Riga
Sign in to saveRiga ( ) is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia and the second largest in the Baltics. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 847,162 (as of 2025). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level on a flat and sandy plain.
AI overview
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, located on the Gulf of Riga where the Daugava river meets the Baltic Sea, with a population of nearly 592,000 people who make up about a third of Latvia's total population. As the second-largest city in the Baltic region, Riga serves as the primary economic and political center of Latvia.
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Key facts
- Settlement.name
- Riga
- Settlement.settlement_type
- Capital city and state city
- Settlement.image_flag
- Flag of Riga.svg
- Settlement.image_shield
- Coat of Arms of Riga.svg
- Settlement.image_blank_emblem
- Logo of Riga.svg
- Settlement.blank_emblem_type
- Brandmark
- Settlement.pushpin_map_caption
- Location within Latvia##Location within Europe
- Settlement.pushpin_map
- Latvia#Europe
- Settlement.pushpin_relief
- 1
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Country
- Settlement.subdivision_name
- Latvia
- Settlement.government_type
- City Council
Article
42 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- History
- Founding
- Under Bishop Albert
- Hanseatic League
- Holy Roman Empire, Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Swedish and Russian Empires
- World War I
- World War II and Soviet era
- 21st century
- Geography
- Administrative divisions
- Climate
- Government
- Demographics
- Economy
- Tourism
- Culture
- Theatres
- Mežaparks Great Bandstand
- World Choir Games
- Food
- Music and nightlife
- Architecture
- Art Nouveau
- Sports
- Sports clubs
- Sports facilities
- Sports events
- Transport
- Universities
- Notable people
- Public service
- Arts
- Science
- Sport
- Twin towns – sister cities
- See also
- Other capitals of the Baltic states
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Riga ( ) is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia and the second largest in the Baltics. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 847,162 (as of 2025). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level on a flat and sandy plain.
Riga was founded in 1201, and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2013 World Women's Curling Championship, and the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in 2006, 2021, and 2023. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named as the European Region of Gastronomy.
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Capital cities in EuropeCities and towns in VidzemeDynamic listsGulf of RigaHolocaust locations in LatviaMembers of the Hanseatic LeagueNUTS 3 statistical regions of the European UnionPopulated coastal places in LatviaPort cities and towns in LatviaPort cities and towns of the Baltic SeaRigaRiga county