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Capital of Latvia: Riga — Facts & 5-Question Quiz

The capital of Latvia is Riga. Latvia sits in Europe, has a population of 1,850,651, and uses the EUR. Official languages include Latvian.

Quick facts

  • Capital: Riga
  • Continent: Europe
  • Population: ~1,850,651
  • Area: 64,589 km²
  • Population density: 28.7 people per km²
  • Official language: Latvian
  • Currency: EUR
  • ISO code: LV

How big is Latvia?

By population, Latvia ranks 149th in the world, holding roughly 0.02% of all people on Earth. By land area it ranks 122nd.

Those two numbers rarely match, and the gap between them is the interesting part. Latvia has 28.7 people per square kilometre, which is about 2.1 times below the world average of 59.4. It is more spacious than its population alone would suggest.

Within Europe, Latvia is the 34th most populous country of 46.

Countries of a similar size

The two countries closest to Latvia in population are Kosovo (1,761,985) and Equatorial Guinea (1,674,908).

By land area, its closest counterparts are Lithuania (65,300 km²) and Sri Lanka (65,610 km²).

Comparisons like these are worth more than raw figures when you are trying to remember them. A number on its own is hard to hold; a number next to a country you already have a feel for is much easier.

Language and currency

Latvian is listed as an official language of Latvia alone, which is unusual — most official languages are shared across borders.

The EUR is not unique to Latvia — it is also used by Andorra, Austria, Belgium and Croatia, and 21 others. Shared currencies usually mark a monetary union or a long-standing peg, and they are a useful shortcut in quizzes: get one country's currency and you often get several.

How to remember Latvia

Read the Baltic states from north to south as E-L-L: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Latvia is the middle one, and Riga sits in the middle of the curve of the Gulf of Riga, the bay that shares its name. For the flag, picture a red sandwich with one thin slice of white in the middle.

The flag of Latvia: carmine (dark) red and white

🇱🇻 The flag is a dark carmine-red flag with a thin white horizontal stripe across the middle. The red is often said to stand for the Latvians' readiness to defend their freedom. The design is one of the oldest in the world: a medieval chronicle describes a red flag with a white stripe being used around 1280.

Region and neighbours

Latvia is the middle of the three Baltic states in Northern Europe, on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea and wrapped around the Gulf of Riga. It shares land borders with 4 countries: Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.

Three facts about Latvia

  1. Riga is the largest city in Latvia, and about a third of all Latvians live there.
  2. More than half of Latvia is covered by forest.
  3. Latvia joined the European Union and NATO in 2004 and adopted the euro in 2014.

Sources: Wikipedia: Latvia, Wikipedia: Flag of Latvia, Wikipedia: Riga, CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Latvia

Latvia capital quiz

  1. What is the capital of Latvia 🇱🇻?

    • Vaduz
    • Monaco
    • Riga
    • San Marino
    Show answer

    Riga

  2. What is the capital of Kosovo 🇽🇰?

    • Luxembourg
    • Sofia
    • Belgrade
    • Pristina
    Show answer

    Pristina

  3. What is the capital of North Macedonia 🇲🇰?

    • Dublin
    • Skopje
    • Moscow
    • Minsk
    Show answer

    Skopje

  4. What is the capital of Slovenia 🇸🇮?

    • Berlin
    • Ljubljana
    • Kyiv
    • Reykjavík
    Show answer

    Ljubljana

  5. What is the capital of Estonia 🇪🇪?

    • Tallinn
    • Copenhagen
    • Bucharest
    • Vilnius
    Show answer

    Tallinn

Latvia in Europe

The largest countries by population sharing this continent are Russia, Germany, United Kingdom and France.

If you are learning capitals region by region — far more effective than working alphabetically — Europe is the block Latvia belongs to, and its neighbours are the ones worth learning alongside it.

Try the Country to Capital Quiz, or the harder reverse direction. There is also a full country profile for Latvia.

Frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Latvia?

The capital of Latvia is Riga.

What is the population of Latvia?

About 1,850,651, making it the 149th most populous country in the world.

How big is Latvia?

64,589 square kilometres, ranking 122nd by land area, at a density of 28.7 people per square kilometre.

What currency does Latvia use?

The EUR, shared with 25 other countries.

What are the colours of the Latvia flag?

The flag of Latvia is a dark carmine-red flag with a thin white horizontal stripe across the middle. The red is often said to stand for the Latvians' readiness to defend their freedom. The design is one of the oldest in the world: a medieval chronicle describes a red flag with a white stripe being used around 1280.

Which countries border Latvia?

Latvia shares land borders with Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus and Russia.

How can I remember the capital of Latvia?

Read the Baltic states from north to south as E-L-L: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Latvia is the middle one, and Riga sits in the middle of the curve of the Gulf of Riga, the bay that shares its name. For the flag, picture a red sandwich with one thin slice of white in the middle.

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