Ventspils - City of Latvia

Ventspils is a city in northwestern Latvia in the Kurzeme region of Latvia, the sixth largest city in the country. As of 2006, Ventspils had a population of 43,806. Ventspils is situated on the Venta River and the Baltic Sea, and has an ice-free port.

Ventspils developed around the Livonian Order castle, built along the Venta river. It was chartered in 1314 and became an important mercantile city of the Hanseatic League.

As part of the Duchy of Courland, Ventpils blossomed as a ship-building center. 44 warships and 79 trading ships were built in the town, and it was from Ventspils that the Duke's fleet set out to colonize Gambia and Tobago. Metal, amber, and wood-working shops also became important to the citys development.

In 2004 Ventspils was a host city for a multi-national naval exercise called Baltic Operations XXXIII . The force was led by the guided missile cruiser USS Anzio and the destroyer USS Cole . The US vessels were the first American warships to visit the port of Ventspils since Latvian independence was declared.

Ventspils is situated at the mouth of the Venta River, where it empties into the Baltic Sea, and is an important ice-free port. Large amounts of oil and other mineral resources from Russia are loaded aboard ships at Ventspils. The revenue from port services has made Ventspils the wealthiest city in Latvia.

Ventspils Airport, one of the three international airports in Latvia, is located in the city. Ventspils High Technology Park provides infrastructure and services to IT and electronics companies.

The city has a university college, Ventspils Augstskola, and a basketball team that has won the Latvian championship in the last several years. In the 2001/2002 season, the team took third place in the North European Basketball League. Ventspils also has a football team in FK Ventspils who compete in the Virsliga. In the 2006 season the team has won the Latvian championship for the first time.

Ventspils has a Blue Flag Beach.