Egp latvia according to plan. Latvia. The longest rivers

Baltic (Baltic) as a historical and geographical region includes: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia.

There is also an opinion that the countries of this region should be attributed either to Central or Central Europe, since it is more correct to call Eastern Europe Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and the European part of Russia, but the name " Eastern Europe" has been fixed for the countries of this region and is recognized all over the world.

Lithuania is located in the northeast of Europe. It borders with Russia, Poland, Latvia, Belarus. In the west it is washed by the Baltic Sea. The area of ​​the country is 65.2 thousand square meters. km.

The Republic of Latvia is located on the shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. Proximity Atlantic Ocean has a great influence on the climate of the republic. Compared to other Baltic republics, Latvia has a more advantageous position in relation to the sea, it is "the most maritime republic." The length of its territory from east to west is 450 km, from north to south - 250 km. The area is 63.7 thousand square meters. km. The length of the border is 1.8 thousand km.

Estonia is located in the northeastern part of Europe, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea. It borders with Latvia in the south and Russia in the east. In the north it is washed by the Gulf of Finland, in the west - by the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The country's territory includes more than 1,500 islands, which is 10 percent of Estonia's territory. The relief is predominantly flat. Most of the country is a flat plain, half covered with forests, swamps and a quarter with peat bogs. The lake network is also extensive - more than 1 thousand lakes. The total area of ​​the country is about 45.2 thousand square meters. km. is the northernmost and smallest of the Baltic states.

In the Baltic States, it has historically developed and given a characteristic appearance countryside farm settlement. It seems to be consistent with the abundance of small towns and former towns, also very common.

The position by the sea and the role it plays in the economy, culture, traditions and customs of the peoples oblige the Baltic countries to take great care of the fate of the Baltic Sea, the purity of its waters, and the protection of its wealth. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are active participants in the ongoing Baltic Days.

Along with the coastal position, the Baltic republics have other common features. Their nature bears the imprint of the ice age: moraine hills, basins filled with lakes, sandy plains overgrown with pine forests, boulders dotted with ice scars.

In each republic, the capital stands out sharply in comparison with the rest, mostly small cities. In rural areas, a system of large comfortable settlements is gradually being formed.

A common problem for all three countries in the future is the improvement of living conditions in rural areas, the transformation of farm settlement. The key form will be well-maintained and large settlements, provided with institutions of the service sector.

All this convincingly testifies to the success of the economic and social development the Baltics.

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Geographical position

The territory of Latvia is 64,589 km (122nd in terms of area among the countries of the world). The total length of the borders is 1150 km. It is washed by the Baltic Sea (the length of the coast is 531 km) and the Gulf of Riga in the west, it borders on Estonia in the north (339 km), Lithuania in the south (453 km), Russia (271 km) and Belarus (141 km) in the east.

The relief is flat, highlands interspersed with lowlands.

Hills: :

1. Vidzeme Upland ( highest point- Gaizinkalns hill, 312 m)
2. Latgale Upland (highest point - Lielais Liepukalns hill, 289 m)
3. Aluksne Upland (highest point - Delinkalns hill, 272 m)
4. Curonian Upland (highest point - krievu kalns hill [Russian mountain], 220 m)
5. Augshzem Upland (highest point - Eglukalns hill, 220 m)
6. West Kursk Upland
7. East Kursk Upland
8. North Kursk Upland

The longest lowland is Primorskaya.

Lowlands: Central Latvian, East Latvian, Lubanskaya, Talavskaya, Curonian.

12 thousand large and small rivers, about 3 thousand lakes.

Longest rivers:

The largest lakes:

The deepest lake is Dridzis (65.1 m).

Main Natural resources: sand, crushed stone, peat, dolomite, limestone, clay, gypsum, water resources, forest . Exploration of oil fields on the shelf of the Baltic Sea and test production of oil in the Kurzeme region are underway. On the coast of Latvia, in some cases, a small amount of amber is found.

Climate

The climate has a transitional character from maritime to continental, which is softened by proximity to the Baltic Sea. The prevailing southwestern winds bring a significant amount of precipitation from the Atlantic - 500-800 mm per year. The sky is often cloudy sunny days- only 30-40 per year. The sunniest and driest month is May.

