Courland (1983: Doomsday)

Doomsday
In the events of Doomsday, these Latvian cities were hit:


 * Daugavpils, destroyed in a strike on nearby Lociki Air Base.
 * Jēkabpils, destroyed in a strike on the air base.
 * Liepāja, destroyed in a strike on the naval facilities and the port itself.
 * Riga, the former capital, destroyed along with its suburbs and surrounding communities in several strikes on both it and the military facilities in the area.
 * Tukums, destroyed in a strike on the Air Base.
 * Valmiera, destroyed in a strike on nearby Liepas Air Base.

Government
Courland is a parliamentary democracy headed by a constitutional monarch. Under the constitution of 1985, executive power is exercised by the Duke and the cabinet, which consists of several other ministers. The President has the power to dissolve the legislature and reinstate a new one, as long as the Duke has judicial approval.

Economy
For centuries under Hanseatic and German influence and then during its inter-war independence, Latvia used its geographic location as an important East-West commercial and trading center. Industry served local markets, while timber, paper and agricultural products were Latvia's main exports. Conversely, the years of Russian and Soviet occupation tended to integrate Latvia's economy to serve those empires' large internal industrial needs.

After Doomsday, the Courlanders found a massive market for their timber and grain in neighboring Samogita.The lack of a "nuclear winter" that year eased the pressure on their food stocks. In recent years the Courlanders have seen their economy flourish as foreign markets were opened to Courlander products. The Courlanders once again found themselves an important trading center on the Baltic Sea. The capital of Ventspils has seen massive expansion as the port swelled from the incredible influx of money.

Military
Courland operates a small army which primarily consists of volunteers motivated by fear of Siberia. They mainly operate old Soviet equipment and firearms. They wear old Soviet uniforms re-dyed a dark green, and white "winterized" uniforms.

International Relations
The Courlanders have exellant relations with their neighbors. They have good relations with East Poland, Belarus, the Nordic Union, and Prussia. They have especially good relations with neighboring Samogita. West Poland still refuses to acknowledge their existance. They have declared themselves the sucessor to the Latvian Republic that was "illegally occupied by the Soviet Union since the end of the Second World War."