The Republic of Latvia is situated in north-eastern Europe. It is bordered by Estonia to the north, by Lithuania to the south and south-west, while on the east there is a frontier with the Russian Federation and to the south-east with Belarus. Latvia's territory of 64,000 sq. km. is larger than Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland, and is divided into four historical districts: Kurzeme (western Latvia), Zemgale (southern Latvia), Vidzeme (northern Latvia) and Latgale (eastern Latvia).

Climate

Owing to the influence of marine factors, the climate is relatively temperate but with considerable temperature variations. Summer is warm and relatively mild weather patterns exist in spring and autumn. Winter, which lasts from November to mid-March can be very cold.

Population

At the beginning of 1996, there were 2,496,981 people living in Latvia, with 1,764,968 individuals, or 70.684% being citizens of Latvia.

Latvia's laws guarantee equal rights for all ethnic groups, regardless of their citizenship. The latest official census figures list the largest cities in Latvia as follows: Riga (910,455 inhabitants), Daugavpils (124,910), Liepaja (114,486), Jelgava (74,105), followed by Jurmala, Ventspils, Rezekne, Jekabpils, Valmiera and Ogre.