Map of Latvia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide19891990199119921993199419951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023 | 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

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

Coastline: 531 km
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Maritime claims

Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain: low plain

Elevation

Natural resources: minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite
Arable land: 27%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 13%
Forest and woodland: 39%
Other: 21%

Land use

Irrigated land: 160 km² (1990)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography


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Population: 2,735,573 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 0.5% (1993 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Latvian(s)
Adjective: Latvian

Ethnic groups: Latvian 51.8%, Russian 33.8%, Belarusian 4.5%, Ukrainian 3.4%, Polish 2.3%, other 4.2%

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

Religions: Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.5% (1993 est.)

Birth rate: 13.99 births/1000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate: 12.73 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.72 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)

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 and Daugava River heavily polluted; contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and petroleum products at military bases

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 69.23 years
Male: 64.15 years
Female: 74.55 years (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2 children born/woman (1993 est.)

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: age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Latvia
Conventional short form: Latvia
Local long form: Latvijas Republika
Local short form: Latvija
Former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type: republic

Capital: Riga

Administrative divisions: none (all districts are under direct republic jurisdiction)

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 November (1918)

Constitution: adopted NA May 1922, considering rewriting constitution

Legal system: based on civil law system

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: Chairman of Supreme Council (president), prime minister, cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: CBSS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ojars KALNINS
In the us chancery: 4,325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,011
In the us telephone: (202) 726-8,213 and 8,214
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Ints M, SILINS;
From the us embassy: Raina Boulevard 7, Riga 226,050
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,862
From the us telephone: 0-11 358 (49) 311-348 (cellular)
From the us fax:

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

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: Latvia produces only 10% of its electric power needs. Latvia in the near term must retain key commercial ties to Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine while moving in the long run toward joint is higher in meat, vegetables, and dairy products and lower in grain and potatoes than diets in the 12 non-Baltic republics of the former USSR. Good relations with Russia are threatened by animosity between ethnic Russians (34% of the population) and native Latvians. The cumulative difficulties in replacing old sources of supply and old markets, together with the phasing out of the Russian ruble as the medium of exchange, help account for the sharp 30% drop in GDP in 1992.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: -30% (1992)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: employs 16% of labor force; principally dairy farming and livestock feeding; products - meat, milk, eggs, grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; fishing and fish packing

Industries: employs 33% 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 -35% (1992 est.)

Labor force: 1.407 million
By occupation industry and construction: 41%
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 16%
By occupation other: 43% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 3.6% (March 1993; but large numbers of underemployed workers

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

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

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: $NA
Commodoties: NA
Partners: NA

Imports: $NA
Commodoties: NA
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


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 2,140,000 kW capacity; 5,800 million kWh produced, 2,125 kWh per capita (1992)

Electricity consumption

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 176 million rubles, 3-5% of GDP; note - conversion of the military budget into US$ using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

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: 50
Usable: 15
With permanentsurface runways: 11
With runways over 3659 m: 0
With runways 2440-3659 m: 7
With runways 1220-2439 m: 7

Airports with paved runways

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 750 km, refined products 780 km, natural gas 560 km (1992)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 300 km perennially navigable

Merchant marine:

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international:

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: