Latvia

noun:

Latvian(s)

adjective:

Latvian

• Latvian (official) 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, other 0.6% (includes Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian), unspecified 9.4%;
• note - data represent language usually spoken at home (2011 est.)

major-language sample(s):

World Factbook, neaizstājams avots pamata informāciju. (Latvian); The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.82 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.5 male(s)/female

total population:

0.86 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis

• while land, water, and air pollution are evident, Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence;
• improvements have occurred in drinking water quality, sewage treatment, household and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution;
• concerns include nature protection and the management of water resources and the protection of the Baltic Sea

particulate matter emissions:

12.72 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

7 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

1.85 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

68.4% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

-0.68% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

degree of risk:

intermediate (2020)

vectorborne diseases:

tickborne encephalitis

municipal solid waste generated annually:

857,000 tons (2015 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually:

181,941 tons (2015 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

21.2% (2015 est.)

municipal:

94.4 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

25.2 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

61.5 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Latvia

conventional short form:

Latvia

local long form:

Latvijas Republika

local short form:

Latvija

former:

Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (while occupied by the USSR)

etymology:

the name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.)

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

etymology:

• of the several theories explaining the name's origin, the one relating to the city's role in Baltic and North Sea commerce is the most probable;
• the name is likely related to the Latvian word "rija," meaning "warehouse," where the 'j' became a 'g' under the heavy German influence in the city from the late Middle Ages to the early 20th century

• 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia);
• 4 May 1990 (declared from the Soviet Union);
• 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union)

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

history:

• several previous (pre-1991 independence);
• note - following the restoration of independence in 1991, parts of the 1922 constitution were reintroduced 4 May 1990 and fully reintroduced 6 July 1993

amendments:

• proposed by two thirds of Parliament members or by petition of one tenth of qualified voters submitted through the president;
• passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of Parliament in each of three readings;
• amendment of constitutional articles, including national sovereignty, language, the parliamentary electoral system, and constitutional amendment procedures, requires passage in a referendum by majority vote of at least one half of the electorate;
• amended several times, last in 2019

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Latvia

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Egils LEVITS (since 8 July 2019)

head of government:

Prime Minister Krisjanis KARINS (since 23 January 2019)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers nominated by the prime minister, appointed by Parliament

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by Parliament for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 29 May 2019 (next to be held in 2023);
• prime minister appointed by the president, confirmed by Parliament

election results:

• Egils LEVITS elected president;
• Parliament vote - Egils LEVITS 61 votes, Didzis SMITS 24, Juris JANSONS 8;
• Krisjanis KARINS confirmed prime minister 61-39

description:

unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 4-year terms)

elections:

last held on 6 October 2018 (next to be held in October 2022)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - S 19.8%, KPV LV 14.3%, JKP 13.6%, AP! 12%, NA 11%, ZZS 9.9%, JV 6.7%, other 12.7%;
• seats by party - S 23, KPV LV 16, JKP 16, AP! 13, NA 13, ZZS 11, JV 8;
• composition (as of October 2021) - men 71, women 29, percent of women 29%

highest courts:

Supreme Court (consists of the Senate with 36 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

• Development/For! or AP! [Daniels PAVLUTS, Juris PUCE]
• National Alliance "All For Latvia!"-"For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK" or NA [Raivis DZINTARS] New Conservative Party or JKP [Janis BORDANS]
• Social Democratic Party "Harmony" or S [Janis URBANOVICS]
• Union of Greens and Farmers or ZZS [Armands KRAUZE]
• New Unity or JV [Arvils ASERADENS]
• Who Owns the State? or KPV LV (disbanded 2021)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Maris SELGA (since 16 September 2019)

chancery:

2306 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 328-2840

FAX:

[1] (202) 328-2860

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www2.mfa.gov.lv/en/usa

chief of mission:

Ambassador John Leslie CARWILE (since 5 November 2019)

embassy:

1 Samnera Velsa Street (former Remtes), Riga LV-1510

mailing address:

4520 Riga Place, Washington DC 20521-4520

telephone:

[371] 6710-7000

FAX:

[371] 6710-7050

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://lv.usembassy.gov/

• 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; first performed in 1873 while Latvia was a part of Russia; banned during the Soviet occupation from 1940 to 1990

Fitch rating:

A- (2014)

Moody's rating:

A3 (2015)

Standard & Poors rating: A+ (2020)

agriculture:

7.7%

industry:

24.1%

services:

68.1% (2016 est.)

total:

14.9%

male:

14.4%

female:

15.5% (2020 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.2%

highest 10%:

26.3% (2015)

• 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

number of registered air carriers:

3 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 53

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

4,058,762 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

4.01 million mt-km (2018)

total:

1,860 km (2018)

narrow gauge:

34 km 0.750-m gauge (2018)

broad gauge:

1,826 km 1.520-m gauge (2018)

total:

70,244 km (2018)

paved:

15,158 km (2018)

unpaved:

55,086 km (2018)

• the Latvian military's inventory is limited and consists of a mixture of Soviet-era and more modern--mostly second-hand--European and US equipment;
• since 2010, it has received limited amounts of equipment from several European countries, as well as the US (2021)

• 18 years of age for voluntary male and female military service;
• no conscription (abolished 2007);
• under current law, every citizen is entitled to serve in the armed forces for life (2021)

• 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:

• 209,167 (2020);
• 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 Baltic 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