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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
is a country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. It is bordered to the
north by Estonia (343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), and to the east both by
Belarus (141 km) and the Russian Federation (276 km).[3] Across the Baltic Sea to the
west lies Sweden. The territory of Latvia covers 64,589 km² and is influenced by a
temperate seasonal climate. The Latvians are a Baltic people closely related to the
Lithuanians, with the Latvian language sharing many similarities to Lithuanian. Today the
Latvians and Lithuanians are the only surviving members of the Baltic peoples and Baltic
languages of the Indo-European family. The modern name of Latvia is thought to originate
from the ancient Latvian name Latvji, which may have originated from the river named
Latva or Latuva, which may be today's Lates upe. Latvia is a democratic parliamentary
republic and is divided into 26 districts. The capital and largest city is Riga. Latvia has
been a member of the United Nations since 17 September 1991, of the European Union
since 1 May 2004 and of NATO since 29 March 2004.
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8
MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Latvia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea on the level
northwestern part of the rising East European platform, between Estonia and Lithuania.
About 98% of the country lies under 200 m elevation (640 ft). The damp climate
resembles New England's. With the exception of the coastal plains, the ice age divided
Latvia into three main regions: the morainic Western and Eastern uplands and the Middle
lowlands. Latvia holds over 12,000 rivers, only 17 of which are longer than 60 miles
(97 km), and over 3,000 small lakes, most of which are eutrophic. The major rivers
include the Daugava, the Lielupe, the Gauja, the Venta and the Salaca. Woodlands, more
than half of which are pine woods, cover around 41% of the country. Other than peat,
dolomite, and limestone, natural resources are scarce. Latvia has 531 km (329 mi.) of
sandy coastline, and the ports of Liepaja and Ventspils provide important warm-water
harbors for the Baltic coast. Latvia is slightly larger than Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Slovakia, or Estonia. Its strategic location has instigated many wars between rival powers
on its territory. As recently as 1944, the U.S.S.R. granted Russia the Abrene region on the
Livonian frontier, which Latvia still contests.
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, however, the winters can be extreme due to the northern location.
Precipitation is common throughout the year with the heaviest rainfall falling in August.
During severe spells of winter weather in Latvia is dominated by cold winds from the
interior of Russia and severe snowfalls are common. Latvia's northern location matches
Labrador's latitude. In the summer, daylight hours are long and in the winter short. In
December it is still pitch dark at 9:00 A.M., and daylight disappears before 4:00 P.M. This
light deprivation may be an important ingredient in deciphering certain aspects of Latvian
collective behavior. It may account for the general exuberance and joie de vivre in spring
and summer, and the relative taciturnity and melancholy the rest of the year. The climate
is far different from that of Labrador, however, because of the effect of the Gulf Stream
flowing across the Atlantic Ocean from Mexico. Average temperatures in winter are
reasonably mild, ranging in January from -2.8 °C in Liepaja, on the western coast, to -6.6
°C in the southeastern town of Daugavpils. July temperatures range from 16.7 °C in
Liepaja to 17.6 °C in Daugavpils. Latvia's proximity to the sea brings high levels of
humidity and precipitation, with average annual precipitation of 633 millimeters in Riga.
There, an average of 180 days per year have precipitation, forty-four days have fog, and
only seventy-two days are sunny. Continuous snow cover lasts eighty-two days, and the
frost-free period lasts 177 days.
1
Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8
MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Sincerely
MTC Meteorologie Technologie
Consulting GmbH
Franz Mikulits
Managing Director
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Eisenstadt, 2 0 0 8