Riga (TheodoresTomfooleries)

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Riga
Rīga · Рига
Riga-freedom-monument.png
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Flag of Riga
Coat of Arms of Riga City
Riga's location in the Soviet Union
Riga's location in the Soviet Union
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CountrySoviet Union
Union republicLatvian SSR
Founded1201
Government
 • BodyPeople's Deputy Council of Riga
Area
 • Total2,815.8 km2 (1,087.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total1,126,545 (metropolitan area)
DemonymRigan
Time zoneUTC+2
ISO 3166 codeSU-RIG
Websiterigagov.su

Riga (Latvian: Rīga; Russian: Рига) is the largest city and capital of the Latvian SSR, with a metropolitan population of 1.12 million. Riga's metropolitan area stretches over 2,000 km and is the most populated in the Baltic region. Founded in 1201 by the Canon Albert of Riga, Riga was a member of the Hanseatic League and was dominated by Baltic German nobility for over 700 years. Its territory has been part of the Holy Roman Empire, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Swedish Empire and the Russian Empire. Riga was the capital of the independent Republic of Latvia from 1920 to 1940 and continues to be recognized by the west as the capital of the Latvian government in exile.