Riga District is an
administrative division||Before July 1, 2009 Latvia was divided into 26 districts and 7 cities , indicated with asterisks:...
of
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
, located in Semigallia and
VidzemeVidzeme is one of the cultural and historical regions of Latvia. Literally meaning "the Middle Land" it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River...
regions, in the centre of the country. The district has the two cities of
RigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava...
and
JūrmalaJūrmala is a city in Latvia, about 25 kilometers west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River...
with the
Gulf of Riga300px|thumb|The Gulf of RigaThe Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.The area of the Gulf of Riga is about 18,000 km². The maximum depth is 67 m....
to the north. Beginning from the west and counterclockwise to the east, Riga District has
TukumsTukums District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Courland region, in the country's west....
,
JelgavaJelgava District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Semigallia region, in the country's centre. It is organized into a city, two municipalities and twelve parishes, each with a local government authority...
,
BauskaBauska District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Semigallia region, in the country's centre. It is organized into a city, a municipality and fifteen parishes, each with a local government authority...
,
OgreThe Ogre District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in the Semigallia and Vidzeme regions, in the country's centre. It is situated about 37km east of the capital Riga. The principal city is Ogre with around 30 000 inhabitants....
,
CēsisCēsis District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in the Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east. It borders the districts of Valmiera and Valka to the north, Limbaži and Riga to the west, Gulbene to the east, Ogre and Madona to the south. It is organized into two cities, a...
and
LimbažiLimbaži District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. It borders Estonia in the north, the districts of Riga in the south and Valmiera in the east, and the Gulf of Riga in the west. It covers the territory...
districts as neighbours. The area of the district is 3,058 km² with a population of 159,247.
Riga District is one of the largest regions of Latvia, it is strategically important and also has some of the most developed infrastructure in Latvia.
Riga District is an
administrative division||Before July 1, 2009 Latvia was divided into 26 districts and 7 cities , indicated with asterisks:...
of
LatviaLatvia , officially the Republic of Latvia is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , and to the southeast by Belarus . Across the Baltic Sea to the west lies Sweden...
, located in Semigallia and
VidzemeVidzeme is one of the cultural and historical regions of Latvia. Literally meaning "the Middle Land" it is situated in north-central Latvia north of the Daugava River...
regions, in the centre of the country. The district has the two cities of
RigaRiga is the capital and largest city of Latvia, a major industrial, commercial, cultural and financial centre of the Baltics, and an important seaport, situated on the mouth of the Daugava...
and
JūrmalaJūrmala is a city in Latvia, about 25 kilometers west of Riga. Jūrmala is a resort town stretching and sandwiched between the Gulf of Riga and the Lielupe River...
with the
Gulf of Riga300px|thumb|The Gulf of RigaThe Gulf of Riga, or Bay of Riga, is a bay of the Baltic Sea between Latvia and Estonia.The area of the Gulf of Riga is about 18,000 km². The maximum depth is 67 m....
to the north. Beginning from the west and counterclockwise to the east, Riga District has
TukumsTukums District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Courland region, in the country's west....
,
JelgavaJelgava District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Semigallia region, in the country's centre. It is organized into a city, two municipalities and twelve parishes, each with a local government authority...
,
BauskaBauska District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Semigallia region, in the country's centre. It is organized into a city, a municipality and fifteen parishes, each with a local government authority...
,
OgreThe Ogre District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in the Semigallia and Vidzeme regions, in the country's centre. It is situated about 37km east of the capital Riga. The principal city is Ogre with around 30 000 inhabitants....
,
CēsisCēsis District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in the Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east. It borders the districts of Valmiera and Valka to the north, Limbaži and Riga to the west, Gulbene to the east, Ogre and Madona to the south. It is organized into two cities, a...
and
LimbažiLimbaži District is an administrative division of Latvia, located in Vidzeme region, in the country's north-east, on the shore of the Baltic Sea. It borders Estonia in the north, the districts of Riga in the south and Valmiera in the east, and the Gulf of Riga in the west. It covers the territory...
districts as neighbours. The area of the district is 3,058 km² with a population of 159,247.
Riga District is one of the largest regions of Latvia, it is strategically important and also has some of the most developed infrastructure in Latvia. It is a cross-point of 10 major motorways and a junction of 6 important railroad lines.
Nature
The larger part of the region lies in the sand-soil plains of Riga that are covered by pinewoods, low links, marshlands and level countryside that is typical for
littoralIn coastal environments and biomes, the littoral zone extends from the high water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently submerged. It always includes the intertidal zone and is often used to mean the same as the intertidal zone...
lowlands. In the northern part, there are ridges of links and many lakes have formed in hollows between them. There are 132 lakes in the Riga Region and the biggest of them is the Babīte Lake, Lielais Baltezers, Mazais Baltezers, Dūņu Lake and Lilaste Lake. The district is also crossed by three major rivers in Latvia – Daugava, Lielupe and Gauja Rivers.
The north-eastern part of Riga District is covered by the largest deciduous forests in Latvia. The
Gauja National ParkThe Gauja National Park in Vidzeme is the largest national park in Latvia, with an area of 917.45 km² running from north-east of Sigulda to south-west of Cēsis along the valley of the Gauja River, from which the park takes its name. It was established on 14 September 1973 and is thus also the...
is part of these forests and has more that 900 kinds of plants, 48 species of mammals and 149 species of birds.
History
One of the first ancient settlements was situated in this district and dates from the 9th century BC. Across time localities of the Riga District had their resurgence and downturns caused by wars and unrest. This land been occupied by German
crusadersThe Northern Crusades or Baltic Crusades were crusades undertaken by the Christian kings of Denmark and Sweden, the German Livonian and Teutonic military orders, and their allies against the pagan peoples of Northern Europe around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea...
and
SwedishSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
,
PolishPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
,
PrussiaPrussia was a historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries this state had substantial influence on German and European history...
n,
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
and
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n armies. More than 300 monuments of cultural and historical significance that are on the list of cultural heritage protection tell us about the most important events of local history. The reasons for the rapid development of Riga District can be found in its geographic position, human and natural resources, and rich heritage of culture and history. For the same reasons this region is valuable for tourism, recreation and business travel.
External links