Compare Burma (2006) - Latvia (2003)

Compare Burma (2006) z Latvia (2003)

	Burma (2006)	Latvia (2003)

Administrative divisions	7 divisions (taing-myar, singular - taing) and 7 states (pyi ne-myar, singular - pyi ne) divisions: Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing, Tanintharyi, Yangon states: Chin State, Kachin State, Kayah State, Kayin State, Mon State, Rakhine State, Shan State	26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities: Aizkraukles Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons, Daugavpils, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons, Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala, Kraslavas Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Liepaja, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons, Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preilu Rajons, Rezekne, Rezeknes Rajons, Riga, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons, Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils, Ventspils Rajons
Age structure	0-14 years: 26.4% (male 6,335,236/female 6,181,216) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 16,011,723/female 16,449,626) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 1,035,853/female 1,368,979) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 15.1% (male 180,976; female 172,988) 15-64 years: 68.9% (male 774,133; female 844,856) 65 years and over: 16% (male 122,850; female 252,981) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane; hardwood; fish and fish products	grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Airports	85 (2006)	38 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 21 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)	total: 22 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 12 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 64 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 32 (2006)	total: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 10 (2002)
Area	total: 678,500 sq km land: 657,740 sq km water: 20,760 sq km	total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Texas	slightly larger than West Virginia
Background	Britain conquered Burma over a period of 62 years (1824-1886) and incorporated it into its Indian Empire. Burma was administered as a province of India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony; independence from the Commonwealth was attained in 1948. Gen. NE WIN dominated the government from 1962 to 1988, first as military ruler, then as self-appointed president, and later as political kingpin. Despite multiparty legislative elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party - the National League for Democracy (NLD) - winning a landslide victory, the ruling junta refused to hand over power. NLD leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG SAN SUU KYI, who was under house arrest from 1989 to 1995 and 2000 to 2002, was imprisoned in May 2003 and subsequently transferred to house arrest, where she remains virtually incommunicado. In November 2005, the junta extended her detention for at least another six months. Her supporters, as well as all those who promote democracy and improved human rights, are routinely harassed or jailed.	After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia continues to revamp its economy for eventual integration into various Western European political and economic institutions and was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.
Birth rate	17.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	8.55 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $473.3 million expenditures: $716.6 million; including capital expenditures of NA (FY04/05 est.)	revenues: $2.4 billion expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
Capital	name: Rangoon (Yangon) geographic coordinates: 16 47 N, 96 10 E time difference: UTC+6.5 (11.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Naypyidaw is being established as a government center	Riga
Climate	tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)	maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline	1,930 km	531 km
Constitution	3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition	the 1991 Constitutional Law, which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms
Country name	conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma note: since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; this decision was not approved by any sitting legislature in Burma, and the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw	conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency	-	Latvian lat (LVL)
Death rate	9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	14.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$6.99 billion (2005 est.)	$3.4 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Shari VILLAROSA embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 379-880, 379-881 FAX: [95] (1) 256-018	chief of mission: Ambassador Brian E. CARLSON embassy: 7 Raina Boulevard, Riga LV-1510 mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 703-6200 FAX: [371] 781-0047
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires MYINT LWIN chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-3344 FAX: [1] (202) 332-4351 consulate(s) general: New York	chief of mission: Ambassador Aivis RONIS chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214 FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785
Disputes - international	over half of Burma's population consists of diverse ethnic groups with substantial numbers of kin beyond its borders; despite continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain with Thailand over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; ethnic Karens flee into Thailand to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops; in 2005 Thailand sheltered about 121,000 Burmese refugees; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric dam on the Salween River near the border; environmentalists in Burma and Thailand continue to voice concern over China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province; India seeks cooperation from Burma to keep Indian Nagaland separatists from hiding in remote Burmese uplands	the Russian Duma refuses to ratify boundary delimitation treaty with Latvia; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights
Economic aid - recipient	$127 million (2001 est.)	$96.2 million (1995)
Economy - overview	Burma, a resource-rich country, suffers from pervasive government controls, inefficient economic policies, and rural poverty. The junta took steps in the early 1990s to liberalize the economy after decades of failure under the "Burmese Way to Socialism," but those efforts stalled, and some of the liberalization measures were rescinded. Burma does not have monetary or fiscal stability, so the economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalances - including inflation, multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese kyat, and a distorted interest rate regime. Most overseas development assistance ceased after the junta began to suppress the democracy movement in 1988 and subsequently refused to honor the results of the 1990 legislative elections. In response to the government of Burma's attack in May 2003 on AUNG SAN SUU KYI and her convoy, the US imposed new economic sanctions against Burma - including a ban on imports of Burmese products and a ban on provision of financial services by US persons. A poor investment climate further slowed the inflow of foreign exchange. The most productive sectors will continue to be in extractive industries, especially oil and gas, mining, and timber. Other areas, such as manufacturing and services, are struggling with inadequate infrastructure, unpredictable import/export policies, deteriorating health and education systems, and corruption. A major banking crisis in 2003 shuttered the country's 20 private banks and disrupted the economy. As of December 2005, the largest private banks operate under tight restrictions limiting the private sector's access to formal credit. Official statistics are inaccurate. Published statistics on foreign trade are greatly understated because of the size of the black market and unofficial border trade - often estimated to be as large as the official economy. Burma's trade with Thailand, China, and India is rising. Though the Burmese government has good economic relations with its neighbors, better investment and business climates and an improved political situation are needed to promote foreign investment, exports, and tourism.	Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the SKELE government's budget stringency and a gradual reorientation of exports toward EU countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. 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. Preparing for EU membership continues as a top foreign policy goal. The current account and internal government deficits remain major concerns, but the government's efforts to increase efficiency in revenue collection may lessen the budget deficit.
