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Latvia is one of the three Baltic states (with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south) which regained independence from Soviet rule in 1991. It lies on a low plain, which nowhere rises above 300 m (975 ft). Almost one-third of the population lives in the capital, Riga. Defense-related industries and agriculture play an important role in the economy, though services now dominate. Only just over half of the population are ethnic Latvians.