Looking Through Latvia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baltic Sea

Lithuania to the south, Belarus to the southeast, Russia to the east and Estonia to the north form the land borders with Latvia. The only sea view that Latvians get is that of the Baltic, along its 500 kilometre coastline (approximately).

Answer: Lithuania

Latvia's 64,589 square kilometres places it less than a thousand square kilometres behind Lithuania, which is 65,200 square kilometres in area. Russia is quite obviously enormously bigger in comparison, weighing in at over 3.9 million square kilometres, while Belarus manages a respectable 207,600 square kilometres, and Estonia brings up the rear with 45,226 square kilometres.

Answer: Gauja

The 452 kilometre long Gauja River begins its journey in the highlands of Vidzeme, a region in northern Latvia. From there, it flows east and north, winding through beautiful landscapes, before turning around travelling west and south to the Gulf of Riga where it empties.

The Daugava River begins in Russian Valdai Hills where it makes its way through Belarus and Latvia to empty into the Gulf of Riga, very near to the country's capital city.

Answer: God Bless Latvia!

Written in 1873 by composer Kārlis Baumanis, 'Dievs, svētī Latviju!' (which shall henceforth be referred to in this quiz as 'God Bless Latvia!' for ease) was chosen to be the country's national anthem in 1920. Baumanis died in 1905, a good fifteen years before he was able to hear his own creation sung proudly by millions of patriotic Latvians.

Answer: False

The flag is actually maroon and white, though some people often mistake it for being red and white. Latvian red is a phrase which is sometimes used to refer to this maroony/reddy colour. Two thick, horizontal, maroon stripes on the top and bottom of the flag are separated by a thinner white line, which runs horizontally through the centre.

Answer: Broadcasting radio and television

Opened in 1986, the Riga Radio and TV Tower is the tallest structure in the country and one of the tallest in Europe, stretching an impressive 368.5 metres into the sky. It is located on the island of Zaķusala, which lies in the Daugava River.

Answer: Ice hockey

The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) chose Latvia to host the World Championships in 2006, following Austria in 2005. Basketball is also a favourite sporting pastime of Latvians, with their very own Andris Biedriņs hitting the big time in America with the Golden State Warriors, a Californian basketball team.

Answer: 1990s

The dissolution of Soviet rule over Latvia came about in 1990, but it wasn't until August 1991 that it became an independent country again. During this time, Anatolijs Gorbunovs served as the country's president, having been leader during the later SSR years. In 1993, the country had its first election as a republic, and Guntis Ulmanis took up the role of president.

Answer: .lv

The .lv country code for Latvian websites came about in 1993. The .la code is assigned to the Asian country of Laos, while .lt belongs to Latvia's neighbour, Lithuania, and .li is the property of fellow European country Liechtenstein.

Answer: White Wagtail

The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) has been Latvia's national bird since 1960. Though the different subspecies of wagtail have different markings on their feathers, they share a common colour scheme of whites, greys and blacks. Though the White Wagtail can be found in other European countries, as well as across parts of northern Africa during migratory season, Latvians will most often see their national bird in the warmer months, between April and October.