Summers are often cool and rainy, with temperatures above freezing 125-155 days a year. The average temperature in July is 15-17 °C, in some cases there are anomalies (up to 32 °C), as in the mid-1990s. Winter lasts from mid-December to mid-March. In January, the average temperature ranges from -3 to -7 °C, occasionally falling to -40 °C.

Flora and fauna

More: Flora of Latvia, Fauna of Latvia

Flora in Latvia developed approximately 10,000 - 15,000 years after the last ice age.

The fields were formed due to deforestation, constant mowing or grazing. Natural fields make up only one percent of the territory of Latvia. 360 species of higher plants are described in the fields, but only 60 species are common.

Wetlands occupy 10% of the territory. Most of them are located in the Coastal Lowland and Eastern Latvia. The swamps began to form already from the end of the ice age, but at the same time, most of them formed after the ice age. They continue to develop to this day, turning into reservoirs or into a dry area.

In Latvia, 1304 native plant species and 633 imported species have been described.

Natural conditions and resources

The Baltic states have a number of common features in geographic location and natural conditions. They are located on the southeastern coast of the Baltic Sea, on the adjacent marginal area of ​​the East European (Russian) Plain. The main natural conditions and resources are also connected with the sea. The natural conditions of the Baltic States, with a general similarity, have some differences. Taking into account the whole complex of factors, they are most favorable in Lithuania located to the south, least - in the northernmost republic, Estonia. It is not for nothing that the latter is called the most maritime of the Baltic countries due to the large number of islands (more than 4500).

The relief of the Baltics is flat, mostly low-lying. The surface is composed of glacial deposits, which form numerous deposits of building minerals - clays, sands, sand and gravel mixtures, etc.

The climate of the Baltics is temperate, transitional from maritime to temperate continental. It is largely determined by the western transfer of air masses from the Atlantic Ocean. The soils are predominantly infertile soddy-podzolic, and in Estonia - soddy-calcareous and swamp-podzolic, they have insufficient humus and require a large amount of fertilizer, and due to frequent waterlogging, drainage works.

The vegetation belongs to the zone of mixed forests with a predominance of pine, spruce, birch. The largest forest cover (45%) is in Latvia and Estonia, the smallest (30%) is in Lithuania, the most developed in terms of agriculture. The territory of Estonia is heavily swamped - swamps occupy 20% of its surface.

A fairly dense river network has formed on the territory of the Baltic countries.

The hydropower resources of Lithuania are small, their main part is concentrated on the river. Nemunas (Neman). The largest lake in the country is Druksiai. Latvia is rich in rivers. The most significant are Daugava, Venta, Lielupe. The Daugava has hydropower resources, which were used for the construction of power plants (Kegumska, Plavinska, Rizhska). The most full-flowing Estonian river is Narva, it accounts for more than half of the hydropower reserves. Lakes occupy 5% of the area of ​​Estonia, the largest lake is Lake Peipsi.

The natural conditions and resources of the Baltic states are small and not particularly diverse. The region does not have large reserves of mineral resources. The main natural resources are connected with the sea, primarily fish and recreational. The coast of the region is one of the most famous amber-bearing regions of the world.

Estonia's natural resources are more significant than in other Baltic countries. It has such minerals as slates, peat, phosphorites. There are raw materials for the building materials industry - sand, gravel, clay, limestone, dolomite. There are deposits of mineral waters and therapeutic mud. Oil shale is a very valuable mineral used as a fuel to produce shale gas, as a raw material in the chemical industry. Shale reserves in the north-east of the republic are one of the largest in the world, amounting to 15 billion tons.

In Lithuania, minerals are represented by building materials, there are small oil reserves. Peat, mineral waters and therapeutic mud are extracted.

The bowels of Latvia are poor in minerals. There are peat reserves and various kinds building materials. For the development of the resort economy, sapropel and peat therapeutic muds, hydrogen sulfide mineral waters are used. The largest Latvian balneological resorts are Kemeri, Jaunkemeri, Baldone.

