About Latvia
Basic facts about Latvia
Latvia is the central country of the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania). On the world map Latvia is to be found in North-eastern Europe, on the east coast of the Baltic Sea.
Today, the geographical location of Latvia is a basis for its economic development, which was suspended in its time by wars and battles devastating this country.
The landscape of the country is marked by lowland plains and rolling hills. Most of the countryside is less than 100 metres above sea level. There are thousands of rivers and lakes in Latvia.
Area: 64,589 sq.km or 24,937 sq.miles.
Borders: Latvia borders Estonia, Russia, Belarus and Lithuania.
Population: 2.319.203. The ethnic mix of the population of Latvia is largely the result of massive post-war immigration, which resulted in a decline in the share of ethnic Latvians from 77% in 1935 to 52% in 1989.
Ethnic composition: 58.2% Latvian, 29.2% Russian, 4.0% Belorussian, 2.6% Ukrainian, 2.5% Polish, other nationalities.
Official Language: Latvian.
Most Common Foreign Languages: English, Russian, and German
Climate: (http://www.meteo.lv/ ) Climate in Riga is influenced by its proximity to the sea; therefore it is moderately warm and humid. Summers are comparatively cool and cloudy (average temperature in July +16.9 C), but sometimes temperatures exceeding + 30 C. Winters are comparatively warm with frequent thaws (average temperature in January – 4,7 C, thaw days are about 10 days a month). The warmest month: July, the coldest month: January.
State
Type of Government: democratic, parliamentary republic.
Head of State: President (elected every 3 years and 3 months, Valdis Zatlers since July 7, 2007)
Memberships: European Union, NATO, United Nations Organisation, Council of Europe, World Trade Organisation, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Council of the Baltic Sea States, etc.
Currency: Latvian national currency is the lats (LVL), 1 lats consists of 100 santims.
Higher education in Latvia
In Latvia, there is both state-financed and fee-paying higher education. In order to single out the most able students, whose studies are publicly financed, higher education institutions carry out a procedure of student selection.
In 2004, there were 34 accredited higher education institutions in Latvia, most of which belong to the state, the rest having been founded by other legal entities or private individuals. A positive tendency is the rapid rise in student numbers seen in recent years. The number of registered students at the beginning of the 2001/2002 teaching year was over 110 thousand, most of whom (almost 90 thousand) attended public institutions. About a third of these study at state expense, while the rest pay fees.
Latvia has two sorts of higher education programmes – academic and professional (for example translators, bank staff, business lawyers, pilots etc.). University-type higher education institutions offer both academic and professional education, while the "non-university type" institutions provide only professional education. Such a division in higher education allows the student to choose either research or professional activity in the future.