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Compare Latvia (2003) - Mexico (2008)

Compare Latvia (2003) z Mexico (2008)

 Latvia (2003)Mexico (2008)
 LatviaMexico
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, 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 31 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Colima, Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacan de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro de Arteaga, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz-Llave, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Age structure 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.)
0-14 years: 30.1% (male 16,696,089/female 16,011,563)


15-64 years: 64% (male 33,624,812/female 35,925,372)


65 years and over: 5.9% (male 2,917,563/female 3,525,492) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish corn, wheat, soybeans, rice, beans, cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; beef, poultry, dairy products; wood products
Airports 38 (2002) 1,834 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways 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)
total: 231


over 3,047 m: 12


2,438 to 3,047 m: 29


1,524 to 2,437 m: 84


914 to 1,523 m: 77


under 914 m: 29 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways 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)
total: 1,603


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 63


914 to 1,523 m: 408


under 914 m: 1,131 (2007)
Area total: 64,589 sq km


land: 63,589 sq km


water: 1,000 sq km
total: 1,972,550 sq km


land: 1,923,040 sq km


water: 49,510 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia slightly less than three times the size of Texas
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 and was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002. The site of advanced Amerindian civilizations, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON.
Birth rate 8.55 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 20.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $2.4 billion


expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
revenues: $209.2 billion


expenditures: $209.2 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Riga name: Mexico (Distrito Federal)


geographic coordinates: 19 26 N, 99 08 W


time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October


note: Mexico is divided into three time zones
Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters varies from tropical to desert
Coastline 531 km 9,330 km
Constitution the 1991 Constitutional Law, which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms 5 February 1917
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: United Mexican States


conventional short form: Mexico


local long form: Estados Unidos Mexicanos


local short form: Mexico
Currency Latvian lat (LVL) -
Death rate 14.7 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 4.76 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $3.4 billion (2000 est.) $182 billion (30 June 2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio O. GARZA, Jr.


embassy: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, Distrito Federal


mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-9000


telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000


FAX: [52] (55) 5511-9980


consulate(s) general: Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, Tijuana


consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nogales, Nuevo Laredo
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Arturo SARUKHAN Casamitjana


chancery: 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 728-1600


FAX: [1] (202) 728-1698


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso, Houston, Laredo (Texas), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Nogales (Arizona), Omaha, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Kansas City (Missouri), Laredo (Texas), Las Vegas, Little Rock (Arkansas), McAllen (Texas), New Orleans, Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Paul (Minnesota), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Disputes - international 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 abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; the US has intensified security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across its border with Mexico; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Economic aid - recipient $96.2 million (1995) $189.4 million (2005)
Economy - overview 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. Mexico has a free market economy in the trillion dollar class. It contains a mixture of modern and outmoded industry and agriculture, increasingly dominated by the private sector. Recent administrations have expanded competition in seaports, railroads, telecommunications, electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and airports. Per capita income is one-fourth that of the US; income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Mexico has 12 free trade agreements with over 40 countries including, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, the European Free Trade Area, and Japan, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. In 2007, during his first year in office, the Felipe CALDERON administration was able to garner support from the opposition to successfully pass a pension and a fiscal reform. The administration continues to face many economic challenges including the need to upgrade infrastructure, modernize labor laws, and allow private investment in the energy sector. CALDERON has stated that his top economic priorities remain reducing poverty and creating jobs.
Electricity - consumption 6.046 billion kWh (2001) 183.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 703 million kWh (2001) 1.597 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 2.69 billion kWh (2001) 470.7 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 4.365 billion kWh (2001) 222.4 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 29.1%


hydro: 70.9%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
lowest point: Laguna Salada -10 m


highest point: Volcan Pico de Orizaba 5,700 m
Environment - current issues 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 scarcity of hazardous waste disposal facilities; rural to urban migration; natural fresh water resources scarce and polluted in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast; raw sewage and industrial effluents polluting rivers in urban areas; deforestation; widespread erosion; desertification; deteriorating agricultural lands; serious air and water pollution in the national capital and urban centers along US-Mexico border; land subsidence in Valley of Mexico caused by groundwater depletion


