Latvia Travel Guide

Latvia

Country: Latvia

Population: 2,259,810

Capital: Riga

Time Zone: UTC+2

Currency Name: Latvian lat (LVL)

Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy

Languages: Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3%

Ethnic Breakdown: Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2%

Religion: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Major Cities: Valmiera, Riga, Ventspils

Phone Country Code: 371

Health Concerns:

Official Tourism Website: www.latviatourism.lv/

High Travel Season: June - August

Voltage: 220 V - 50 Hz

Electrical Plug Type: c, f

Major Holidays: January 1 (New Year's Day), Easter, May 1 (Labor Day), May 4 (Declaration of Independence), June 23-24 (Midsummer), November 18 (Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia), December 25-26 (Christmas), December 31 (New Year's Eve)

Misc Fact / Good to Know: Latvian women Marite Ozere became Miss USA in 1963, and Ieva Bondare won Mrs Globe in 1998.