|
| World Fact Book
| Mark H. Solsman
| Documentation Training and Publications, Center for Academic Computing
| mhs108@psu.edu  10/19/93
I
 
_@_Latvia Geography
 
Total area:
    64,100 km2
Land area:
    64,100 km2
Comparative area:
    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:
    the Abrene section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
    to Russia in 1944
Climate:
    maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain:
    low plain
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
Environment:
    heightened levels of air and water pollution because of a lack of waste
    conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga heavily polluted
 
:Latvia People
 
Population:
    2,728,937 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
    15 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    12 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    19 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    65 years male, 75 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    2.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    noun - Latvian(s);adjective - Latvian
Ethnic divisions:
    Latvian 51.8%, Russian 33.8%, Byelorussian 4.5%, Ukrainian 3.4%, Polish
    2.3%, other 4.2%
Religions:
    Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Languages:
    Latvian NA% (official), Lithuanian NA%, Russian NA%, other NA%
Literacy:
    NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write
Labor force:
    1,407,000; industry and construction 41%, agriculture and forestry 16%,
    other 43% (1990)
Organized labor:
    NA
 
:Latvia Government
 
Long-form name:
    Republic of Latvia
Type:
    republic
Capital:
    Riga
Administrative divisions:
    none - all districts are under direct republic jurisdiction
Independence:
    18 November 1918; annexed by the USSR 21 July 1940, the Latvian Soviet
    Socialist Republic declared independence 6 September 1991 from USSR
Constitution:
    April 1978, currently rewriting constitution, but readopted the 1922
    Constitution
Legal system:
    based on civil law system
National holiday:
    Independence Day, 18 November (1918)
Executive branch:
    Prime Minister
Legislative branch:
    unicameral Supreme Council
Judicial branch:
    Supreme Court
Leaders:
  Chief of State:
    Chairman, Supreme Council, Anatolijs GORBUNOVS (since October 1988);
    Chairmen, Andrejs KRASTINS, Valdis BIRKAVS (since NA 1992)
  Head of Government:
    Prime Minister Ivars GODMANIS (since May 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
    Democratic Labor Party of Latvia, Juris BOJARS, chairman; Inter-Front of the
    Working People of Latvia, Igor LOPATIN, chairman; note - Inter-Front was
    banned after the coup; Latvian National Movement for Independence, Eduards
    BERKLAVS, chairman; Latvian Social Democratic Party, Janis DINEVICS,
    chairman; Social Democratic Party of Latvia, Uldis BERZINS, chairman;
    Latvian People's Front, Romualdas RAZUKAS, chairman; Latvian Liberal Party,
    Georg LANSMANIS, chairman
Suffrage:
    universal at age 18
Elections:
  President:
    last held October 1988 (next to be held NA; note - elected by Parliament;
    new elections have not been scheduled; results - percent of vote by party NA
  Supreme Council:
    last held 18 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results - undetermined; seats
    - (234 total) Latvian Communist Party 59, Latvian Democratic Workers Party
    31, Social Democratic Party of Latvia 4, Green Party of Latvia 7, Latvian
    Farmers Union 7, 126 supported by the Latvia Popular Front
  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
Member of:
    CSCE, IAEA, UN
Diplomatic representation:
    Ambassador Dr. Anatol DINBERGS; Chancery at 4325 17th St. NW, Washington, DC
    20011; telephone (202) 726-8213 and 8214
 
:Latvia Government
 
  US:
    Ambassador Ints SILINS; (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone [358]
    (49) 306-067 (cellular), (7) (01-32) 325-968/185; FAX [358] (49) 308-326
    (cellular), (7) (01-32) 220-502
Flag:
    two horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (middle, narrower than other two
    bands) and maroon (bottom)
 
:Latvia 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 ventures, technological support, and trade ties to the West. Because
    of the efficiency of its mostly individual farms, Latvians enjoy a diet that
    is higher in meat, vegetables, and dairy products and lower in grain and
    potatoes than diets in the 12 non-Baltic republics of the USSR. Good
    relations with Russia are threatened by animosity between ethnic Russians
    (34% of the population) and native Latvians.
GDP:
    purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capital NA; real growth rate - 8%
    (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    approximately 200% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
    NA%
Budget:
    revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
Exports:
    $239 million (f.o.b., 1990)
  commodities:
    food 14%, railroad cars 13%, chemicals 12%
  partners:
    Russia 50%, Ukraine 15%, other former Soviet republics 30%, West 5%
Imports:
    $9.0 billion (c.i.f., 1989)
  commodities:
    machinery 35%, petroleum products 13%, chemicals 9%
  partners:
    NA
External debt:
    $650 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
    growth rate 0% (1991)
Electricity:
    1,975,000 kW capacity; 6,500 million kWh produced, 2,381 kWh per capita
    (1990)
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
Agriculture:
    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
Illicit drugs:
    transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to
    Western Europe
 
:Latvia Economy
 
Economic aid:
    US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $NA billion; Western (non-US)
    countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million;
    Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million
Currency:
    as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency but planning early introduction
    of ``lat''
Exchange rates:
    NA
Fiscal year:
    calendar year
 
:Latvia Communications
 
Railroads:
    2,400 km (includes NA km electrified) does not include industrial lines
    (1990)
Highways:
    59,500 km total (1990); 33,000 km hard surfaced 26,500 km earth
Inland waterways:
    300 km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
    crude oil NA km, refined products NA km, natural gas NA km
Ports:
    maritime - Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja; inland - Daugavpils
Merchant marine:
    96 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 917,979 GRT/1,194,666 DWT; includes 14
    cargo, 29 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 9 roll-on/roll-off, 42 petroleum
    tanker
Civil air:
    NA major transport aircraft
Airports:
    NA total, NA usable; NA with permanent-surface runways; NA with runways over
    3,659 m; NA with runways 2,440-3,659 m; NA with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
    broadcast stations - NA; international traffic carried by leased connection
    to the Moscow international gateway switch and the Finnish cellular net
 
:Latvia Defense Forces
 
Branches:
    Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard,
    Russian Forces (Ground, Navy, Air, Air Defense, Border Guard
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18)
    annually
Defense expenditures:
    NA% of GDP; 3-5% of Latvia's budget (1992)
 
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