Map of Latvia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: Along with most of the other small nations of Europe, Latvia shares a history of invasion by a succession of expansionist nations, e.g., Sweden, Poland, Germany, and Russia. After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940 under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. The USSR recaptured Latvia from its German occupiers in 1944. Latvia reestablished its independence in August 1991, a few months prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union.


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Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area
Total: 64,100 km²
Land: 64,100 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 1,078 km; Belarus 141 km, Estonia 267 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: NA nm
Continental shelf: NA meter depth
Exclusive fishing zone: NA nm
Exclusive economic zone: NA nm
Territorial sea: NA nm
Disputes:

Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain: low plain

Elevation

Natural resources: minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite

Land use: 27% arable land; NA% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 39% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes NA% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 2,728,937 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)

Nationality: noun - Latvian(s;adjective - Latvian

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Latvian NA% (official), Lithuanian NA%, Russian NA%, other NA%

Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 15 births/1000 population (1992)

Death rate: 12 deaths/1000 population (1992)

Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1000 population (1992)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: heightened levels of air and water pollution because of a lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga heavily polluted

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 75 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1992)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Latvia

Government type: republic

Capital: Riga

Administrative divisions: none - all districts are under direct republic jurisdiction

Dependent areas

Independence:

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918)

Constitution: April 1978, currently rewriting constitution, but readopted the 1922 Constitution

Legal system: based on civil law system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal at age 18
President:
Supreme Council:
Congress of Latvia: last held April 1990 (next to be held NA); note - the Congress of Latvia is a quasi-governmental structure; results - percent of vote by party NA%; seats - (231 total) number of seats by party NA

Executive branch: Prime Minister

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CSCE, IAEA, UN
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Anatol DINBERGS; Chancery at 4,325 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20,011; telephone (202) 726-8,213 and 8,214
US: Ambassador Ints SILINS; (mailing address is APO AE 9,862); telephone 358 (49) 306-067 (cellular), (7) (01-32) 325-968/185; FAX 358 (49) 308-326 (cellular), (7) (01-32) 220-502

Diplomatic representation

Flag description: two horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (middle, narrower than other two bands) and maroon (bottom)

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview
Latvia is in the process of reforming the centrally planned economy inherited from the former USSR into a market economy. Prices have been freed and privatization of shops and farms has begun. Latvia lacks natural resources aside from its arable land and small forests. Its most valuable economic asset is its work force which is better educated and disciplined than in most of the former Soviet republics. Industrial production is highly diversified with products ranging from agricultural machinery to consumer electronics. One conspicuous vulnerability:
GDP: purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capital NA; real growth rate - 8% (1991)

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: employs 23% of labor force; principally dairy farming and livestock feeding; products - meat, milk, eggs, grain, sugar beets, potatoes, and vegetables; fishing and fish packing

Industries: employs 33.2% of labor force; highly diversified; dependent on imports for energy, raw materials, and intermediate products; produces buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles

Industrial production growth rate: growth rate 0% (1991)

Labor force: 1,407,000; industry and construction 41%, agriculture and forestry 16%, other 43% (1990)
Organized labor: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $239 million (f.o.b., 1990)
Commodoties: food 14%, railroad cars 13%, chemicals 12%
Partners:

Imports: $9.0 billion (c.i.f., 1989)
Commodoties: machinery 35%, petroleum products 13%, chemicals 9%
Partners: NA

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: NA


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Electricity
Production: 1,975,000 kW capacity; 6,500 million kWh produced, 2,381 kWh per capita (1990)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: NA% of GDP; 3-5% of Latvia's budget (1992)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports:

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil NA km, refined products NA km, natural gas NA km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 300 km perennially navigable

Merchant marine:
Civil air: NA major transport aircraft

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: