latvian
geographical name(Lat-vi-an)
independent country in north central Europe bordering on the Baltic Sea and indented by the Gulf of Riga; an independent republic 1918—40, a constituent republic (the Latvian Republic ) of the U.S.S.R. 1940—91; capital Riga area 24,595 square miles (63,701 square kilometers), population 2,070,371