Features of the relief, climate, soil type, the presence of a dense network of rivers and lakes led to the active economic development of the territory. The main part of the land fund is agricultural land, in which significant areas are allocated for cultivated pastures and hayfields. IN last years square

Agricultural land has somewhat decreased due to the implementation of agrarian and land reforms. The Baltic states meet their timber needs by 50-70% from their own resources, despite the fact that forests occupy part of their territory. This is explained, first of all, by the scarcity of the soil and frequent waterlogging, which does not contribute to the high growth of wood.

State and administrative-territorial structure

All three states are unitary parliamentary republics with European-style democracies. Heads of State: President of Lithuania - Valdas Adamkus (since July 12, 2004); President of Latvia - Vaira Vike-Freiberga (since July 8, 1999); President of Estonia - Toomas Hendrik Ilves (since October 9, 2006).

Table 1.

State and administrative-territorial structure of the Baltic States

The Baltic region does not have large reserves of mineral resources. Oil shale reserves in Estonia are of industrial importance. Extraction of raw materials for industry building materials, as well as peat. Favorable for Agriculture agroclimatic resources.

The specificity of the geopolitical position of the region lies in its location at the junction of zones of economic and military-political interests of the Western countries (EU, NATO) and Russia. Russian interests in the Baltic region are connected with the large Russian-speaking diaspora living here, as well as with the problem of the enclave position of the Kaliningrad region (the shortest land routes from Russia to the Kaliningrad region pass through the territory of the Baltic States). The accession of the Baltic States to the European Union makes their borders with Russia and Belarus the borders of these countries with the European Union.

The area is 64.5 thousand km2.

The population is 2.3 million people.

The official name is the Republic of Latvia.

The capital is Riga.

The head of state is the president. The legislature is the unicameral Sejm. It is territorially divided into 26 districts (counties).

Economic and geographical location of Latvia

Latvia is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and occupies a central position in the region. Its ice-free ports (Riga, Ventspils, Liepaya) have always played the role of the western gate for the foreign economic activity of the eastern neighbors - Russia and Belarus. The port economy in the capital of the country Riga began to be drawn up in the Middle Ages during the reign of the Livonian Order of the Crusaders, and later Riga was part of the Hanseatic Union of trading cities. Riga has always been an important political and cultural center of the country, with unique architectural monuments, such as the Dome Cathedral (XIII century).

The traditional culture of Latvia was formed under significant pressure from its neighbors, but the population retained not only the language, but also the characteristic ethnic features. The inhabitants of the country have long been known as artisans (blacksmiths, coopers, brewers), glorified by artistic processing of glass and wickerwork from straw, jewelry from amber.

Population of Latvia

The state language of the country is Latvian, religion - Lutheranism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy. Latvians represent over 60% of the population, about 30% are Russians. Such ethnic composition causes certain political and social problems.

Economy of Latvia

Industry is concentrated in large port cities. Areas of specialization are precision and medium mechanical engineering, woodworking, knitwear, pharmaceutical, fish, meat and dairy industries.

The specialization of agriculture is also typical for the region - dairy cattle breeding and bacon pig breeding. Crop production is dominated by the cultivation of industrial crops (flax, sugar beets).

The areas of specialization include a developed transport complex: sea and rail, whose activities are related to the provision of export-import relations of the country. Developed resort economy on the coast of the Baltic Sea (Jurmala resort, etc.).

The main volume of foreign economic activity falls on European countries, with which Latvia exchanges products of mechanical engineering, light and chemical industries, the main part of imports is fuel and raw materials.

Area: 64.5 thousand km2.

Population: 2 million 479 thousand people (1998).

State language: Latvian.

Capital: Riga (826 thousand inhabitants, 1996).

Monetary unit: euro.

Member of the UN since 1991 Member of the Council of Europe since 1995 Member of the European Union since 2004

It is located in the north of Europe, in the Baltics. It borders Estonia in the north, Russia in the east, Belarus in the southeast, and Lithuania in the south. From the west and northwest, Latvia is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea and its Gulf of Riga.