note: the government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues
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
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Exchange rates lati per US dollar - 0.62 (2002), 0.63 (2001), 0.61 (2000), 0.59 (1999), 0.59 (1998) Mexican pesos per US dollar - 10.8 (2007), 10.899 (2006), 10.898 (2005), 11.286 (2004), 10.789 (2003)
Executive branch 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
chief of state: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Felipe de Jesus CALDERON Hinojosa (since 1 December 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president; note - appointment of attorney general requires consent of the Senate


elections: president elected by popular vote for a single six-year term; election last held on 2 July 2006 (next to be held 1 July 2012)


election results: Felipe CALDERON elected president; percent of vote - Felipe CALDERON 35.89%, Andres Manuel LOPEZ OBRADOR 35.31%, Roberto MADRAZO 22.26%, other 6.54%
Exports NA (2001) 2.268 million bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs manufactured goods, oil and oil products, silver, fruits, vegetables, coffee, cotton
Exports - partners UK 21.6%, Sweden 13.1%, Germany 12.5%, US 6.4%, Lithuania 5.9%, Russia 4.6%, Estonia 4.2%, Denmark 4% (2002) US 84.7%, Canada 2.1%, Spain 1.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake in its beak) is centered in the white band
GDP purchasing power parity - $20.99 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 4.5%


industry: 26%


services: 69.5% (2001)
agriculture: 3.9%


industry: 26.3%


services: 69.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2002 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 6.1% (2002 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 57 00 N, 25 00 E 23 00 N, 102 00 W
Geography - note most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east strategic location on southern border of US; corn (maize), one of the world's major grain crops, is thought to have originated in Mexico
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Highways total: 73,202 km


paved: 28,256 km


unpaved: 44,946 km (2000)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
lowest 10%: 1.2%


highest 10%: 37% (2006)
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; money laundering remains a concern despite changes to banking legislation major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2005 amounted to 3,300 hectares yielding a potential production of 8 metric tons of pure heroin, or 17 metric tons of "black tar" heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation decreased 3% to 5,600 hectares in 2005 - just two years after a decade-high cultivation peak in 2003 - and yielded a potential production of 10,100 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements towards the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market
Imports NA (2001) 308,500 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles metalworking machines, steel mill products, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, car parts for assembly, repair parts for motor vehicles, aircraft, and aircraft parts
Imports - partners Germany 17.9%, Russia 15.1%, Finland 6.6%, Lithuania 6.4%, Sweden 5.5%, Italy 4.8%, Estonia 4.8% (2002) US 50.9%, China 9.5%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.2% (2006)
Independence 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 16 September 1810 (declared); 27 September 1821 (recognized by Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 5.7% (2002 est.) 1.2% (2007 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 and raw materials food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel, petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, tourism
Infant mortality rate 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.)
total: 19.63 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.54 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2002 est.) 3.8% (2007)
International organization participation 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 APEC, BCIE, BIS, CAN (observer), Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), CSN (observer), EBRD, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, NAFTA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNITAR, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 41 (2001) -
Irrigated land 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.)
63,200 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Supreme Court of Justice or Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nacion (justices or ministros are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Labor force 1.1 million (2001 est.) 45.38 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.) agriculture: 18%


industry: 24%


services: 58% (2003)
Land boundaries total: 1,150 km


border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
total: 4,353 km


border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Land use arable land: 29.01%


permanent crops: 0.48%


other: 70.51% (1998 est.)
arable land: 12.66%


permanent crops: 1.28%


other: 86.06% (2005)
Languages Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Legal system based on civil law system mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch 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
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 seats are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote) and the Federal Chamber of Deputies or Camara Federal de Diputados (500 seats; 300 members are elected by popular vote; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote; to serve three-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2006 for all of the seats (next to be held 1 July 2012); Chamber of Deputies - last held 2 July 2006 (next to be held 5 July 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 52, PRI 33, PRD 26, PVEM 6, CD 5, PT 5, independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PAN 207, PRD 127, PRI 106, PVEM 17, CD 17, PT 11, other 15
Life expectancy at birth total population: 69.31 years


male: 63.46 years


female: 75.45 years (2003 est.)
total population: 75.63 years


male: 72.84 years


female: 78.56 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.8%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91%


