Vidzeme, plateau region of central Latvia, roughly corresponding to the historic state of Livonia. It is a hilly, irregular, partially terraced morainic area, dotted with many small morainal lakes. It reaches an elevation of 1,020 feet (311 m) at Mount Gaiziņš and is drained to the west by the Gauja River, which flows into the Gulf of Riga about 12 miles (20 km) north of Riga after a course of 286 miles (460 km).