Electricity - consumption	6.875 billion kWh (2003)	6.046 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	703 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2004)	2.69 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	7.393 billion kWh (2003)	4.365 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 29.1% hydro: 70.9% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues	deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease	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, and 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
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups	Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%	Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2%
Exchange rates	kyats per US dollar - 5.761 (2005), 5.7459 (2004), 6.0764 (2003), 6.5734 (2002), 6.6841 (2001) note: these are official exchange rates; unofficial exchange rates ranged in 2004 from 815 kyat/US dollar to nearly 970 kyat/US dollar, and by year-end 2005, the unofficial exchange rate was 1,075 kyat/US dollar	lati per US dollar - 0.62 (2002), 0.63 (2001), 0.61 (2000), 0.59 (1999), 0.59 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Sr. Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) head of government: Prime Minister, Gen SOE WIN (since 19 October 2004) cabinet: Cabinet is overseen by the SPDC; military junta, so named 15 November 1997, assumed power 18 September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) elections: none	chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Einars REPSE (since 7 November 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 20 June 2003 (next to be held by June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA reelected president; parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 88 of 94 votes cast
Exports	3,356 bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	clothing, gas, wood products, pulses, beans, fish, rice	wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners	Thailand 44.3%, India 12.3%, China 6.8%, Japan 5% (2005)	UK 21.6%, Sweden 13.1%, Germany 12.5%, US 6.4%, Lithuania 5.9%, Russia 4.6%, Estonia 4.2%, Denmark 4% (2002)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, 14 white five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the seven administrative divisions and seven states	three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $20.99 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 56.4% industry: 8.2% services: 35.3% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 4.5% industry: 26% services: 69.5% (2001)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5.2% (2005 est.)	6.1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	22 00 N, 98 00 E	57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes	most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Heliports	1 (2006)	-
Highways	-	total: 73,202 km paved: 28,256 km unpaved: 44,946 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)	lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
Illicit drugs	remains world's second largest producer of illicit opium (estimated production in 2004 - 292 metric tons, down 40% from 2003 due to eradication efforts and drought; cultivation in 2004 - 30,900 hectares, a 34% decline from 2003); lack of government will to take on major narcotrafficking groups and lack of serious commitment against money laundering continues to hinder the overall antidrug effort; major source of methamphetamine and heroin for regional consumption; currently under Financial Action Task Force countermeasures due to continued failure to address its inadequate money-laundering controls (2005)	transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; money laundering remains a concern despite changes to banking legislation
Imports	49,230 bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	fabric, petroleum products, plastics, machinery, transport equipment, construction materials, crude oil; food products	machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles
Imports - partners	China 28.8%, Thailand 21.8%, Singapore 18.3%, Malaysia 7.6% (2005)	Germany 17.9%, Russia 15.1%, Finland 6.6%, Lithuania 6.4%, Sweden 5.5%, Italy 4.8%, Estonia 4.8% (2002)
Independence	4 January 1948 (from UK)	21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	5.7% (2002 est.)
Industries	agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer; cement; natural gas	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
Infant mortality rate	total: 61.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 72.68 deaths/1,000 live births female: 50.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 14.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.74 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	20.2% (2005 est.)	2% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	41 (2001)
Irrigated land	18,700 sq km (2003)	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.)
