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Concept
Riga
Summary
Riga (ˈɹi:gə; Rīga ˈriːɡa, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia, as well as the largest city in the Baltic states, and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 860,142 (as of 2023). The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers and lies above sea level, on a flat and sandy plain.
Riga was founded in 1201 and is a former Hanseatic League member. Riga's historical centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its Art Nouveau/Jugendstil architecture and 19th century wooden architecture. Riga was the European Capital of Culture in 2014, along with Umeå in Sweden. Riga hosted the 2006 NATO Summit, the Eurovision Song Contest 2003, the 2006 IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships, 2013 World Women's Curling Championship and the 2021 IIHF World Championship. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named the European Region of Gastronomy.
In 2019, Riga received over 1.4 million foreign visitors. The city is served by Riga International Airport, the largest and busiest airport in the Baltic states. Riga is a member of Eurocities, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) and Union of Capitals of the European Union (UCEU).
There are numerous and speculative theories for the origin of the name Riga:
It is an adapted borrowing from the Livonian ringa meaning loop, referring to the ancient natural harbor formed by the tributary loop of the Daugava River.
It could be derived from Riege, the German name for the River Rīdzene, a former tributary of the Daugava.
Bishop Albert claimed credit from his campaign to conquer and convert the local populace, as coming from the Latin rigata ("irrigated"), symbolising an "irrigation of dry pagan souls by Christianity".
Official source
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