Latvia

total:

0.25 cu km/yr (55%/33%/12%)

per capita:

108 cu m/yr (2003)

• Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence;
• the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution;
• in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

party to:

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Latvian(s)

adjective:

Latvian

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.48 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate

food or waterborne diseases:

bacterial diarrhea

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis (2009)

conventional long form:

Republic of Latvia

conventional short form:

Latvia

local long form:

Latvijas Republika

local short form:

Latvija

former:

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic

name:

Riga

geographic coordinates:

56 57 N, 24 06 E

time difference:

UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• Independence Day, 18 November (1918);
• note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia declared independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood;
• 4 May 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

• 15 February 1922;
• restored to force by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council 21 August 1991;
• multiple amendments since

chief of state:

President Andris BERZINS (since 8 July 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Valdis DOMBROVSKIS (since 12 March 2009)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by Parliament; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 2 June 2011 (next to be held in 2015);
• prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by Parliament

election results:

Andris BERZINS elected president; parliamentary vote - Andris BERZINS 53, Valdis ZATLERS 41

• Union of Greens and Farmers or ZZS [Raimonds VEJONIS];
• Harmony Center or SC [Nils USAKOVS];
• National Alliance "All For Latvia!"-"For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" or NA [Gaidis BERZINS, Raivis DZINTARS];
• Unity [Solvita ABOLTINA];
• Reform Party or RP [Valdis ZATLERS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Andris RAZANS

chancery:

2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-2840

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-2860

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mark PEKALA

embassy:

1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga LV-1510

mailing address:

Embassy of the United States of America, 1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga, LV-510, Latvia

telephone:

[371] 6710-7000

FAX:

[371] 6710-7001

• three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon;
• the flag is one of the older banners in the world;
• a medieval chronicle mentions a red standard with a white stripe being used by Latvian tribes in about 1280

name:

"Dievs, sveti Latviju!" (God Bless Latvia)

lyrics/music:

Karlis BAUMANIS

note: adopted 1920, restored 1990; the song was first performed in 1873 while Latvia was a part of Russia; the anthem was banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990

agriculture:

8.8%

industry:

24%

services:

67.2% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7%

highest 10%:

27.6% (2008)

• grain, rapeseed, potatoes, vegetables;
• pork, poultry, milk, eggs;
• fish

general assessment:

• recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector;
• the number of fixed lines is decreasing as mobile-cellular telephone service expands

domestic:

• number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003;
• combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership roughly 150 per 100 persons

international:

country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden (2008)

• several national and regional commercial TV stations are foreign-owned, 2 national TV stations are publicly-owned;
• system supplemented by privately-owned regional and local TV stations;
• cable and satellite multi-channel TV services with domestic and foreign broadcasts available;
• publicly-owned broadcaster operates 4 radio networks with dozens of stations throughout the country;
• dozens of private broadcasters also operate radio stations (2007)

total:

2,239 km

country comparison to the world: 67

broad gauge:

2,206 km 1.520-m gauge

narrow gauge:

33 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)

total:

73,074 km

country comparison to the world: 63

paved:

14,459 km

unpaved:

58,615 km (2010)

• 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service;
• conscription abolished January 2007;
• under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2009)

males age 16-49:

546,090

females age 16-49:

540,810 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

401,691

females age 16-49:

447,638 (2010 est.)

male:

10,482

female:

9,858 (2010 est.)

• Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia;
• boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania;
• the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights;
• as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia has implemented the strict Schengen border rules with Russia

• transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, and neighboring Balkan countries;
• despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry;
• CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds