Riga
Riga
| |
|---|---|
Capital city and state city | |
Skyline of Riga from Daugava Riga City Hall Riga Cathedral House of the Blackheads Latvian National Opera National Library of Latvia Albert Street 8 | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Riga highlighted in red inside of Latvia | |
Riga Location within Latvia Riga Location within Europe | |
| Coordinates: 56°56′56″N 24°6′23″E / 56.94889°N 24.10639°E | |
| Country | Latvia |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| • Mayor | Viesturs Kleinbergs |
| Area | |
• Capital city and state city | 304 km2 (117 sq mi) |
| • Land | 253.05 km2 (97.70 sq mi) |
| • Water | 50.95 km2 (19.67 sq mi) 15.8% |
| • Metro | 3,359 km2 (1,297 sq mi) |
| Population (2025)[3] | |
• Capital city and state city | 591,882 |
| • Density | 1,900/km2 (5,000/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 615,764 |
| • Metro | 860,142 |
| • Metro density | 260/km2 (660/sq mi) |
| • Demonym | Rigan (Rīdzinieks) |
| GDP | |
| • Capital city and state city | 19,261,334,000 Euro (2022) |
| • Per capita | 31,583 Euro (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Calling codes | 66 and 67 |
| City budget | €1.7 billion (2025)[8] |
| HDI (2022) | 0.937[9] – very high |
| Website | riga.lv |
| Official name | Historic Centre of Riga |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, i |
| Designated | 1997 |
| Reference no. | [10] |
| UNESCO region | Europe |
Riga (/ˈriːɡə/ ⓘ REE-gə)[a] is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025),[11] 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).[11] 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 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3–33 ft) above sea level[12] on a flat and sandy plain.[12]
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.[13] 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.
In 2019, Riga received over 1.4 million foreign visitors.[14] The city is served by Riga International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the Baltic States. Riga is a member of Eurocities,[15] the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC),[16] and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).[17]
- ^ "Riga City Council". Riga City Council. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
- ^ "Reģionu, novadu, pilsētu un pagastu kopējā un sauszemes platība gada sākumā". Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
- ^ "Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". Rīga (City, Latvia). 1 January 2025. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Riga Population 2025". World Population Review. 18 November 1918. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Riga". EPFL Graph Search. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
- ^ "Gross domestic product and gross value added by planning region, State city and municipality at current prices (after administrative-territorial reform in 2022), (thousand euro) – Territorial unit, Time period and Indicator". www.data.stat.gov.lv.
- ^ "Gross domestic product by region and city (at current prices) 2000–2022". stat.gov.lv.
- ^ "Riga approves €1.7 billion budget for city development and public safety", www.riga.lv
- ^ "Sub-national HDI – Subnational HDI – Global Data Lab". globaldatalab.org. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
- ^ "Historic Centre of Riga". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. UNESCO. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Population by ethnicity in regions, cities, municipalities, towns, neighbourhoods and densely populated areas at the beginning of year 2012 - 2025". data stat.gov.lv.
- ^ a b "Riga Municipality Portal". Copyright 2003–2009, www.riga.lv/LV/Channels/ Riga Municipality. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ "Historic Centre of Riga – UNESCO World Heritage Centre". UNESCO. 1997. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
- ^ "Tourist numbers in Riga expected to reach 80% of pre-pandemic figure this year – LiveRiga". baltictimes.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
- ^ "EUROCITIES – the network of major European cities". Eurocities. Archived from the original on 24 August 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ "Union of the Baltic Cities". Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC). Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ "Union of Capitals of the European Union". Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU). Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
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