Latvia (lăt'vēu) [key], Latvian Latvija, officially Republic of Latvia, republic (2005 est. pop. 2,290,000), 24,590 sq mi (63,688 sq km), north central Europe. It borders on Estonia in the north, Lithuania in the south, the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Riga in the west, Russia in the east, and Belarus in the southeast. Riga is the capital and largest city.