Riga (Latvian: Rīga) is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 693,064 inhabitants (January 2014), Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga, at the mouth of the Daugava. Riga's territory covers 118.60 square miles (307.17 km2) and lies between 3.3 and 32.8 feet (1.06-10 meters) above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical center is a World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. The city is the European Capital of Culture during 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga is served by Riga International Airport, the largest airport in the Baltic states.
Riga is a member of Eurocities, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) and Union of Capitals of the European Economic Community (UCEEC).
Twin cities[]
Dallas, America
Cairns, Australia
Minsk, Belarus
Santiago, Chile- Suzhou, Republic of China
- Taibei, Republic of China
- Aalborg, Denmark
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Tartu, Estonia
- Pori, Finland
- Bordeaux, France
- Calais, France
- Bremen, Germany
- Rostock, Germany
- Florence, Italy
- Kobe, West Japan
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Warsaw, Poland
- Wilno, Poland
- Alma-Ata, Soviet Union
- Leningrad, Soviet Union
- Moscow, Soviet Union
- Tashkent, Soviet Union
- Tbilisi, Soviet Union
- Tselinograd, Soviet Union
- Yerevan, Soviet Union
- Norrköping, Sweden
- Stockholm, Sweden
- Kyiv, Ukraine
