1. Latvia

2. "Latvia is like a bottle of champagne which hasbeen kept for a long time – seven centuries, after all! - in a dark cellar and suddenly opened by the careless Time. Much of its bubbling contents have been split in the ceiling and on the floor, yet there is still enough left in the bottle for us to get tipsy, for the wine is old and good. " KārlisSkalbe, Latvian writer (1879-1945)

3. Thenationalcoatofarms Thenationalflag ThepresentcoatofarmsoftheRepublicofLatviawasdesignedin 1921. It isshield-shaped.Theshieldofthelargecoatofarmsisdividedanditslowerpartsplit. The first evidenceofthe maroon-white-maroonflagofLatviadates to thesecondhalfofthedistant 13thcenturywhen, as it issaid, theLatviantribeswent to warwithEstoniansundersuchflag. Latvianflagcanbethusconsidered to beamongtheoldestnationalsymbolsintheworld.

4. Thenationalanthem Thenational anthemofthe Republicof Latviaiscalled “Dievs, svētī Latviju!” (“God, Bless Latvia!”). Themusicand lyricshave beencomposed bytheLatviancomposer Kārlis Baumanis (1835-1905).

5. GENERAL INFORMATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF LATVIA Political system: parliamentary republic Head of State: President Parliament:Saeima - 100 MPs elected for the term of 4 years Capital: Riga, 713 000 inhabitants TheproclamationofLatvia’sindependence: November 18, 1918 Officiallanguage: latvian Area: 64 589 km2 Population: 2 239 800 (datafromJune, 1, 2010), 68% of it urban Currency: Lat (LVL) Distance betweenRigaandothercapitalsatComeniusproject 2010-2012 “Xenopfobia.....”: Vilnius – 260 km, Roma – 1865 km, Varsava – 239 km, Bratislava – 1084 km, Ankara – 1995 km, Bukareste – 1397 km

6. ThemonumentoffreedominRiga "For Fatherland and Freedom" Freedom Monument erected in 1935(Again since independence in 1992, honor guard stands) on top isLiberty holding three stars(for the three regions of Latvia -Kurzeme, Vidzeme and Latgale)

7. ThenationalsymbolsofLatvia ThenationalinsectofLatviaisthetwo-spottedladybird(Adaliabipunctata). ThenationalbirdofLatviaisthewhitewagtail(Motacillaalba).

8. ThenationalsymbolsofLatvia ThenationalflowerofLatviaisthedaisy(Leucanthemumvulgare). ThenationaltreesofLatviaarelindenorlime(Tiliacordata) andoak(Quercusrobur).

9. ThenationalsymbolsofLatvia ThenationalsymbolsofLatvia AmberisanothernationalsymbolofLatvia. TheBalticSeawashespiecesofamberashoremainlyintheWesternshoresof Kurzeme duringheavystorms. Thissemipreciousstoneisformedfromfossilizedpineresinandwasvaluedespeciallyhighintheancientworld.

10. Latviansarepopularwiththeirchoralsingingallovertheworld. EveryfouryearsthereisLatviansinginganddancingfestival. Thousandsofchoralsingersanddancersparticipateatthisfestival. Students havetheirownchoralsinginganddancingfestival, too. In 2008. was XXIV songfestand XIV dancefest

11. Riga-thecapitalofLatvia. the October bridge Opera House in Riga

12. ReliefmapofLatvia

13. ThenatureofLatvia ThemaintreasuresofthenatureinLatviaareitsforestsandunchanged, unpollutedenvironment. TheclimateofLatviaismoderatelywarmandhasfourpronouncedseasons. TheaveragetemperatureinJanuaryisabout -5oC, inJuly +17oC. ThelongestdaysareinJune – almost 18 hoursofday-light,whitetheshortestdaysfallintheendoftheDecember – 6 hours 43 minutesofdaylight. Therearemorethan 12000 riversinLatvia, butonly 17 amongthemarelongerthan 100 kilometres.

16. thejoint-stockcompany “Laima” enterpriseproducesmainlychocolateandchocolatecandy.

18. Rundāle palace The Rundalespalace is one of the major tourist destinations in Latvia. It is also used for the accommodation of notable guests, such as the leaders of foreign nations. The palace and the surrounding gardens are now a museum. Palace as seen from the garden

19. Formoreinformationusethislink, please : http://www.li.lv/index.php?lang=en Manythanks to allauthors, whosetextsandphotos weusedinpresentation!