia. This hospital also plays a role in medical science and medical education. It aims to become a science and a training center to residents and prospective doctors and currently is affiliated with two universities. It is named after Pauls Stradiņš.
Riga Central Station is the main railway station in Riga, Latvia. It is known as the main point of Riga due to its central location, and most forms of public transport stop in this area. Part of the building is a shopping centre.
Nauris Bulvītis is a Latvian footballer who plays as a defender for FK Spartaks Jūrmala.
2010 Latvian Higher League was the 19th season of top-tier football in Latvia. It began on 9 April 2010 with the first round of games. Liepājas Metalurgs were the defending champions, having won their second league title last season.
The Baltic International Academy is the largest degree-awarding tertiary educational institution in Latvia teaching primarily in the Russian language and the largest non-government higher education establishment in the Baltic countries. It was established in 1992 as the Baltic Russian Institute. It adopted its current name in 2006. The academy has its main campus in Riga and has locations in Daugavpils, Liepāja, Rēzekne, Jēkabpils, Ventspils, Smiltene and Jelgava. It has 4,500 students, including 450 foreign students from 15 countries.
The 2011 Latvian Higher League was the 20th season of top-tier football in Latvia. It began on 15 April 2011 and ended on 5 November 2011.
Jānis Timma is a Latvian professional basketball player for Monbus Obradoiro of the Liga ACB. He also represents the senior Latvian national team. At a height of 2.01 m, he plays mainly at the small forward position.
Vladislavs Gabovs is Latvian football right-back who plays for Salaspils and the Latvia national football team.
Visvaldis Ignatāns is a Latvian footballer, who currently plays for FK Ventspils in the Latvian Higher League and Latvia national football team.
The 2016 Latvian Higher League was the 25th season of top-tier football in Latvia. FK Liepāja were the defending champions. The season began on 11 March 2016 and ended on 5 November 2016; the relegation play-offs took place on 9 and 13 November 2016.
The 2019 Latvian Higher League, known as the Optibet Virslīga for sponsorship reasons, was the 28th season of top-tier football in Latvia. The season began on 9 March 2019 and ended on 9 November 2019.
