Latvia

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, situated on the Daugava River by the Gulf of Riga. Founded in 1201 and once a key member of the Hanseatic League, it grew as a major Baltic port and today is famed for its UNESCO-listed Old Town and one of the world’s richest collections of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture. To place it among the Baltic states’ capitals, remember south-to-north: Vilnius (Lithuania), Riga (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia)—think “Very Rapid Train.” A memory hook: Latvia’s RIGa “rigged” ships in its medieval harbor. By contrast, Tallinn is Estonia’s capital and Helsinki is Finland’s, making Riga the correct choice for Latvia.