The majority of the population is Latvian (55.1%), whose language belongs to the Baltic group Indo-European family. In addition, Russians (32.6%), Belarusians (4%), Ukrainians (2.9%), Poles (2.2%), etc. live here. Several historical and cultural regions are distinguished on the territory of the country (Latgale, Kurzeme , Vidzeme, Zemgalia, etc.), the specific features of which are manifested primarily in traditional culture. Many elements of everyday life, such as craft, housing, food, customs and rituals, have retained features that have been formed over the centuries.

As in the past centuries, one-yard settlements - viensetas - are typical for modern Latvia, and only in the east of the country do Latvians live in villages. The farm everywhere consists of a residential building (most often it is a log house on a foundation made of wild stone) and outbuildings. But their location on the estate, as well as the layout of the dwelling, varies by region. In the western regions, living quarters were located on both sides of the vestibule, in which a hearth was arranged, and an open one at that. The mouth of the stove, which heated the room, also went out here. They only baked bread in it, but cooked food on an open hearth. The eastern type of dwelling - the Latgale istaba, close to the Russian and Belarusian huts, has the appearance of two independent log cabins connected by a cold canopy. A stove, similar to the Russian one, is placed in the room. If the traditional dwelling is still found in some places in the villages, then this cannot be said about folk clothes. However, it has not completely disappeared. Latvians usually wear it for song festivals, use it in amateur performances. In addition, folk traditions can be traced in the ornaments that adorn modern clothes, in its color scheme. The traditional women's costume is a long tunic-shaped shirt, a striped or plaid skirt, and a villaine shoulder cape. Local differences are manifested in cut, color and decoration methods. For example, in Vidzeme, shirts are decorated with hemstitching, capes are white, the headdress of girls is a red wreath embroidered with beads, married women are wearing a white embroidered cap. In Semigallia, the shirt is decorated with white embroidery, the skirt with a special floral pattern, and the cape with a woven pattern; The headdress is a silk scarf. The Kurzeme costume is distinguished by metal belts, bright blue capes with decorations. The Latgalian costume consists of a shirt with a red pattern, a plaid skirt, a white cape with blue-green embroidery, and a linen shoulder cover. The girls' headdress is a red beaded wreath, for married women - a towel one.

Men's folk clothes are less diverse. It consists of a shirt, linen or wool pants, caftan, sash. A hat with fields or a cap is put on the head.

The national traditions of Latvians are also preserved in food. It is based on flour, cereal products, dishes from beans and peas. Here they like stews made from cereals (putra) and vegetables (kaposti), porridge, dumplings from peas and beans. On holidays, pies with bacon, cookies, meat dishes are prepared. For example, at Christmas and New Year they bake a pig's head with sauerkraut, eggs are dyed for Easter and jelly is cooked, on Midsummer's Day (it is called Ligo in Latvia) - Yanov cheese made from cottage cheese. Traditional drinks are rye flour sbiten, beer, birch and maple sap.

Wooden products are widespread. Carvings adorn the backs of chairs and sledges, spinning wheels, roof ridges, pediments and architraves of houses. The works of folk craftsmen are constantly displayed at exhibitions and fairs.

The oral folk art of Latvians is diverse, including fairy tales, legends, anecdotes, riddles, proverbs, short quatrains- dainas. The song folklore is rich. Song festivals have been regularly held here since 1873. The main musical instruments are kokle (a type of harp), smuygas (bagpipe), violin, flute.

The capital of Latvia, Riga, is located on both banks of the Daugava, at its confluence with the Gulf of Riga. It is the largest industrial and cultural center of the country. Here are all the main government agencies, enterprises, as well as 9 theaters (including the National Opera), 7 universities, a university, 21 museums (Museum of the History of Latvia, Museum of the History of the City and Navigation, Art Museum, museums of nature, foreign art, etc.).

The first written mention of the city dates back to 1201. In the Middle Ages, being at the junction of land and water routes, it developed as a center of trade and crafts. This is evidenced by the names of the streets of Old Riga: Kaleiu (Blacksmith), Audeiu (Weaving), Mutsinieku (Bondarnaya), Aldaru (Pivovarov) and others.

