LATVIA

officially Republic of Latvia, Latvian Latvija, or Latvijas Republika country of northeastern Europe. The capital and chief city is Riga. Latvia lies along the shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga. It borders on Estonia in the north, Russia in the east, and Lithuania in the south. Area 24,946 square miles (64,610 square km). Pop. (1992 est.) 2,685,000. officially Republic of Latvia, Latvian Latvija, or Latvijas Republika country of northeastern Europe, one of the Baltic states. It lies along the shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga and borders Estonia in the north, Russia in the east, and Lithuania in the south. The capital and chief city is Riga. The area is 24,900 square miles (64,500 square kilometres). Latvia, which was a constituent republic of the U.S.S.R. from 1940, declared its independence on Aug. 21, 1991. The U.S.S.R. recognized its sovereignty on September 6, and United Nations membership followed shortly thereafter. Additional reading General information on Latvia's physical and human geography is available in a brief illustrated survey by Monika Zile, Latvia, trans. from Russian (1987), from the series of commemorative booklets Socialist Republics of the Soviet Union. More detailed, though mostly older, studies are found in such works published in the West as George B. Carson (ed.), Latvia: An Area Study, 2 vol. (1956); J. Rutkis (ed.), Latvia: Country and People (1967); Vaira Vikis-Freibergs (ed.), Linguistics and Poetics of Latvian Folk Songs (1989); Rolfs Ekmanis, Latvian Literature Under the Soviets, 19401975 (1978); and Gundar J. King, Economic Policies in Occupied Latvia: Manpower Management Study (1965). Vito Vitauts Simanis (ed.), Latvia (1984), can be useful as a reference source.For historical surveys, see Eduards Dobelis (ed.), Latvia, Past and Present: 19181968 (1968); Alfred Bilmanis, Latvia as an Independent State (1947), and A History of Latvia (1951, reprinted 1970); Andrew Ezergailis, The 1917 Revolution in Latvia (1974); Visvaldis Mangulis, Latvia in the Wars of the 20th Century (1983); and, for the Soviet interpretation of a pivotal historical period, E. Zagars, Socialist Transformations in Latvia, 19401941, trans. from Latvian (1978). James H. Bater Romuald J. Misiunas Administration and social conditions Government From 1940 to 1991 Latvia was a constituent republic of the U.S.S.R. The Latvian government declared independence on Aug. 21, 1991, and the U.S.S.R. recognized the independence of the three Baltic states on Sept. 6, 1991. At the time of independence an elected Parliament headed by a president was the chief administrative organ of government. Justice was administered by people's courts. The judges of these courts were elected for terms of two years. Until the late 1980s, when several prodemocracy groups united under the Popular Front of Latvia, the Communist Party of Latvia, like its counterparts in the other union republics, was the only source of political power, under the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The party was dominated by non-Latvians (mainly Russians and other Slavs) and by Russified Latvians who lived in Russia for large parts of their lives. The power of the Communist Party began to weaken in 1990, when Latvia adopted a multiparty system, and in 1991, at the time of independence, the party was outlawed. The legacy of the Latvian Communist Party was widespread distrust of large-scale centralized political parties. Thus the political landscape in Latvia after independence was complex. The Latvian National Independence Movement, founded in 1988, garnered a measure of popular support, but there were many other parties similarly intent on broadening their membership. Parties espousing liberal philosophies, environmental principles, or particular interests such as those of the growing number of private farmers were part of the fast-changing political scene. In Latvia, as elsewhere in the Baltic region, one of the most sensitive political issues confronting the new government was what to do about the many thousands of former Soviet military personnel still stationed within its borders and subordinate to Russia's military command. It was estimated that there were more than 50,000 military personnel in Latvia alone. The military establishment in Moscow resisted their withdrawal for a number of reasons. Among their reasons was the fact that there was an acute housing problem for the military forces in the former U.S.S.R., and several hundred thousand more military personnel were scheduled to return from the former Warsaw Pact countries of eastern Europe. While agreement was reached that the withdrawal would begin in 1992, no date was fixed for completion of the process. Education General literacy was achieved in Latvia in the 1890s. Teaching in the general schools is in Latvian. Institutions of higher learning include Riga Technical University (founded 1862) and the University of Latvia (founded 1919). Scientific work is carried on at the institutes of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (founded in 1946), in higher educational establishments, and in research institutes. Cultural life Amateur art thrives in Latvia. Clubs and individual enterprises have drama groups, choirs, ensembles, orchestras, and dance companies. Latvia has a conservatory of music, an academy of arts, and a number of specialized secondary educational establishments for students of music, painting, and the applied arts. Noted Latvian composers include Jazeps Medin, Janis Medin, and Emilis Melngailis. Modern Latvian literature dates from the late 19th century; the national epic, Lacplesis (Bear Slayer), by Andrejs Pumpurs, was published in 1888. Janis Rainis, who died in 1929, is generally considered to be the most important Latvian writer. Literature is published in Latvian and other languages, as are newspapers and magazines. Like the other Baltic states, Latvia is well supplied with radio receivers and receives local and foreign broadcasts. Television broadcasts also come from local and foreign sources. Motion pictures produced in Riga have included full-length feature films as well as documentaries, short subjects, cartoons, and newsreels. An important national tradition is the festival of Midsummer Eve (St. John's Eve, or Janu Naktis) and Day. Peteris V. Gulyans James H. Bater