Judicial branch	remnants of the British-era legal system are in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive	Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force	27.75 million (2005 est.)	1.1 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 70% industry: 7% services: 23% (2001)	agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 5,876 km border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km	total: 1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Land use	arable land: 14.92% permanent crops: 1.31% other: 83.77% (2005)	arable land: 29.01% permanent crops: 0.48% other: 70.51% (1998 est.)
Languages	Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages	Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Legal system	has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on civil law system
Legislative branch	unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never allowed by junta to convene election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NLD 392 (opposition), SNLD 23 (opposition), NUP 10 (pro-government), other 60	unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 October 2002 (next to be held NA October 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - New Era 23.9%, PCTVL 18.9%, People's Party 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%; seats by party - New Era 26, PCTVL 24, People's Party 21, ZZS 12, First Party 10, LNNK 7
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 60.97 years male: 58.07 years female: 64.03 years (2006 est.)	total population: 69.31 years male: 63.46 years female: 75.45 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85.3% male: 89.2% female: 81.4% (2002)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references	Southeast Asia	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin	continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 34 ships (1000 GRT or over) 402,699 GRT/620,642 DWT by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 20, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 9 (Germany 5, Japan 4) (2006)	total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 52,607 GRT/35,650 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 3 (2002 est.)
Military branches	Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw): Army, Navy, Air Force (2005)	Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, National Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$39 million (FY97)	$87 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	2.1% (FY97)	1.2% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 592,562 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 465,788 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 19,477 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Independence Day, 4 January (1948); Union Day, 12 February (1947)	Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 21 August 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality	noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese	noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian
Natural hazards	destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts	NA
Natural resources	petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	-1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	gas 2,224 km; oil 558 km (2006)	gas 1,097 km; oil 412 km; refined products 421 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	National League for Democracy or NLD [AUNG SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; National Unity Party or NUP (pro-regime) [THA KYAW] (at last report); Shan Nationalities League for Democracy or SNLD [HKUN HTUN OO]; and other smaller parties	Alliance of the Greens and Farmers Union or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS (Farmer's Union); Indulis EMSIS (Green Party)]; CENTER Political Alliance [Juris CELMINS]; First Party of Latvia [Eriks JEKABSONS]; For Fatherland and Freedom or LNNK [Maris GRINBLATS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Janis JURKANS], a coalition of the People's Harmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or LSP, and the Equal Rights Movement; Freedom Party [Ziedonis CEVERS]; Land of Mara [Irena SAPROVSKA]; Latvian Rebirth Party [Andris RUBINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvia's Way Union or LC [Janis NAGLIS]; Light of Latgale or LG [Rihards EIGIMS]; New Era Party [Einars REPSE]; Our Land Party [Ilmars ANCANS]; Party of Latvians [Aivars GARDA]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Progressive Center Party [Inta STAMGUTE]; Russian Party [Mihails GAVRILOVS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]; Social Democratic Welfare Party or SLP [Juris ZURAVLOVS]; United Republican Party of Latvia or LARP [Eriks Andrejs SAULUNS, Janis PUKIS, Sarmite JEGERE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma or NCGUB (self-proclaimed government in exile) ["Prime Minister" Dr. SEIN WIN] consists of individuals, some legitimately elected to the People's Assembly in 1990 (the group fled to a border area and joined insurgents in December 1990 to form parallel government in exile); Kachin Independence Organization or KIO; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; United Wa State Army or UWSA; Union Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (pro-regime, a social and political mass-member organization) [HTAY OO, general secretary]	NA
Population	47,382,633 note: estimates for this country take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2006 est.)	2,348,784 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	25% (2000 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	0.81% (2006 est.)	-0.73% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 1 (2004)	AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	total: 3,955 km narrow gauge: 3,955 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)	total: 2,347 km broad gauge: 2,314 km 1.520-m gauge (270 km electrified) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2002)
Religions	Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%	Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Telephone system	general assessment: barely meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is fair domestic: NA international: country code - 95; satellite earth station - 2, Intelsat (Indian Ocean), and ShinSat	general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use domestic: expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications international: international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Telephones - main lines in use	476,200 (2005)	734,693 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular	183,400 (2005)	401,263 (2000)
Television broadcast stations	2 (2004)	44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands	low plain
Total fertility rate	1.98 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.2 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	5% (2005 est.)	7.6% (2001 est.)
Waterways	12,800 km (2005)	300 km (perennially navigable)

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