Latvia is a country on the eastern side of the Baltic Sea. Its immediate neighbors are Estonia & Lithuania to the north and south, respectively, and Russia are Belarus to the east.  With a population of just under 2.3 million in a country the size of Ireland, one third of the population live in the capital city of Riga.  The Sparrow's Nest is based in Jelgava, population 100,000 people, approximately one hour drive south of Riga.

Brief History:

Latvia had a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, from 1919 to 1940, but was then  annexed by the USSR.  However, Latvia was able to reestablish its independence in November 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. 

There are several ethnic groups living in Latvia, but the majority are Latvian (58%) and Russian (30%).  The remaining groups are from the surrounding Baltic states.

Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

(Information taken from the CIA World Factbook for Latvia.)

The way Jelgava was before the Second World War destruction.  Now all that remains is the palace you see in the front and a few churches in the background.  Everything else was destroyed by bombers in World War II.