Compare Faroe Islands (2005) - Latvia (2006)

Compare Faroe Islands (2005) z Latvia (2006)

	Faroe Islands (2005)	Latvia (2006)

Administrative divisions	none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 49 municipalities	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: 21.3% (male 4,997/female 4,999) 15-64 years: 64.9% (male 16,120/female 14,360) 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 2,923/female 3,563) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 14% (male 162,562/female 155,091) 15-64 years: 69.6% (male 769,004/female 815,042) 65 years and over: 16.4% (male 121,646/female 251,390) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	milk, potatoes, vegetables; sheep; salmon, other fish	grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Airports	1 (2004 est.)	46 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)	total: 24 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 13 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 22 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 19 (2006)
Area	total: 1,399 sq km land: 1,399 sq km water: 0 sq km (some lakes and streams)	total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km
Area - comparative	eight times the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than West Virginia
Background	The population of the Faroe Islands is largely descended from Viking settlers who arrived in the 9th century. The islands have been connected politically to Denmark since the 14th century. A high degree of self-government was attained in 1948.	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 joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Birth rate	13.97 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	9.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $488 million expenditures: $484 million, including capital expenditures of $21 million (1999)	revenues: $5.673 billion expenditures: $5.889 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital	Torshavn	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
Climate	mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy	maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline	1,117 km	531 km
Constitution	5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)	15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Faroe Islands local long form: none local short form: Foroyar	conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate	8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	13.66 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$64 million (1999)	$10.8 billion (1 January 2006)
Dependency status	part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1948	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	chief of mission: Ambassador Catherine TODD BAILEY 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] 782-0047
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860
Disputes - international	because anticipated offshore hydrocarbon resources have not been realized, earlier Faroese proposals for full independence have been deferred; Iceland disputes the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line boundary; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm	Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; 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 must implement the strict Schengen border rules
Economic aid - recipient	$135 million (annual subsidy from Denmark) (1998)	$1.2 billion (2004-06)
Economy - overview	The Faroese economy has had a strong performance since 1994, mostly as a result of increasing fish landings and high and stable export prices. Unemployment is minimal and there are signs of labor shortages in several sectors. The positive economic development has helped the Faroese Home Rule Government produce increasing budget surpluses, which in turn has helped to reduce the large public debt, most of it owed to Denmark. However, the total dependence on fishing makes the Faroese economy extremely vulnerable, and the present fishing efforts appear in excess of what is a sustainable level of fishing in the long term. Oil finds close to the Faroese area give hope for deposits in the immediate Faroese area, which may eventually lay the basis for a more diversified economy and thus lessen dependence on Danish economic assistance. Aided by a substantial annual subsidy (15% of GDP) from Denmark, the Faroese have a standard of living not far below the Danes and other Scandinavians.	Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the 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. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - 11.5% of GDP in 2005 - remains a major concern. A growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector.
Electricity - consumption	204.6 million kWh (2002)	5.839 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	38 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	2.7 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	220 million kWh (2002)	3.97 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Slaettaratindur 882 m	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Scandinavian	Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)
Exchange rates	Danish kroner per US dollar - 5.9911 (2004), 6.5877 (2003), 7.8947 (2002), 8.3228 (2001), 8.0831 (2000)	lati per US dollar - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Birgit KLEIS, chief administrative officer (since 1 November 2001) head of government: Prime Minister Joannes EIDESGAARD (since 3 February 2004) cabinet: Landsstyri appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the Faroese Parliament; election last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: Joannes EIDESGAARD elected prime minister; percent of parliamentary vote - NA% note: coalition of Social Democrats, Union Party, and People's Party	chief of state: President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Aigars KALVITIS (since 2 December 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president reelected by Parliament for a four-year term (no term limits); 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	NA	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	fish and fish products 94%, stamps, ships (1999)	wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners	Denmark 33.5%, UK 29.7%, Norway 8.4%, Nigeria 7.2% (2004)	Lithuania 11%, Estonia 10.8%, Germany 10.2%, UK 10.2%, Russia 7.9%, Sweden 7.8%, Denmark 5.3%, Poland 5.3% (2005)
Fiscal year	calendar year	calendar year
Flag description	white with a red cross outlined in blue extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted toward the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)	three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 27% industry: 11% services: 62% (1999)	agriculture: 4% industry: 26.1% services: 69.9% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2001 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	10% (2001 est.)	10.2% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	62 00 N, 7 00 W	57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	archipelago of 17 inhabited islands and one uninhabited island, and a few uninhabited islets; strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic; precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands	most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Highways	total: 463 km paved: 454 km unpaved: 9 km (1999)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.1% (1998)
