'''Latvia''' ( or ;  ; ; ), officially known as the '''Republic of Latvia''' (, , ), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe, bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and sharing a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of , with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian. The term "Baltic countries" (or "Baltic states") usually refers to the group of three countries: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. However, Lithuanian and Latvian are the only two surviving Baltic languages. 