Rīga is the capital of Latvia.
Riga is located at the site of an ancient settlement of the Livs, an ancient Finno-Ugric tribe, at the junction of the Daugava and Ridzene rivers. The Ridzene was originally known as the Riga River, at one point forming a natural harbor called the Riga Lake, neither of which exist today. Some believe that the name of the river gave Riga its name.
The Historic Centre of Riga has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city is particularly notable for its extensive Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture, comparable in significance only with Vienna, Prague and Barcelona.