Riga

This article is about the Latvian capital. For other uses, see Riga (disambiguation).

Riga Rīga (Latvian) Reiga (Latgalian) Rīgõ (Livonian)
Capital city and state city
Riga State City
Skyline of the Riga Old Town alongside Daugava from the Spire of the St. Peter's Church Riga City Hall Riga Cathedral House of the Blackheads Latvian National Opera National Library of Latvia Albert Street 8
Flag Coat of arms Brandmark
Riga highlighted in red inside of Latvia
Interactive map of Riga
Riga Location within Latvia Riga Location within Europe Riga Riga (Europe)
Coordinates: 56°56′56″N 24°6′23″E
Country	Latvia
First mentioned	1201
Granted city rights	1225
Government
• Type	City Council
• Mayor	Viesturs Kleinbergs (P)
Area
• Capital city and state city	304 km2 (117 sq mi)
• Land	253.60 km2 (97.92 sq mi)
• Water	50.4 km2 (19.5 sq mi)  15.8%
• Metro	3,359 km2 (1,297 sq mi)
Population  (2026)
• Capital city and state city	588,911
• Rank	1st
• Density	2,322.2/km2 (6,014.5/sq mi)
• Urban	615,764
• Metro	860,142
• Metro density	256.1/km2 (663.2/sq mi)
• Demonym	Rigan (Rīdzinieks)
GDP
• Capital city and state city	€20.79 billion (US$24.59 billion) (2023)
• Per capita	€34,401 (US$40,686.06) (2023)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Calling codes	66 and 67
City budget	€1.7 billion (2025)
HDI (2022)	0.937 – very high
Website	riga.lv
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Historic Centre of Riga
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, i
Designated	1997
Reference no.
UNESCO region	Europe

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Riga (/ˈriːɡə/ ^ⓘ REE-gə), officially Riga State City (Latvian: Rīgas valstspilsēta), is the capital, primate, and largest city of Latvia and the second most-populous city in the Baltics. Home to 588,911 inhabitants (as of 2026), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 847,162 (as of 2025). 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 307.17 km² (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3–33 ft) 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 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 2013 World Women's Curling Championship, and the IIHF Men's World Ice Hockey Championships in 2006, 2021, and 2023. It is home to the European Union's office of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC). In 2017, it was named as 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).