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Compare Latvia (2004) - Saint Lucia (2008)

Compare Latvia (2004) z Saint Lucia (2008)

 Latvia (2004)Saint Lucia (2008)
 LatviaSaint Lucia
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 11 quarters; Anse-la-Raye, Castries, Choiseul, Dauphin, Dennery, Gros-Islet, Laborie, Micoud, Praslin, Soufriere, Vieux-Fort
Age structure 0-14 years: 15% (male 177,223; female 169,241)


15-64 years: 69.2% (male 772,496; female 823,410)


65 years and over: 15.8% (male 118,035; female 245,901) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 29.4% (male 25,869/female 24,248)


15-64 years: 65.5% (male 55,115/female 56,641)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 3,200/female 5,576) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish bananas, coconuts, vegetables, citrus, root crops, cocoa
Airports 51 (2003 est.) 2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 27


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 16 (2003 est.)
total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 24


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 20 (2003 est.)
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Area total: 64,589 sq km


land: 63,589 sq km


water: 1,000 sq km
total: 616 sq km


land: 606 sq km


water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia 3.5 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 joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. The island, with its fine natural harbor at Castries, was contested between England and France throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries (changing possession 14 times); it was finally ceded to the UK in 1814. Even after the abolition of slavery on its plantations in 1834, Saint Lucia remained an agricultural island, dedicated to producing tropical commodity crops. Self-government was granted in 1967 and independence in 1979.
Birth rate 8.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 19.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.691 billion


expenditures: $3.871 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $141.2 million


expenditures: $146.7 million (2000 est.)
Capital Riga name: Castries


geographic coordinates: 14 01 N, 61 00 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters tropical, moderated by northeast trade winds; dry season January to April, rainy season May to August
Coastline 531 km 158 km
Constitution 15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution 22 February 1979
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: none


conventional short form: Saint Lucia
Currency Latvian lat (LVL) -
Death rate 13.73 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.03 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $6.793 billion (2003 est.) $257 million (2004)
Diplomatic representation from the US 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
the US does not have an embassy in Saint Lucia; the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Saint Lucia
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Maris RIEKSTINS


chancery: 4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011


telephone: [1] (202) 726-8213, 8214


FAX: [1] (202) 726-6785
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonia Merlyn JOHNNY


chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016


telephone: [1] (202) 364-6792 through 6795


FAX: [1] (202) 364-6723


consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
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 joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the eastern Caribbean Sea
Economic aid - recipient $96.2 million (1995) $11.06 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. The island nation has been able to attract foreign business and investment, especially in its offshore banking and tourism industries, with a surge in foreign direct investment in 2006, attributed to the construction of several tourism projects. Tourism is the main source of foreign exchange, with more than 700,000 arrivals in 2005. The manufacturing sector is the most diverse in the Eastern Caribbean area, and the government is trying to revitalize the banana industry. Saint Lucia is vulnerable to a variety of external shocks including declines in European Union banana preferences, volatile tourism receipts, natural disasters, and dependence on foreign oil. High debt servicing obligations constrain the KING administration's ability to respond to adverse external shocks. Economic fundamentals remain solid, even though unemployment needs to be reduced.
Electricity - consumption 6.046 billion kWh (2001) 282.9 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 703 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 2.69 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 4.365 billion kWh (2001) 304.2 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Gimie 950 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 deforestation; soil erosion, particularly in the northern region
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, 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% (2002) black 82.5%, mixed 11.9%, East Indian 2.4%, other or unspecified 3.1% (2001 census)
Exchange rates lati per US dollar - 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001), 0.6065 (2000), 0.5852 (1999) East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.7 (2006), 2.7 (2005), 2.7 (2004), 2.7 (2003)
Executive branch 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; 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Dame Pearlette LOUISY (since September 1997)


head of government: Prime Minister Stephenson KING (since 9 September 2007); note - Sir John COMPTON died in office Friday, 7 September 2007


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Exports NA (2001) 0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs bananas 41%, clothing, cocoa, vegetables, fruits, coconut oil
Exports - partners UK 15.6%, Germany 14.8%, Sweden 10.5%, Lithuania 8.2%, Estonia 6.6%, Denmark 6%, Russia 5.4% (2003) France 69.7%, US 10.2%, UK 8.8% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon blue, with a gold isosceles triangle below a black arrowhead; the upper edges of the arrowhead have a white border
GDP purchasing power parity - $23.9 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 4.5%


