Country Summary
This page presents high-level information for Latvia's climate zones and its seasonal cycle for mean temperature and precipitation for the latest climatology, 1991-2020. Climate zone classifications are derived from the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system, which divides climates into five main climate groups divided based on seasonal precipitation and temperature patterns. The five main groups are A (tropical), B (dry), C (temperate), D (continental), and E (polar). All climates except for those in the E group are assigned a seasonal precipitation sub-group (second letter). Climate classifications are identified by hovering your mouse over the legend. A narrative overview of Latvia's country context and climate is provided following the visualizations.
Latvia is situated on the edge of the Eastern European Plain near the Baltic Sea between 55°40' and 58°05' Northern latitude and between 20°58' and 28°14' Eastern longitude. The territory covers an area of 64573 km2 in total. Its length in the North – South direction is 210 km, and the width in the West – East direction – 450 km. Latvia is a typical lowland country and its terrain is characterized by flat, low areas and hilly elevations. There are more than 3,000 lakes and 12,000 rivers in Latvia. Total forest area (including afforested lands) in 2015 was 32,983.6 km2, cropland 17,161.1 km2 and grassland 7,380.7 km2 , wetland 4,451.8 km2, settlements 2,541.4 km2. Population of Latvia was 1.8 million as of 2020.
As the economy of Latvia is small and open there is significant dependence on the trends of global economy. Foreign trade is important, with exports of goods and services accounting for about 45% of the GDP. The services sector had the dominating share in Latvia value added total followed by manufacturing and construction, while the agriculture sector and other industries had a minor role.
Climate change in Latvia affects both its natural capital (species, habitats, ecosystems) as well as the health, welfare and safety and economic activities of the population.