I.

Introduction

Latvia (in Latvian, Latvija), republic in north-eastern Europe, bordered on the north by Estonia and the Gulf of Riga, an inlet of the Baltic Sea; on the east by Russia; on the south by Belarus and Lithuania; and on the west by the Baltic Sea. The area of Latvia is about 63,700 sq km (24,600 sq mi). Riga, the capital and largest city, is also the country’s chief port.