Are people from Latvia friendly?

Latvian people are friendly But Latvians – while not overtly gregarious – are very friendly. Nearly all Latvians speak three languages well. In addition to their native tongue, Russian and English are widely spoken, even in the more remote areas.

What is life like in Latvia?

Life expectancy in Latvia is 74.7 years, making it one of the shortest average life expectancies found in the EU. However, this has improved by about five years, from an average life expectancy of 69.1 in 1990. Latvia also has a relatively low infant mortality rate of 3.9 per 1,000 live births, down from 13.1 in 1990.

Are Latvians trustworthy?

Latvia is a safe country. Crime levels in Latvia are relatively small. The murder rate is on par with the USA. However, crime is spread much more evenly in Latvia than in the West, meaning there is no division into “dangerous ghettos” and “suburbs where nothing bad ever happens”.

Are Latvians happy?

According to the World Happiness Report 2017, Latvia is the 54th happiest nation of 155 states surveyed. The report names Norway, the happiest place on earth, jumping from 4th place in 2016 to 1st place this year, followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland in a tightly packed bunch of beaming contentment.

Is it worth living in Latvia?

The beautiful Baltic nation Latvia is one of the most affordable places in Europe and offers excellent potential for expats. A large portion of the country’s workforce is actually of foreign origin. The majority of the land is made of calm nature, being Riga the only exception where there is also plenty to do.

Do most Latvians speak English?

The younger generations of ethnic Latvians usually speak English far better than Russian (and would switch to English when communicating with foreigners). English is also very common in tourist materials. Fluency in English is a requirement for anybody wishing to work in the tourist industry.

Does Latvia have a beach?

Latvia’s Baltic Sea coastline is almost 500 km long and never ceases to surprise with white sand, its dunes, steep cliffs, sandstone outcrops and rock formations. Choose your favourite!

Is there much crime in Latvia?

Crime in Latvia is usually low, compared to previous years, when it named the “crime capital of Europe” by Forbes in 2008. The homicide rate in Latvia was 3.9 cases per 100,000 people in 2019, a sharp drop from 10 cases per 100,000 people in 2000, and has been steadily decreasing, but has seen recent increases.

What are some traditions in Latvia?

A significant part of the modern Latvian lifestyle includes such unique traditions as the summer solstice holiday Jāņi or “Liigo!”, the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, a treasure trove of folk songs (dainas), mythology, traditional dress, and folk dancing.

What is it like to live in Latvia?

2 Answers. Traditional Latvian culture is very lovable. It resembles a Nordic culture in some way. It respects nature very much, they have sauna-culture, cross-country skiing as a national sport and they go picking mushrooms and berries in the forest when it is the season.

What kind of music do they play in Latvia?

‘Šlāgermūzika’ or Schlager music. There are quite a few songs I grew up convinced to be Latvian that turned out to be German music with Latvian words. Consequentially, at every town festival you’re gonna have a few marching bands performing Schlager and march music.

Are there any Latvian people from Russia with Russian names?

Yes, some ‘Latvian’ personal names are in fact very Scandinavian in origin. Egīls, Agate, Inga, Anete, Dagmāra, Dana, Einārs, Emīls, Ēriks…. and so on, and so on. I haven’t been to Russia and I have had the pleasure to know exactly two people from Russia. All other Russian people I know are from Latvia.