Latvia

"Latvia is like a bottle of champagne which has been kept for a long time – seven centuries, after all! - in a

dark cellar and suddenly opened by the careless Time. Much of its bubbling contents have been split in the

ceiling and on the floor, yet there is still enough left in the bottle for us to get tipsy,

for the wine is old and good. " 

Kārlis Skalbe, Latvian writer (1879-1945)

The national flag

The first evidence of the maroon-white-maroon flag of Latvia dates to the second half of the distant

13th century when, as it is said, the Latvian tribes went to war with

Estonians under such flag. Latvian flag can be thus considered to be among the oldest national symbols in the world.

The present coat of arms of the Republic of Latvia was designed in

1921. It is shield-shaped. The shield of the large coat of arms is divided and its

lower part split.

The national coat of arms

The national anthem

The national anthem of the Republic of Latvia is called“Dievs, svētī Latviju!” (“God, Bless Latvia!”).The music andlyrics have been composed by the Latvian composer Kārlis Baumanis (1835-1905).

GENERAL INFORMATIONOF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA

Political system: parliamentary republicHead of State: PresidentParliament: Saeima - 100 MPs elected for the term of 4 yearsCapital: Riga, 713 000 inhabitantsThe proclamation of Latvia’s independence: November 18, 1918Official language: latvianArea: 64 589 km2

Population: 2 239 800 (data from June, 1, 2010), 68% of it urbanCurrency: Lat (LVL)Distance between Riga and other capitals at Comenius project 2010-2012 “Xenopfobia.....”:Vilnius – 260 km, Roma – 1865 km, Varsava – 239 km, Bratislava – 1084 km, Ankara – 1995 km, Bukareste – 1397 km

"For Fatherland and Freedom"Freedom Monument erected in 1935(Again since independence in 1992, honor guard stands)

on top isLiberty holding three stars(for the three regions of Latvia -Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale)

The monument of freedom in Riga

The national symbols of Latvia

The national insect of Latvia is the two-spotted ladybird (Adalia bipunctata).

The national bird of Latvia is the white wagtail (Motacilla alba).

The national symbols of Latvia

The national flower of Latvia is the daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare).

The national trees of Latvia are linden or lime (Tilia cordata) and oak (Quercus robur).

The national symbols of Latvia

Amber is another national symbol of Latvia. The Baltic Sea washes pieces of amber ashore mainly in the Western shores of Kurzeme during heavy storms. This semiprecious stone is formed from fossilized pine resin and was valued especially high in the ancient world.

The national symbols of Latvia

In 2008. was XXIV song fest and XIV dance fest

Latvians are popular with their choral singing all over the world. Every four years there is Latvian singing and dancing festival. Thousands of choral singers and dancers participate at this festival. Students have their own choral singing

and dancing festival, too.

Opera House in Riga

Riga- the capital of Latvia.

the October bridge

Relief map of Latvia

The nature of LatviaThe main treasures of the nature in Latvia are its forests and unchanged, unpolluted environment. The climate of Latvia is moderately warm and has four pronounced seasons. The average temperature in January is about -5oC, in July +17oC.The longest days are in June – almost 18 hours of day-light, white the shortest days fall in the end of the December – 6 hours 43 minutes of daylight.There are more than 12000 rivers in Latvia, but only 17 among them are longer than 100 kilometres.

Interesting facts

• 50% of the country’s teritory is occupied by forests, 10% - by swamps.• there are only 3 species of snakes living in Latvia.• there are more than 4100 species of mushrooms and 1884 species of flowering plants in Latvia.

Interesting facts• one of the most popular souvenirs from Latvia is “Black Balsam of Riga”, an alcoholic herb drink whose recipe was created in the mid-18th century.• the joint-stock company “Laima” enterprise produces mainly chocolate and chocolate candy.• a traditional part of Latvian food is the black bread made by rye flour.

The castles of LatviaMany beautiful restored castles and palaces from earlier times embellish Latvia’s countryside.

Mežotne palaceJaunmoku castle

Palace as seen from the garden

The Rundales palace is one of the major tourist destinations in Latvia. It is also used for the accommodation of notable guests, such as the leaders of foreign nations. The palace and the surrounding gardens are now a museum.

Rundāle palace

Many thanks to all authors, whose texts and photos we used in presentation!

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