Riga

Riga (pop. 875,000), capital of Latvia. Located near the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava River, it is an important center of shipping and industry as well as the hub of Latvian cultural and political activity. The city, founded in 1201 and variously under the control of Poland, Sweden, and Russia, was incorporated into the USSR in 1940. In 1991 independent Latvian rule was restored.

See also: Latvia.