Zolitūde is mainly an apartment house neighbourhood located in the western part of Riga, the capital of Latvia. Zolitūde is a centrally planned estate, consisting mostly of prefabricated concrete block Brutalist style homes built in late Soviet times. Construction started in 1984, and was mostly halted in 1991, when Latvia obtained its independence from the USSR. Large parts of the population, as in similar neighbourhoods of Riga, are Russian speaking. Zolitūde had been a mixture of council housing and co-operative flats, but many properties have been privatised since the fall of the Soviet Union.

Riga is the capital, primate, and the largest city of Latvia, as well as the most populous city in the Baltic States. Home to 609,489 inhabitants, the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga metropolitan area, which stretches beyond the city limits, is estimated at 860,142. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the Baltic Sea. Riga's territory covers 307.17 km2 (118.60 sq mi) and lies 1–10 m (3–33 ft) above sea level on a flat and sandy plain.