Latvia

total:

0.42 cu km/yr (42%/45%/13%)

per capita:

177.9 cu m/yr (2007)

• 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

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.86 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.48 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis (2013)

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

• several previous (preindependence);
• note - at independence, parts of the 1922 constitution were reinforced and fully reinforced 6 July 1993;
• amended several times, last in 2009 (2009)

chief of state:

President Andris BERZINS (since 8 July 2011)

head of government:

Prime Minister Laimdota STRAUJUMA (since 22 January 2014)

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

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of the Senate with 27 judges and Supreme Court of Chambers with 22 judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by chief justice and confirmed by the Saeima;
• judges serve until age 70, but term can be extended 2 years;
• Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by Saeima members, 2 by Cabinet ministers, and 2 by plenum of Supreme Court;
• all judges confirmed by Saeima majority vote;
• Constitutional Court president and vice president serve in their positions for 3 years;
• all judges serve 10-year terms;
• mandatory retirement at age 70

subordinate courts:

district (city) and regional courts

• 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 [Edmunds DEMITERS]

• Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia [Peteris KRIGERS]
• Employers' Confederation of Latvia [Vitalijs GAVRILOVS]
• Farmers' Parliament [Juris LAZDINS]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Andris RAZANS (since 27 July 2012)

chancery:

2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-2840

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-2860

chief of mission:

Ambassador Mark A. PEKALA (since 10 July 2012)

embassy:

1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga LV-1510

mailing address:

Embassy of the United States of America, 1 Samnera Velsa St, Riga, LV-1510, Latvia

telephone:

[371] 6710-7000

FAX:

[371] 6710-7050

• 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

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

agriculture:

8.8%

industry:

24%

services:

67.2% (2010 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.7%

highest 10%:

27.6% (2008)

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: 68

broad gauge:

2,206 km 1.520-m gauge

narrow gauge:

33 km 0.750-m gauge (2008)

total:

72,440 km

country comparison to the world: 64

paved:

14,707 km

unpaved:

57,733 km (2013)

• 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service;
• no conscription;
• under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2012)

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

stateless persons:

• 280,759 (2012);
• note - individuals who were Latvian citizens prior to the 1940 Soviet occupation and their descendants were recognized as Latvian citizens when the country's independence was restored in 1991;
• citizens of the former Soviet Union residing in Latvia who have neither Latvian nor other citizenship are considered non-citizens (officially there is no statelessness in Latvia) and are entitled to non-citizen passports;
• children born after Latvian independence to stateless parents are entitled to Latvian citizenship upon their parents' request;
• non-citizens cannot vote or hold certain government jobs and are exempt from military service but can travel visa-free in the EU under the Schengen accord like Latvian citizens;
• non-citizens can obtain naturalization if they have been permanent residents of Latvia for at least five years, pass tests in Latvian language and history, and know the words of the Latvian national anthem

• 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