industry: 24.5%


services: 70.9% (2003)
agriculture: 5%


industry: 15%


services: 80% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2003 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 7.4% (2003 est.) 5.1% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 57 00 N, 25 00 E 13 53 N, 60 58 W
Geography - note most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east the twin Pitons (Gros Piton and Petit Piton), striking cone-shaped peaks south of Soufriere, are one of the scenic natural highlights of the Caribbean
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%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
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; vulnerable to money laundering despite improved legislation due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies, exchange firms, and the gaming industry; organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds transit point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe
Imports NA (2001) 2,678 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles food 23%, manufactured goods 21%, machinery and transportation equipment 19%, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners Germany 16.1%, Lithuania 9.7%, Russia 8.7%, Finland 7.4%, Estonia 6.4%, Sweden 6.3%, Poland 5.1%, Italy 4.4% (2003) US 21.1%, Trinidad and Tobago 14.9%, Italy 12.3%, France 11.8%, Venezuela 7.2%, UK 6.9%, Netherlands 5.8% (2006)
Independence 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 22 February 1979 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 8% (2003 est.) -8.9% (1997 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 clothing, assembly of electronic components, beverages, corrugated cardboard boxes, tourism; lime processing, coconut processing
Infant mortality rate total: 9.67 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 11.45 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 13.93 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 11.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.9% (2003 est.) 2.9% (2005 est.)
International organization participation Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ACCT, ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OECS, OIF, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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.)
30 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (jurisdiction extends to Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines)
Labor force 1.18 million (2003 est.) 43,800 (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.) agriculture: 21.7%


industry: 24.7%


services: 53.6% (2002 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: 29.67%


permanent crops: 0.47%


other: 69.86% (2001)
arable land: 6.45%


permanent crops: 22.58%


other: 70.97% (2005)
Languages Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other English (official), French patois
Legal system based on civil law system based on English common law
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 Parliament consists of the Senate (11 seats; six members appointed on the advice of the prime minister, three on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and two after consultation with religious, economic, and social groups) and the House of Assembly (17 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 11 December 2006 (next to be held in December 2011)


election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - UWP 50%, SLP 46.9%, other 3.1%; seats by party - UWP 11, SLP 6
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.86 years


male: 65.91 years


female: 76.09 years (2004 est.)
total population: 74.08 years


male: 70.53 years


female: 77.88 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 has ever attended school


total population: 90.1%


male: 89.5%


female: 90.6% (2001 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
Map references Europe Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 53,153 GRT/37,414 DWT


by type: cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger 1


foreign-owned: Germany 1, Greece 1, Ukraine 1


registered in other countries: 96 (2004 est.)
-
Military branches Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) no regular military forces; Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (includes Special Service Unit, Coast Guard) (2007)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $87 million (FY01) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY01) NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 594,596 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 466,659 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 19,209 (2004 est.) -
National holiday 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 Independence Day, 22 February (1979)
Nationality noun: Latvian(s)


adjective: Latvian
noun: Saint Lucian(s)


adjective: Saint Lucian
Natural hazards NA hurricanes and volcanic activity
Natural resources peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land forests, sandy beaches, minerals (pumice), mineral springs, geothermal potential
Net migration rate -2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,097 km; oil 409 km; refined products 415 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Alliance of the Greens and Farmers Union or ZZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS (Farmer's Union); Indulis EMSIS (Green Party)]; First Party of Latvia [Ainars SLESERS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Jakovs PLINERS]; For Our Latvia or ML [Rihards Jablokovs]; Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [Jevgenijs Osiopovs]; Latvian National Front [Aivars GARDA]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Alfred RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way Union or LC; Light of Latgale or LG; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; New Politics Party or JP [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Janis JURKANS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]; Union for the Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; United Social Democratic Welfare Party or SLP [Juris ZURAVLOVS]; United Republican Party of Latvia or LARP National Alliance or NA [George ODLUM]; Saint Lucia Freedom Party or SFP [Martinus FRANCOIS]; Saint Lucia Labor Party or SLP [Kenneth ANTHONY]; Sou Tout Apwe Fete Fini or STAFF [Christopher HUNTE]; United Workers Party or UWP [Sir John COMPTON]
Political pressure groups and leaders Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV] NA
Population 2,306,306 (July 2004 est.) 170,649 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate -0.71% (2004 est.) 1.297% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils -
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)
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 (2003)
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Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Roman Catholic 67.5%, Seventh Day Adventist 8.5%, Pentecostal 5.7%, Rastafarian 2.1%, Anglican 2%, Evangelical 2%, other Christian 5.1%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.5%, none 4.5% (2001 census)
Sex ratio 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 (2004 est.)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.067 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.973 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.574 male(s)/female


total population: 0.974 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens 18 years of age; universal
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: country code - 371; international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
general assessment: adequate system


domestic: system is automatically switched


international: country code - 1-758; the East Caribbean Fiber Optic System (ECFS) and Southern Caribbean fiber optic system (SCF) submarine cables, along with Intelsat from Martinique, carry calls internationally; direct microwave radio relay link with Martinique and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; tropospheric scatter to Barbados
Telephones - main lines in use 653,900 (2003) 51,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,219,600 (2003) 105,700 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) 2 (1 commercial broadcast station and 1 community antenna television or CATV channel) (2003)
Terrain low plain volcanic and mountainous with some broad, fertile valleys
Total fertility rate 1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.) 2.15 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 8.6% (2003 est.) 20% (2003 est.)
Waterways 300 km (2004) -
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