The Republic of Latvia is a
country in Northern Europe . Latvia
has land borders with its two fellow Baltic states - Estonia
to the north and Lithuania to
the south - and Russia and Belarus
to the east. In the west Latvia shares a maritime border with Sweden
. The country itself may be less famous than its capital Riga
, one of the most beautiful cities
of the Baltic region. About a third of the population of Latvia lives in the capital
and for all purposes it is the best base for exploring the country. Since Latvia
is relatively small, most of the other sights can be seen as daytrips from the
capital.
Jurmala is the best beach resort to go to. It has been popular with city dwellers from Latvia for over 150 years and the city houses some great Jugendstil architecture. Apart from the beaches there are also forests here where you can go hiking.
