| Latvia |
Description to Latvia
The former USSR republic with the capital Riga is the middle of the three Baltic states. These have a total population of about six million people on an area of about 175,000 km². They have been independent since 1990 and members of the EU since 2004. Latvia borders Lithuania to the south, Belarus to the southeast, Russia to the east, Estonia to the north and the Baltic Sea to the west. In the small town of Sabile in the centre of the Curonian Peninsula, which lies to the west, is the world's most northerly vineyard at the 57th parallel (Guinness Book of Records). The wine-growing tradition on this mountain dates back to the 16th century. It covers only 1.5 hectares of vineyards. There is even an annual wine festival. A frost-hardy vine bred for local climaticä conditions is Zilga. The extent of the total vineyard area is not known. The annual wine production volume is about 20,000 hectolitres.
Map: University of Texas