Illicit drugs	-	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; 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
Imports	NA	47,000 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment 29%, consumer goods 36%, raw materials and semi-manufactures 32%, fuels, fish and salt (1999)	machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles
Imports - partners	Denmark 52.8%, Norway 18.3%, Iceland 4.4%, Sweden 4.2% (2004)	Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 13.6%, Russia 8.6%, Estonia 7.9%, Poland 6.4%, Finland 5.9%, Belarus 5.8%, Sweden 5.1% (2005)
Independence	none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)	21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	8% (1999 est.)	5.6% (2005 est.)
Industries	fishing, fish processing, small ship repair and refurbishment, handicrafts	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: 6.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 7.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 9.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	5.1% (1999)	6.8% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	IMO (associate), NC, NIB, UPU	Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	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 (2003)
Judicial branch	none	Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force	24,250 (October 2000)	1.11 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	fishing, fish processing, and manufacturing 33%, construction and private services 33%, public services 34%	agriculture: 15% industry: 25% services: 60% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 1,368 km border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km
Land use	arable land: 2.14% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.86% (2001)	arable land: 28.19% permanent crops: 0.45% other: 71.36% (2005)
Languages	Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish	Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
Legal system	Danish	based on civil law system
Legislative branch	unicameral Faroese Parliament or Logting (32 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis from the seven constituencies to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 January 2004 (next to be held no later than January 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Union Party 23.7%, Social Democrats 21.8%, Republican Party 21.7%, People's Party 20.6%, Center Party 5.2%, Independence Party 4.6%; seats by party - Union Party 7, Social Democrats 7, Republican Party 8, People's Party 7, Center Party 2, Independence Party 1 note: election of 2 seats to the Danish Parliament was last held on 8 February 2005 (next to be held February 2009); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 1, People's Party 1	unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held October 2010) election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL 16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party - TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.21 years male: 75.77 years female: 82.67 years (2005 est.)	total population: 71.33 years male: 66.08 years female: 76.85 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: probably the same as Denmark proper	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Northern Europe, island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, about one-half of the way from Iceland to Norway	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references	Europe	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm or agreed boundaries or median line	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine	total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 24,051 GRT/11,998 DWT by type: cargo 6, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Denmark 2, Germany 1, Iceland 2, Norway 2, United Kingdom 1) (2005)	total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 250,559 GRT/336,136 DWT by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 105 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Bahamas 1, Belize 6, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 4, Dominica 1, Gibraltar 2, Liberia 14, Malta 40, Marshall Islands 7, Panama 3, Russia 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 18) (2006)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Denmark	-
Military branches	no regular military forces	Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$NA	$87 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	NA	1.2% (FY01)
National holiday	Olaifest (Olavasoka), 29 July	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
Nationality	noun: Faroese (singular and plural) adjective: Faroese	noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian
Natural hazards	NA	NA
Natural resources	fish, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Net migration rate	0.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-2.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	Center Party [Jenis A. RANA]; Independence Party [Kari P. HOJGAARD]; People's Party [Anfinn KALLSBERG]; Republican Party [Hogni HOYDAL]; Social Democratic Party [Joannes EIDESGAARD]; Union Party [Kaj Oeo JOHANNESEN]	First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; Latvian Green Party or ZZS [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS, Raimonds VEJONIS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS]; New Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV]
Population	46,962 (July 2005 est.)	2,274,735 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	Below $2.15 per day (PPP): 3%
Population growth rate	0.62% (2005 est.)	-0.67% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Torshavn	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
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 (2005)
Religions	Evangelical Lutheran	Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Sex ratio	at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.12 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Telephone system	general assessment: good international communications; good domestic facilities domestic: digitalization was completed in 1998; both NMT (analog) and GSM (digital) mobile telephone systems are installed international: country code - 298; satellite earth stations - 1 Orion; 1 fiber-optic submarine cable to the Shetland Islands, linking the Faroe Islands with Denmark and Iceland; fiber-optic submarine cable connection to Canada-Europe cable	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: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom, the incumbent monopoly international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
Telephones - main lines in use	23,000 (2002)	731,000 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	30,700 (2002)	1.872 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations	3 (plus 43 low-power repeaters) (September 1995)	44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast	low plain
Total fertility rate	2.2 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.27 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	1% (October 2000)	7.5% (2005 est.)
Waterways	-	300 km (2005)

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