History of Latvia
Lettish Latvija, officially Republic of Latvia (1994 estimated population 2,749,000), 24,590 square miles (63,688 square kilometers), north central Europe, formerly a constituent republic of the USSR. It borders on Estonia (North); Lithuania (South); the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Riga (West); and Russia (East) and Belarus (South East). The majority of the people are Letts and Latgalians (both widely known as Latvians), but there is a significant Russian and smaller Belarussian, Ukrainian, and Polish minorities. Citizenship was initially restricted to those who or whose parents were citizens in 1940; foreign-born residents cannot begin applying for naturalization until 2000. Lettish is the official language, but Russian is widely spoken.

Riga city (1989 population 915,000) is the capital of Latvia on the Daugava River near its entry into the Gulf of Riga. It is a major Baltic port, rail junction, military base, and leading industrial center. Long settled by Baltic tribes, Riga became (1201) the seat of the Livonian Brothers of the Sword, a German military order dedicated to Christianizing the Baltic region. Riga joined the Hanseatic League in 1282. After the Livonian Order was dissolved (1561) the city passed to Poland (1581), Sweden (1621), and Russia (1721). It became the capital of independent Latvia in 1920 and was the capital of the Latvian SSR (1940-91) while the country was forcibly annexed by the USSR. During World War II Riga was occupied (1941-44) by Germany. Other large cities include Daugavpils and Liepaja.

The region was conquered and Christianized by the Livonian Knights (13th century) and later fell to Poland (1561), Sweden (1629), and Russia (1721-95). German merchants and landowners had reduced the population to servitude, but in 1819 serfdom was abolished. Russian replaced German as the official language in 1885. Latvia became independent in 1920 but was forcibly annexed by the USSR in 1940. It was occupied (1941-44) by the Germans in World War II. After the war Latvia was returned to Soviet rule, and the economy was nationalized. In 1990 the Latvian parliament voted in favor of independence from the Soviet Union. Following the attempted coup (1991) against Soviet President Gorbachev the Soviet government recognized Latvia's independence, but the withdrawal of troops was not completed until 1994 (by Russia). In 1993 Latvia signed a free-trade agreement with Estonia and Lithuania. Guntis Ulmanis became president in 1993.
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