Outstanding monuments of architecture from different eras have been preserved here. The unique architectural and historical values ​​include the Dome Cathedral (founded in 1211), which houses the world-famous organ with a rich sound range (6768 pipes), Peter's Church with an original 120-meter tower - the central element of the silhouette of Riga, Riga Castle, Powder, or Sandy, tower, Jan's church, etc.

Daugavpils is the second city in terms of population, the largest industrial hub. This is the center of Latgale, located in the eastern part of the country. It arose in 1275 as a fortified city. A significant role in its prosperity is played by favorable transport and geographical position.

Liepaja is located in the west of Latvia, in the Kurzeme region, and occupies the narrow Liepaja Latvia, a strip of the Seaside Lowland, stretching from north to south between the Baltic Sea and the coastal lakes Liepajas and Tosmares. Here, in this large center of sea fishing and the fishing industry, there is a base for the ocean fishing fleet and a fishing port. A gently sloping sandy beach stretches along the western part of the city. Ventspils is located on both banks of the Venta, at its confluence with the Baltic Sea. The first mention of it as a fishing village dates back to the 10th century. Before late XVIII V. it was the main port of Kurzeme. Its role as a trading port is great even now. One of the sights of the city is the unique Sea Fishing Museum.

The territory as a whole is flat and has no sharp natural contrasts. Picturesque moraine ridges dotted with small lakes alternate with sandy plains and marshy lowlands. These are the Primorsky, East Latvian, Central Latvian lowlands, the Luban plain and the sandy Vents-Usmenskaya depression, which is bordered by the Kurzeme Upland from the west, north and east. The Latgale and Augshzem uplands occupy the eastern part of the country. Numerous rivers (the main one is the Daugava) and lakes give the landscape a special charm. The climate is transitional from maritime to continental.

From the thirteenth to the middle of the sixteenth century the territory of Latvia was part of Livonia, which was under German rule. In the middle of the XVI century. included in the Commonwealth, and in 1795 - in Russia. In December 1918 the Government of the RSFSR recognized the independence of Latvia. At the beginning of 1920, the independent Republic of Latvia was formed. In 1934 a coup d'état was carried out. In 1940, the Latvian SSR was formed, which became part of the USSR. In May 1990, a decision was made on a new name - the Republic of Latvia, as well as the Declaration of Independence. In September 1991, the USSR recognized the independence of Latvia.

Believers are mostly Protestants (Lutherans). According to official figures, there are 491 thousand of them. The population of Latgale is predominantly Catholic.

In a pine forest on the shores of Lake Jugla in Riga, there is an open-air museum founded in 1924. Traditional rural estates are located here, reflecting the life and material culture of various historical and ethnographic regions of Latvia. The buildings and interior decoration are reproduced in accordance with the domestic environment of the 17th - 19th centuries. Concerts of ethnographic ensembles, theatrical performances, fairs of products of folk craftsmen are organized on the territory of the museum. This is one of those places in the country where they try to preserve the historical past. The natural wealth of Latvia is protected in a number of nature reserves. Among them are Morits-sala, Grini, Slitere - in western Latvia, Krustkalny and Teichi - in the East Latvian lowland. The system of objects of state protection of nature also includes reserves of a very different nature: botanical, marsh, cranberry, ornithological, geological (including the largest boulders), natural parks, protected landscapes, ponds, as well as ancient, rare and foreign trees.

Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic. In 1993, the constitution, adopted in 1922 and suspended in 1934, was renewed. The head of state is the president. The legislative body is the Saeim (unicameral parliament). Executive power is exercised by the Cabinet of Ministers headed by the President. The government formed in 1997 is coalition. It included representatives of the following political associations: "For the Fatherland and Freedom" (Movement for the National Independence of Latvia), "Latvian Way", the Latvian Peasants' Union / Union of Christian Democrats, the Latvian Green Party, the National Reform Party. The country is administratively divided into 26 districts.

More work on geography

Essay on geography

The state of nature of Latvia is determined by its geographical location in the western part of the East European Plain and on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, between 55° 40' - 58° 05' north latitude and 20° 58' - 28°14' east longitude. Its surface area is 64,589 km. Latvia belongs to the temperate zone, the mixed forest subzone (boreonemoral region).

