Latvia

Latvia is located on the continent of Europe, where it has a coastal position and is bordered by Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia and the Baltic Sea. There are seven continents in the world: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, Antarctica, Australia (Oceania). Europe is the world's second smallest continent, it has 51 countries, with some countries belonging to both Europe and Asia. It occupies a total area of 10,180,000 km2 and forms 6.8% of the landmass of the world. Latvia is a coastal country that spreads across a total area of approximately 64,559 km2. It is one of the smaller countries located in mainland Europe. The area size of Latvia is very similar to the size of Lithuania.

The following border information provides details on the length of Latvia's borders:
Coastline 498 km, Belarus 161 km, Estonia 333 km, Lithuania 544 km, Russia 332 km.

Latvia has a temperate climate with cold, snowy winters and warm summers. The geography of Latvia is dominated by lowland and fertile plains for the most part, and hilly regions in the east. The lowest point of Latvia is the Baltic Sea at 0m, and the highest point of elevation is Gaizina Kalns at 312m.

The official language of Latvia is Latvian, however, approximately one-third of the population speak Russian as a first language. Other languages that are used by a very small percentage in this country are Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian.

The main religion of Latvia is Lutheran at approximately 19% of the population. Around 15% are Orthodox. The remaining population either belongs to other religions or no religion at all.

Natural resources can be defined as materials and substances that occur naturally on Earth. Natural resources are very important across the world, and can be exploited for economic gain. The level of resources that occur naturally in an individual country are influenced by varying factors such as the geography, climate and location of that country. Some countries are very rich in natural resources, where as others have limited to none. Countries that have particularly rich resources include Russia, The United States, Saudi Arabia and Canada. Food, construction and transport are three primary examples of uses of natural resources. The following information provides examples of these uses: fish occurs naturally in streams, rivers, lakes and oceans, and can be caught for food consumption. Wood/timber can be extracted from forests for construction purposes, i.e. to build homes and furniture. Crude oils can be refined into different kinds of fuels in order to power vehicles/cars. The natural resources found in Latvia include peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower (water power), timber, and arable land suitable for growing crops.

Each country has its own individual culture, history and identity. Flags, emblems, symbols, mottos, colors, anthems and songs represent the national pride and identity of countries worldwide. These national symbols are formed through the unique history of a nation and are symbolic of both hardship and prosperity, embodying freedom, strength and unity. Flags, emblems, songs, mottos and colors reflect the past, present and future hopes of a country, and create an important image to the rest of the world. National symbols can include a mixture of things that are symbolic to a country such as animals, birds, flowers, trees, geographical features, tools of agriculture, crops, and tools of war. Here are some important facts on the symbols, songs and colors of Latvia: