Riga district () was an

administrative division Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

, located in

Semigallia Semigallia is one of the Historical Latvian Lands located to the south of the Daugava and to the north of the Saule region of Samogitia. The territory is split between Latvia and Lithuania, previously inhabited by the Semigallian Baltic tri ...

and

Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Latvia, Riga, is situated in the southwestern part of the region. Literally meaning "the Middle Land", it is situated in north-centra ...

regions, in the centre of the country. It was the ''de facto'' successor of the historical Riga county since 1949. Beginning from the west and counterclockwise to the east, Riga district bordered the districts of

Tukums Tukums (; ; ) is a town in Latvia and serves as the administrative center of Tukums Municipality. It is located in the eastern part of the historical region of Courland, and with more than 16,000 inhabitants Tukums is the 13th largest settlem ...

Jelgava Jelgava () is a state city in central Latvia. It is located about southwest of Riga. It is the largest town in the Semigallia region of Latvia. Jelgava was the capital of the united Duchy of Courland and Semigallia (1578–1795) and was the ad ...

Bauska Bauska () is a town in its Bauska Municipality, eponymous municipality, found in the Zemgale region of southern Latvia. Bauska is located from the Latvian capital Riga, 62 km (38.5 mi) from Jelgava and from the Lithuanian border on t ...

Ogre An ogre (feminine: ogress) is a legendary monster depicted as a large, hideous, man-like being that eats ordinary human beings, especially infants and children. Ogres frequently feature in mythology, folklore, and fiction throughout the world ...

Cēsis Cēsis (; (, , , ) is a town in Latvia located in the northern part of the Central Vidzeme Upland. Cēsis is on the Gauja River valley, and is built on a series of ridges above the river, overlooking the woods below. Cēsis was selected to b ...

and Limbaži. The area of the district was 3,058 km² with a population of 159,247 in January 2009. Riga district was one of the largest regions of Latvia, it was strategically important and also had some of the most developed infrastructure in Latvia. It was a cross-point of 10 major motorways and a junction of 6 important railroad lines. Districts were eliminated during the .

History

One of the first ancient settlements was situated in this district and dates from the 9th century BC. Across time localities of the Riga district had their resurgence and downturns caused by wars and unrest. This land been occupied by German

crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding ...

and Swedish, Polish–Lithuanian, Saxonian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n armies. More than 300 monuments of cultural and historical significance that are on the list of cultural heritage protection tell us about the most important events of local history. The reasons for the rapid development of Riga district can be found in its geographic position, human and natural resources, and rich heritage of culture and history. For the same reasons this region is valuable for tourism, recreation and business travel.

Subdivisions (2008)

Cities/towns

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

(exterritorial center) *

Baldone Baldone (; ) is a town in Ķekava Municipality, in the Semigallia region of Latvia. The town is famous for its sulfur water springs and was a spa resort. Viktors Arājs was born here in 1910. Gallery File:Mercendarbes muiža.jpg, Mencendarb ...

Baloži Baloži (; ) is a town in Ķekava Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, just 12 kilometres from the centre of Riga. In 2021, the city had a population of 6,746 people. Baloži was founded soon after the Second World War; as a village at ...

Olaine Olaine (; ) is a city in Olaine Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Olaine gained town rights in 1967. The population in 2020 was 10,668. History The name comes from the (), built by the stream, a Misa River, Misa river tributary, ...

Salaspils Salaspils (; ; ) (literally: "island castle") is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. It is the administrative centre of Salaspils Municipality. The town is situated on the northern bank of the Daugava river, 18 kilometers to the south-east ...

with

rural territory A selsoviet (; , ; ) is the shortened name for Selsky soviet, i.e., rural council (; ; ). It has three closely related meanings: *The administration (''soviet'') of a certain rural area. *The territorial subdivision administered by such a council ...

Saulkrasti Saulkrasti (; ) (literally ''Sun shores'' in Latvian) is a town in Saulkrasti Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, on the east coast of the Gulf of Riga. It is the administrative centre of Saulkrasti Municipality. Made up of a number o ...

with

Sigulda Sigulda (; ; Polish Zygwold) is a town in the Vidzeme region of Latvia, from the capital city Riga. Overview Sigulda is on a picturesque stretch of the primeval Gauja river valley. Because of the reddish Devonian sandstone which forms steep r ...

Vangaži Vangaži () is a town in Ropaži Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. History The name Vangaži () was first mentioned in the 17th century as the name of a local manor. The name itself is a combination of two words in the Livonian lang ...

Municipalities (former parishes)

Ādaži Municipality Ādaži Municipality () is a municipality in the historical region of Vidzeme, and the Riga Planning Region in Latvia, which consists of Ādaži and plus the administrative centre, Ādaži. The municipality is located 25 km from the cent ...

Baldone Municipality Baldone Municipality () is a former Latvian municipality situated partly in the province of Semigallia and partly in Vidzeme Vidzeme (; Old Latvian orthography: ''Widda-semme'', ) is one of the Historical Latvian Lands. The capital of Lat ...

** Baldone **

Baldone Parish Baldone Parish () is an administrative unit of Ķekava Municipality, Latvia. From 2009 until 2021, it was part of the former Baldone Municipality. It was created in 2010 from the countryside territory of Baldone town. At the beginning of 2015, t ...

* Carnikava Municipality *

Garkalne Municipality Garkalne Municipality () was a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2007 by reorganization of Garkalne Parish. The seat of the council of the municipality is situated extraterritorially in Berģi, Riga. The population ...

Inčukalns Municipality Inčukalns (German: ''Hinzenberg'') is a village in Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Started in 1436, the parish was for centuries a part of Medieval Livonia Terra Mariana (Medieval Latin for 'Land of Mary') was the for ...

** Vangaži **

Inčukalns Parish Inčukalns Parish is an Administrative divisions of Latvia, administrative unit of Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. From 2009 until 2021, it was part of Inčukalns Municipality. References

Parishes of Latvia Sigul ...

* Krimulda Municipality ** Krimulda Parish ** Lēdurga Parish *

Mārupe Municipality Mārupe () () is a town in, and the administrative centre of Mārupe Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. The town is a suburb of the Latvian capital, Riga, but is a separate entity. Mārupe borders Zemgale Suburb, Riga, Zemgale Suburb ...

Ropaži Municipality Ropaži Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2005 with the reorganization of Ropaži parish. The administrative centre is Ulbroka. The population in 2020 was 6,835. On 1 July 2021, Ropaži Municipal ...

Sēja Municipality Sēja Municipality () was a former municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2006 by reorganization of Sēja Parish; the administrative centre being Loja. The population in 2020 was 2,156. On 1 July 2021, Sēja Municipalit ...

Sigulda Municipality Sigulda Municipality () is a municipality in Vidzeme, Latvia. The municipality was formed in 2003 by merging Sigulda town, Sigulda Parish and More Parish. In 2009 it absorbed Allaži parish, too; the administrative centre being Sigulda. The po ...

**Sigulda **

Allaži Parish Allaži Parish () is an administrative unit of Sigulda Municipality in the Vidzeme region of Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, alon ...

** More Parish ** Sigulda Parish *

Stopiņi Municipality Stopiņi Municipality () is a former municipality in the historical region of Vidzeme, and the Riga Planning Region in Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the ...

Parishes

* Babīte Parish * Daugmale Parish * Ķekava Parish *

Mālpils Parish Mālpils () is a village in the Mālpils Parish of Sigulda Municipality, in the Vidzeme region of Latvia. Mālpils had 1,838 residents as of 2020. History Between 1386 and 1413 the fortress Lemburg of the State of the Teutonic Order, Teuto ...

* Olaine Parish * Sala Parish

Nature

The larger part of the former region lies in the sand-soil plains of Riga that are covered by pinewoods, low links, marshlands and level countryside that is typical for

littoral The littoral zone, also called litoral or nearshore, is the part of a sea, lake, or river that is close to the shore. In coastal ecology, the littoral zone includes the intertidal zone extending from the high water mark (which is rarely i ...

lowlands. In the northern part, there are ridges of links and many lakes have formed in hollows between them. There are 132 lakes in the Riga Region and the biggest of them is the Babīte Lake, Lielais Baltezers, Mazais Baltezers, Dūņu Lake and Lilaste Lake. The former district is also crossed by three major rivers in Latvia –

Daugava The Daugava ( ), also known as the Western Dvina or the Väina River, is a large river rising in the Valdai Hills of Russia that flows through Belarus and Latvia into the Gulf of Riga of the Baltic Sea. The Daugava rises close to the source of ...

Lielupe The Lielupe ( in Latvian language, Latvian Literal translation, literally: ''Large River'', , ) is a river in central Latvia. Its length is (the length would reach if the Mēmele River were counted as part of the Lielupe). The surface area of ...

and Gauja Rivers. The north-eastern part of former Riga district is covered by the largest deciduous forests in Latvia. The

Gauja National Park __NOTOC__ Gauja National Park () in Vidzeme is the largest national park in Latvia, with an area of 917.86 km2 running from north-east of Sigulda to south-west of Cēsis along the valley of the Gauja River, from which the park takes its name ...

is part of these forests and has more than 900 kinds of

plants Plants are the eukaryotes that form the kingdom Plantae; they are predominantly photosynthetic. This means that they obtain their energy from sunlight, using chloroplasts derived from endosymbiosis with cyanobacteria to produce sugars f ...

, 48 species of

mammals A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three middle e ...

and 149 species of

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

References

External links

Photos of Riga and district
{{Authority control Riga district