male: 92.4%


female: 89.6% (2004 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, between Belize and the US and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and the US
Map references Europe North America
Maritime claims continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
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
Merchant marine 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.)
total: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 802,128 GRT/1,157,971 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 7, chemical tanker 6, liquefied gas 4, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 5


foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 1, UAE 1)


registered in other countries: 14 (Brazil 1, Honduras 1, Liberia 1, Panama 4, Portugal 1, Spain 3, Venezuela 3) (2007)
Military branches Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, National Guard Secretariat of National Defense (Secretaria de Defensa Nacional, Sedena): Army (Ejercito), Mexican Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, FAM); Secretariat of the Navy (Secretaria de Marina, Semar): Mexican Navy (Armada de Mexico, ARM, includes Naval Air Force (FAN) and Marines) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $87 million (FY01) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY01) 0.5% (2006 est.)
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, 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 Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Nationality noun: Latvian(s)


adjective: Latvian
noun: Mexican(s)


adjective: Mexican
Natural hazards NA tsunamis along the Pacific coast, volcanoes and destructive earthquakes in the center and south, and hurricanes on the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean coasts
Natural resources peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land petroleum, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc, natural gas, timber
Net migration rate -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -4.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,097 km; oil 412 km; refined products 421 km (2003) gas 22,705 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,875 km; oil 8,688 km; oil/gas/water 228 km; refined products 6,520 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders 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] Convergence for Democracy or CD [Luis MALDONADO Venegas]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Beatriz PAREDES]; Labor Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party (Partido Accion Nacional) or PAN [German MARTINEZ Cazares]; New Alliance Party (Partido Nueva Alianza) or PNA [Jorge Antonio KAHWAGI Macari]; Party of the Democratic Revolution (Partido de la Revolucion Democratica) or PRD [Leonel COTA Montano]; Social Democratic and Peasant Alternative Party (Partido Alternativa Socialdemocrata y Campesina) or Alternativa [Alberto BEGNE Guerra]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Broad Progressive Front or FAP; Businessmen's Coordinating Council or CCE; Confederation of Employers of the Mexican Republic or COPARMEX; Confederation of Industrial Chambers or CONCAMIN; Confederation of Mexican Workers or CTM; Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce or CONCANACO; Coordinator for Foreign Trade Business Organizations or COECE; Federation of Unions Providing Goods and Services or FESEBES; National Chamber of Transformation Industries or CANACINTRA; National Peasant Confederation or CNC; National Small Business Chamber or CANACOPE; National Syndicate of Education Workers or SNTE; National Union of Workers or UNT; Popular Assembly of the People of Oaxaca or APPO; Roman Catholic Church
Population 2,348,784 (July 2003 est.) 108,700,891 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 13.8%


note: food-based poverty. Asset based poverty amounted to more than 40% (2006)
Population growth rate -0.73% (2003 est.) 1.153% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils -
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 850, FM 545, shortwave 15 (2003)
Railways 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)
total: 17,665 km


standard gauge: 17,665 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Roman Catholic 76.5%, Protestant 6.3% (Pentecostal 1.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1.1%, other 3.8%), other 0.3%, unspecified 13.8%, none 3.1% (2000 census)
Sex ratio 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.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.043 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.936 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.828 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
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: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; mobile subscribers far outnumber fixed-line subscribers; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable and coaxial cable


domestic: low telephone density with about 18 fixed lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; despite the opening to competition in January 1997, Telmex remains dominant; legal challenges to Telmex's alleged anti-competitive behavior in the mobile and fixed-line markets culminated in a World Trade Organization ruling in 2004 against Mexico prompting some strengthening of the powers granted Mexico's telecom regulator


international: country code - 52; Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Spain, and Italy; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) and the MAYA-1 submarine cable system together provide access to Central America, parts of South America and the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth stations - 32 Intelsat, 2 Solidaridad (giving Mexico improved access to South America, Central America, and much of the US as well as enhancing domestic communications), 1 Panamsat, numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use 734,693 (2000) 19.861 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 401,263 (2000) 57.016 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) 236 (plus repeaters) (1997)
Terrain low plain high, rugged mountains; low coastal plains; high plateaus; desert
Total fertility rate 1.2 children born/woman (2003 est.) 2.39 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 7.6% (2001 est.) 3.7% plus underemployment of perhaps 25% (2007 est.)
Waterways 300 km (perennially navigable) 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)
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