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Compare Latvia (2001) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)
Compare Latvia (2001) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2007)
| Latvia (2001) | British Indian Ocean Territory (2007) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 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, Leipaja*, 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:
16.55% (male 201,746; female 193,036) 15-64 years: 68.15% (male 776,509; female 848,908) 65 years and over: 15.3% (male 118,110; female 246,922) (2001 est.) |
- |
| Agriculture - products | grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish | - |
| Airports | 25 (2000 est.) | 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total:
13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 7 (2000 est.) |
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| Area | total:
64,589 sq km land: 64,589 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 54,400 sq km
land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than West Virginia | land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC |
| Background | 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. | Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia. |
| Birth rate | 8.03 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Budget | revenues:
$1.33 billion expenditures: $1.27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.) |
- |
| Capital | Riga | - |
| Climate | maritime; wet, moderate winters | tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds |
| Coastline | 531 km | 698 km |
| Constitution | the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms | - |
| Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT |
| Currency | Latvian lat (LVL) | - |
| Death rate | 14.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Debt - external | $800 million (2000 est.) | - |
| Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador James H. HOLMES embassy: Raina Boulevard 7, LV-1510, Riga mailing address: American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723 telephone: [371] 721-0005 FAX: [371] 782-0047 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | 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 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
| Disputes - international | draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Russia has not been signed; has not ratified 1998 maritime boundary agreement with Lithuania (primary concern is oil exploration rights) | Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain |
| Economic aid - recipient | $96.2 million (1995) | - |
| Economy - overview | In 2000, 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. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999 - the first Baltic state to join - and was invited at the Helsinki EU Summit in December 1999 to begin accession talks in early 2000. Unemployment fell to 7.8% in 2000, down from 9.6% in 1999, and 9.2% in 1998. Privatization of large state-owned utilities and the shipping industry faced more delays in 2000, and political instability will continue to delay completion of the privatization process over the next year. Latvia projects 6% GDP growth, 2.5%-3.0% inflation, and a 1.7% fiscal deficit in 2001. Preparing for EU membership over the next few years remains a top foreign policy goal. | All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps. |
| Electricity - consumption | 4.316 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh |
| Electricity - exports | 400 million kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 1 billion kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production | 3.996 billion kWh (1999) | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
31.78% hydro: 68.22% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m |
| Environment - current issues | air and water pollution because of a lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga and Daugava River heavily polluted; contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and petroleum products at military bases | NA |
| Environment - international 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 |
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| Ethnic groups | Latvian 56.5%, Russian 30.4%, Byelorussian 4.3%, Ukrainian 2.8%, Polish 2.6%, other 3.4% | - |
| Exchange rates | lati per US dollar - 0.614 (January 2001), 0.607 (2000), 0.585 (1999), 0.590 (1998), 0.581 (1997), 0.551 (1996) | - |
| Executive branch | chief of state:
President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Andris BERZINS (since 5 May 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 17 June 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2003); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA elected as a compromise candidate in second phase of balloting, second round (after five rounds in first phase failed); percent of parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 53%, Valdis BIRKAVS 20%, Ingrida UDRE 9% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch |
| Exports | $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | - |
| Exports - commodities | wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs | - |
| Exports - partners | Germany 16%, UK 11%, Sweden 11%, Russia 7% (1999) | - |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | - |
| Flag description | three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon | white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
5% industry: 33% services: 62% (1999) |
- |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - real growth rate | 5.5% (2000 est.) | - |
| Geographic coordinates | 57 00 N, 25 00 E | 6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E |
| Geography - note | - | archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility |
| Highways | total:
59,178 km paved: 22,843 km unpaved: 36,335 km (1998 est.) |
- |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (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; limited production of illicit amphetamine, ephedrine, and ecstasy for export | - |
| Imports | $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | - |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels | - |
| Imports - partners | Russia 15%, Germany 10%, Finland 9%, Sweden 7% (1999) | - |
| Independence | 18 November 1991 (from Soviet Union) | - |
| Industrial production growth rate | 6.3% (2000 est.) | - |
| Industries | 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, raw materials, and intermediate products | - |
| Infant mortality rate | 15.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | - |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.7% (2000) | - |
| International organization participation | BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO | - |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 42 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | 160 sq km (1993 est.) | 0 sq km |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) | - |
| Labor force | 1.4 million (2000 est.) | - |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (2000 est.) | - |
| Land boundaries | total:
1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land:
27% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 13% forests and woodland: 46% other: 14% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
| Languages | Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other | - |
| Legal system | based on civil law system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply |
| Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - People's Party 21%, LC 18%, TSP 14%, TB/LNNK 14%, Social Democrats 13%, New Party 7%; seats by party - People's Party 24, LC 21, TB/LNNK 17, TSP 16, Social Democrats 14, New Party 8 |
- |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.7 years male: 62.8 years female: 74.9 years (2001 est.) |
- |
| Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 99% (1989 est.) |
- |
| Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania | archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia |
| Map references | Europe | Political Map of the World |
| Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | total:
8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,984 GRT/29,978 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 3 (2000 est.) |
- |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 |
| Military branches | Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $60 million (FY99) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 0.9% (FY99) | - |
| Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
590,784 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
463,944 (2001 est.) |
- |
| Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
19,114 (2001 est.) |
- |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 18 November 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union | - |
| Nationality | noun:
Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian |
- |
| Natural hazards | NA | NA |
| Natural resources | minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, arable land | coconuts, fish, sugarcane |
| Net migration rate | -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | - |
| Pipelines | crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Anticommunist Union or PA [P. MUCENIEKS]; Christian Democrat Union or LKDS [Talavs JUNDZIS]; Christian People's Party or KTP [Uldis AUGSTKALNS]; Democratic Party "Saimnieks" or DPS [Ziedonis CEVERS, chairman]; For Fatherland and Freedom or TB [Maris GRINBLATS], merged with LNNK; For Human Rights in a United Latvia [Janis JURKANS], a coalition of the People's Harmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or LSP, and the Equal Rights Movement; Green Party or LZP [Olegs BATAREVSKI]; Latvian Liberal Party or LLP [J. DANOSS]; Latvian National Conservative Party or LNNK [Andrejs KRASTINS]; Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [A. MALINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDWU [Juris BOJARS and Janis ADAMSONS, leaders]; Latvian Unity Party or LVP [Alberis KAULS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Andrei PANTELEJEVS]; New Christian Party [Ainars SLESERS]; New Faction [Ingrida UDRE]; "Our Land" or MZ [M. DAMBEKALNE]; Party of Russian Citizens or LKPP [V. SOROCHIN, V. IVANOV]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Political Union of Economists or TPA [Edvins KIDE] | - |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | - |
| Population | 2,385,231 (July 2001 est.) | no indigenous inhabitants
note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
| Population growth rate | -0.81% (2001 est.) | - |
| Ports and harbors | Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils | - |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) |
| Radios | 1.76 million (1997) | - |
| Railways | total:
2,412 km broad gauge: 2,379 km 1.520-m gauge (271 km electrified) (1992) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (1994) |
- |
| Religions | Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox | - |
| Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens | - |
| Telephone system | 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) |
general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available
domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 748,000 (1997) | NA |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 77,100 (1997) | - |
| Television broadcast stations | 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) | 1 (1997) |
| Terrain | low plain | flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.) | - |
| Unemployment rate | 7.8% (2000 est.) | - |
| Waterways | 300 km (perennially navigable) | - |
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