Kurzeme

Jelgava: palace of the dukes of Courland

Kurzeme, moraine region of western Latvia, roughly corresponding to the historic state of Courland (q.v.). Kurzeme is elevated slightly above the coastal plains of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, which bound the moraine, and it rises to 604 feet (184 m) in the south. It is the source of many short rivers flowing northeast and northwest. Kurzeme is a region of farms that traditionally produce grain, potatoes, sugar beets, and flax and of woodland, mainly pine and spruce. It was a traditional province of Latvia, with its historic capital at Jelgava at the eastern edge of the region.