Latvia i/?lætvi?/ ( Latvija), officially the Republic of Latvia ( Latvijas Republika), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia (border length 343 km), to the south by Lithuania (588 km), to the east by the Russian Federation (276 km), to the southeast by Belarus (141 km),[7] and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden. With 2,067,887 inhabitants[4] and a territory of 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi)[8] it is one of the least populous and least densely populated countries of the European Union. The capital of Latvia is Riga. The official language is Latvian and the currency is called Lats (Ls). The country has a temperate seasonal climate.