Area : 65 000 km² . Situated on the Baltic coast . Population : 2.3 million . Ethnically, the population is 59% Latvian and 29% Russian. Capital : Riga is the largest city in the three Baltic states . Language : The official language is Latvian . Climate : The Latvian climate is humid, continental and temperate owing to the maritime influence of the Baltic Sea. Summers are warm, and the weather in spring and autumn fairly mild. The winters can be extreme -40ºC . Political system : Latvia is a unitary parliamentary republic. The 100-seat unicameral Latvian Parliament, the Saeima, is elected by direct, popular vote every four years. The president is elected by the Parliament, also every four years. The Latvian economy is based on service industries including transportation, information technology, and financial services. At the same time the construction industry plays an important role, as do wood, food, metalworking, and light industries (e.g., textiles). Tourism is growing rapidly.
