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Compare Latvia (2004) - Turkey (2004)

Compare Latvia (2004) z Turkey (2004)

 Latvia (2004)Turkey (2004)
 LatviaTurkey
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 81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
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: 26.6% (male 9,328,108; female 8,990,742)


15-64 years: 66.8% (male 23,394,465; female 22,650,532)


65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,078,881; female 2,451,190) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock
Airports 51 (2003 est.) 120 (2003 est.)
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: 87


over 3,047 m: 16


2,438 to 3,047 m: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 20


914 to 1,523 m: 17


under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
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.)
total: 32


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 8


under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)
Area total: 64,589 sq km


land: 63,589 sq km


water: 1,000 sq km
total: 780,580 sq km


land: 770,760 sq km


water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia slightly larger than 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 joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives, but after the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to begin accession membership talks with the European Union.
Birth rate 8.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 17.22 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.691 billion


expenditures: $3.871 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
revenues: $66.79 billion


expenditures: $93.31 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Capital Riga Ankara
Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Coastline 531 km 7,200 km
Constitution 15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution 7 November 1982
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: Republic of Turkey


conventional short form: Turkey


local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti


local short form: Turkiye
Currency Latvian lat (LVL) Turkish lira (TRL)
Death rate 13.73 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $6.793 billion (2003 est.) $147.3 billion (2003)
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
chief of mission: Ambassador Eric S. EDELMAN


embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara


mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823


telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555


FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019


consulate(s) general: Istanbul


consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
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 Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU


chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and 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 complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question remains with Greece; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Economic aid - recipient $96.2 million (1995) ODA, $300 million (2000)
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. Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2001 still accounted for 40% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electonics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Meanwhile, the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which accounted for more than 40% of central government spending in 2003. Inflation, in recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 11.3% in 2004. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. Results in 2002-04 improved, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. A major political and economic issue over the next decade is whether or not Turkey will become a member of the EU.
Electricity - consumption 6.046 billion kWh (2001) 112.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 703 million kWh (2001) 433 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 2.69 billion kWh (2001) 4.579 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 4.365 billion kWh (2001) 116.6 billion kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


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


highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 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 water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
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: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002) Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
Exchange rates lati per US dollar - 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001), 0.6065 (2000), 0.5852 (1999) Turkish liras per US dollar - NA (2003), 1,507,230 (2002), 1,225,590 (2001), 625,218 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 151,865 (1997)
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: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)


head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister


elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament


election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%


note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third ballot
Exports NA (2001) 46,110 bbl/day (2001)
Exports - commodities wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners UK 15.6%, Germany 14.8%, Sweden 10.5%, Lithuania 8.2%, Estonia 6.6%, Denmark 6%, Russia 5.4% (2003) Germany 15.8%, US 8%, UK 7.8%, Italy 6.8%, France 6% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening
GDP purchasing power parity - $23.9 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $458.2 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 4.5%


industry: 24.5%


services: 70.9% (2003)
agriculture: 11.7%


industry: 29.8%


services: 58.5% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $10,200 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 7.4% (2003 est.) 5.8% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 57 00 N, 25 00 E 39 00 N, 35 00 E
Geography - note most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country
Heliports - 14 (2003 est.)
Highways total: 73,202 km


paved: 28,256 km


unpaved: 44,946 km (2000)
total: 385,960 km


paved: 131,226 km (including 1,749 km of expressways)


unpaved: 254,734 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
lowest 10%: 2.3%


highest 10%: 32.3% (1994)
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 key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and - to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate
Imports NA (2001) 616,500 bbl/day (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
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) Germany 13.6%, Italy 7.9%, Russia 7.8%, France 6%, UK 5%, US 5%, Switzerland 4.3% (2003)
Independence 21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate 8% (2003 est.) 8.5% (2003 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 textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
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: 42.62 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 38.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2.9% (2003 est.) 25.3% (2003 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 AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
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.)
42,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Labor force 1.18 million (2003 est.) 23.79 million


note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.) agriculture 39.7%, industry 22.4%, services 37.9% (3rd quarter, 2001)
Land boundaries total: 1,150 km


border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
total: 2,648 km


border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Land use arable land: 29.67%


permanent crops: 0.47%


other: 69.86% (2001)
arable land: 30.93%


permanent crops: 3.31%


other: 65.76% (2001)
Languages Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
Legal system based on civil law system civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights
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
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); note - a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister on 14 March 2003


election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%, DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; seats by party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as of 1 December 2004 - AKP 368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5, vacant 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 70.86 years


male: 65.91 years


female: 76.09 years (2004 est.)
total population: 72.08 years


male: 69.68 years


female: 74.61 years (2004 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: 86.5%


male: 94.3%


female: 78.7% (2003 est.)
Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Map references Europe Middle East
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea


exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR
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.)
total: 508 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,666,895 GRT/7,311,504 DWT


by type: bulk 111, cargo 229, chemical tanker 46, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 2, container 34, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea/passenger 8, specialized tanker 3


foreign-owned: Belize 1, Cambodia 1, China 1, Cyprus 4, Greece 1, Italy 3, Liberia 1, Monaco 1, Switzerland 1, Thailand 1, United Kingdom 9


registered in other countries: 243 (2004 est.)
Military branches Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze) Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces Command (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard Command, Gendarmerie (Jandarma)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $87 million (FY01) $12.155 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (FY01) 5.3% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 594,596 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 19,828,702 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 466,659 (2004 est.) males age 15-49: 11,965,262 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 19,209 (2004 est.) males: 680,673 (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 Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Nationality noun: Latvian(s)


adjective: Latvian
noun: Turk(s)


adjective: Turkish
Natural hazards NA very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Natural resources peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate -2.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,097 km; oil 409 km; refined products 415 km (2004) gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 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 Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Emin SIRIN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [leader NA]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican People's Party or CHP (includes the New Turkey Party) [Deniz BAYKAL]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBEKAN]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR]


note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV] Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
Population 2,306,306 (July 2004 est.) 68,893,918 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 18% (2001)
Population growth rate -0.71% (2004 est.) 1.13% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)
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)
total: 8,671 km


standard gauge: 8,671 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2003)
Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female


total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 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: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion, especially with cellular telephones


domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile cellular telephone service is growing rapidly


international: country code - 90; international service is provided by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Telephones - main lines in use 653,900 (2003) 18,916,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,219,600 (2003) 27,887,500 (2003)
Television broadcast stations 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995) 635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain low plain high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Total fertility rate 1.25 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.98 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 8.6% (2003 est.) 10.5% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2003 est.)
Waterways 300 km (2004) 1,200 km (2003)
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