Facts about the country Latvia

LATVIA

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	Capital Riga Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania Geographic coordinates 57 00 N, 25 00 E Area total: 64,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km land: 63,589 sq km Land boundaries total: 1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km Coastline 531 km Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters Terrain low plain Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m Natural resources peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land Land use arable land: 29.01% permanent crops: 0.48% other: 70.51% (1998 est.) Irrigated land 200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (1998 est.) Irrigated land 200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (1998 est.) Natural hazards N/A


	Population 2,259,810 (July 2007 est.) Age structure 0-14 years: 13.6% (male 157,451/female 150,184) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 764,910/female 808,848) 65 years and over: 16.7% (male 123,952/female 254,465) (2007 est.) Median age total: 39.6 years male: 36.6 years female: 42.7 years (2007 est.) Population growth rate -0.648% (2007 est.) Birth rate 9.43 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) Death rate 13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) Net migration rate -2.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.946 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.487 male(s)/female total population: 0.862 male(s)/female (2007 est.) Infant mortality rate total: 9.16 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.6 years male: 66.39 years female: 77.1 years (2007 est.) Total fertility rate 1.28 children born/woman (2007 est.) Nationality noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian Ethnic groups Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002) Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Languages Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2000 census)


	Country name conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic local long form: Latvijas Republika Government type parliamentary democracy Independence 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 is the date of de facto independence from the Soviet Union Constitution the 1991 Constitutional Law, which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms Legal system based on civil law system Suffrage 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens Flag description three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon


	Latvia's economy experienced average GDP growth of more than 7.0% over the past several years. In 2006 it reached 10.2% real GDP growth. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - more than 15% of GDP in 2006 - and inflation remain major concerns. Currency Latvian lat (LVL) Industries buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; note - dependent on imports for energy and raw materials Exports - commodities wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles


	Telephones - main lines in use 657,400 (2006) Telephones - mobile cellular 2.184 million (2006) Telephone system general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands domestic: 3 wireless service providers including Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) Internet country code .lv Internet hosts 234,014 (2007) Internet users 1.071 million (2006)


	Railways total: 2,303 km broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2006) Highways total: 69,532 km paved: 69,532 km (2004) Waterways 300 km (perennially navigable) Pipelines gas 1,097 km; oil 412 km; refined products 421 km (2003) Ports and harbors Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils Airports 42 (2007) Airports - with paved runways 21 Airports - with unpaved runways 21 (Facts from the CIA Factbook)

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