Riga

Riga (, ) is the caipital an lairgest ceety o Latvie, a major industrial, commercial, cultural an financial centre o the Baltics, an an important seaport, situatit on the mouth o the Daugava. Wi 706,413  inhabitants (2010), it is the lairgest ceety o the Baltic states an third-lairgest in the Baltic region, ahint Saunt Petersburg an Stockholm (coontin residents athin the ceety limits). Riga's territory covers 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) an lies atween 1 an 10 metres (3.3 an 33 ft) abuin sea level, on a flat an sandy plain.

Riga's historical centre haes been declared a UNESCO Warld Heritage Steid, an the ceety is pairticularly notable for its extensive Jugendstil (German Art Nouveau) airchitecture, which UNESCO considers tae be unparalleled onywhere in the warld.

 Etymology 
Ane theory for the oreegin o the name Riga is that it is a corruptit borraein frae the Liv ringa meanin luip, referrin tae the auncient natural harbour formed bi the tributary luip o the Daugava.Endzelīns, Did Celts Inhabit the Baltics (1911 Dzimtene's Vēstnesis (Homeland Messenger) No. 227) . Retrieved July 24, 2009. The ither is that Riga awes its name tae this awready-established role in commerce atween East an Wast,Vauchez et al. Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages. Routledge, 2001 as a borraein o the Latvian rija, for threshin barn, the "j" becomin a "g" in Germannotably, Riga is cried Rie bi Inglis geographer Richard Hakluyt (1589),Bilmanis, A. Latvia as an Independent State. Latvian Legation. 1947.Pronouncing the "i" and "e" separately, REE-eh, is the best approximation tae the Latvian rija, as "Ria" wad result in an "i" no "ee" soond. an German historian Dionysius Fabricius (1610) confirms the oreegin o Riga frae rija.Fabrius, D. Livonicae Historiae Compendiosa Series, 1610: Riga nomen sortita est suum ab aedificiis vel horreis quorum a litus Dunae magna fuit copia, quas livones sua lingua Rias vocare soliti.  Anither theory coud be that Riga wis named efter Riege, the German name for the River Rīdzene, a tributary o the Daugava.

 Sports 

 Sports clubs 
 Basketbaw
 Barons LMT  — a men's basketbaw team, twa-time Latvian champion, as well as the 2008 FIBA EuroCup winner.
 TTT Riga — a women's basketbaw team, which throughoot 1960 an 1982 wan aichteen FIBA EuroLeague Women titles.
 VEF Riga
 Ice hockey
 Dinamo Riga — an ice hockey club established in 2008. It plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. Dinamo wis established as a successor tae the umwhile hockey team wi the same name, which wis foondit in 1946 but ceased tae exist in 1995.
 Fitbaa
 Skonto FC — a fitbaa club established in 1991. The club wan fowerteen successive Latvian Higher League titles. For a lang time it providit the core o the Latvian naitional fitbaa team.
 FK Jaunība
 JFK Olimps/RFS

 Sports facilities 
 Arena Riga — a multi-purpose arena biggit in 2006 as the main venue for the 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. It can hauld up tae 14,500 fowk an haes hostit ice hockey, basketbaw an volleybaw events, as well as Red Bull X-Fighters.
 Skonto Stadium — a fitbaa stadium, biggit in 2000. It is the main stadium uised for gemmes o the Latvian naitional fitbaa team.
 Daugava Stadium — a stadium biggit in 1958, uised for baith fitbaa an athletics.
 Latvijas Universitates Stadions

 Sports events 
 Eurobasket 1937
 EuroBasket Women 2009
 2006 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
 Riga Marathon

 Internaitional relations 

 Twin touns — Sister ceeties 
Riga maintains sister ceety relationships wi the follaein ceeties:
  Aalborg, Denmark  Almaty, Kazakhstan  Amsterdam, Netherlands  Astana, Kazakhstan  Beijing, Cheenae  Bordeaux, Fraunce  Bremen, Germany  Cairns, Australie  Calais, Fraunce  Dallas, Texas, Unitit States  Florence, Italy  Kiev, Ukraine  Kobe, Japan   Minsk, Belaroushie  Moscow, Roushie  Norrköping, Swaden  Pori, Finland  Providence, Rhode Island, Unitit States  Rostock, Germany  Saunt Petersburg, Roushie:  Santiago, Chile  Slough, Unitit Kinrick  Stockholm, Swaden  Suzhou, Cheenae  Taipei, TaiwanSister city list  (.DOC)  Tallinn, Estonie  Tashkent, Uzbekistan  Tartu, Estonie  Tbilisi, Georgie  Vilnius, Lithuanie  Warsaw, Poland  

 References 

 Freemit airtins 

 Riga Municipality portal 
 Other riga - The hame page aboot Riga 

 Map o Greater Riga 
 Riga —entry (airticle an engravin) frae The National Encyclopedia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge, circa 1900
 "Riga/Рига" photo album , circa 1910
 "Foreign Corn Ports-Riga" —The Illustrated London News
 Riga Daily Photos an Webcams 
 Virtual Map o Riga Ceety 
 "Riga" —pictures frae Riga


Category:Caipitals in Europe
Category:Populatit coastal places in Latvie
Category:Port ceeties in Latvie
Category:Port ceeties an touns o the Easter Seas
Category:Members o the Hanseatic League
Category:Warld Heritage Steids in Latvie
Category:NUTS 3 statistical regions o the European Union
Category:Ceeties in Latvie
Category:Republican ceeties o Latvie