Nature and biodiversity

In large areas of Latvia there are species and biotopes that are rare or even completely disappeared in other European countries. Coastal damp lands and damp forests, large and almost unaffected by human influence raised bogs, as well as semi-natural meadows, are recognized as having state and world importance. The landscape of Latvia was formed in a mosaic pattern, in parallel with the development natural conditions, land administration and society. Traditional Methods land cultivation and the methods of agriculture, forestry and fishing have changed over the centuries and
enriched the elements of the landscape. One of the main objectives of the protection environment in Latvia - to prevent the depletion of biodiversity and landscape degradation.

Copyright th 2000 Latvian Environment Data Center

The geographical position of Latvia is extremely convenient.

The waters of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga wash its low-lying shores for 500 km. There are no natural bays, but the built harbors have made it possible to create large ports. The open sea near the coast does not freeze, so navigation in Liepaja and Ventspils does not stop all year round. The Gulf of Riga is usually covered with ice in winter, and during the winter months the Port of Riga is accessible only to vessels driven by an icebreaker. The coastal position favors trade relations with many European states.

The country has land borders with Estonia (343 km), Russia (282 km), Belarus (167 km) and Lithuania (576 km). The junction point of the borders between Russia, Belarus and Latvia is determined by an intergovernmental agreement and is located at the intersection of lines running along the middle of the river. Sinyukha (Zilupe) and the middle of the river flowing into it. Neveritsa, near the mound "Friendship". Currently there are border problems with neighboring countries. A struggle has begun between Latvia and Lithuania over a proposed oil field in the area of ​​the continental shelf between Klaipeda and Liepaja and for airspace former USSR. Until 1999, a segment of the land border about 2.5 km long, along which part of the Birzhai-Mazeikiai oil pipeline passes, was disputed. It has now been handed over to Lithuania. Disagreements arose between Latvia and Estonia over the delimitation of fishing areas in the Gulf of Riga, as well as over the city of Valga (Valka), along one of the streets of which passes state border between the two countries. After the country gained independence in 1991, the Supreme Council of Latvia declared invalid the decisions of the Supreme Council of the USSR on the transfer of the Pytalovsky region to Russia. Negotiations on the demarcation and delimitation of the border between Russia and Latvia began in 1996. At present, a draft border treaty between Latvia and Russia has been fully agreed upon, a description of its passage, and a delimitation map has been adopted. But the agreement has not yet been signed: the completion of its signing is associated with the solution of the problems of the Russian-speaking population of Latvia.

Features of the transport and geographical position of Latvia are that its territory serves as the most important transit corridor, but to which Russia links with many countries. The main frame of this corridor is the system of Baltic ports, railways, highways, pipelines.

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The area is 64.5 thousand km2.

The population is 2.3 million people.

The official name is the Republic of Latvia.

Capital - Riga.

The head of state is the president. The legislative body is the unicameral Sejm. It is territorially divided into 26 districts (counties).

Economic and geographical location of Latvia

Latvia is located on the coast of the Baltic Sea and occupies a central position in the region. Its ice-free ports (Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja) have always played the role of the western gate for the foreign economic activity of the eastern neighbors - Russia and Belarus. The port economy in the capital of the country Riga began to be drawn up in the Middle Ages during the reign of the Livonian Order of the Crusaders, and later Riga was part of the Hanseatic Union of trading cities. Riga has always been an important political and cultural center of the country, with unique architectural monuments, such as the Dome Cathedral (XIII century).

The traditional culture of Latvia was formed under significant pressure from its neighbors, but the population retained not only the language, but also the characteristic ethnic features. The inhabitants of the country have long been known as artisans (blacksmiths, coopers, brewers), glorified by artistic processing of glass and wickerwork from straw, jewelry from amber.

Population of Latvia

The state language of the country is Latvian, religion - Lutheranism, Catholicism, Orthodoxy. Latvians represent over 60% of the population, about 30% are Russians. This ethnic composition causes certain political and social problems.

Economy of Latvia

Industry is concentrated in large port cities. Areas of specialization are precision and medium mechanical engineering, woodworking, knitwear, pharmaceutical, fish, meat and dairy industries.