Latvia is a country located on the Baltic Sea between Estonia and Lithuania with dense forests wide and beaches. The country's capital, Riga, is home to a medieval Old Town with St. Peter's Church, striking wooden and art modern architecture, and an enormous Central Market. The city's museums include the Latvian Ethnographic Open-Air Museum, which showcases local crafts and food and music. The Latvian lats (LVL) was the national currency of Latvia. It was made up of 100 subunits called santïms. In 1922, the lats first entered circulation after replacing the Latvian ruble. Before being replaced by the euro, the lats banknotes were circulated in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 lati. The Latvian lats were issued and controlled by the Bank of Latvia. The lat was used from 1993 until 2013. Starting 2014, it was replaced by the euro.
The euro (EUR) is the official currency of 19 of the 27 European Union member states. The euro banknotes have common designs on either side. Banknotes are issued in €500, €200, €100, €50, €20, €10, €5. Each note has its own color and is dedicated to an artistic period of European architecture. The front side features gateways or windows, while the back has bridges, which symbolize links between states in the union and with the future.
