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Compare Latvia (2007) - Mexico (2003)

Compare Latvia (2007) z Mexico (2003)

 Latvia (2007)Mexico (2003)
 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: 13.6% (male 157,451/female 150,184)


15-64 years: 69.6% (male 764,910/female 808,848)


65 years and over: 16.7% (male 123,952/female 254,465) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 32.3% (male 17,298,964; female 16,617,728)


15-64 years: 63.1% (male 32,217,513; female 33,932,603)


65 years and over: 4.6% (male 2,145,252; female 2,695,931) (2003 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 42 (2007) 1,823 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 21


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 9 (2007)
total: 231


over 3,047 m: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 28


1,524 to 2,437 m: 83


914 to 1,523 m: 82


under 914 m: 27 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 21


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 20 (2007)
total: 1,592


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 69


914 to 1,523 m: 454


under 914 m: 1,067 (2002)
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 The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia 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 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. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections.
Birth rate 9.43 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 21.92 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $7.198 billion


expenditures: $7.255 billion (2006 est.)
revenues: $136 billion


expenditures: $140 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Capital name: Riga


geographic coordinates: 56 57 N, 24 06 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Mexico (Distrito Federal)
Climate maritime; wet, moderate winters varies from tropical to desert
Coastline 531 km 9,330 km
Constitution 15 February 1922; restored to force by the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Latvia adopted by the Supreme Council on 21 August 1991; multiple amendments since 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 - Mexican peso (MXN)
Death rate 13.64 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 4.97 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $22.94 billion (2006 est.) $150 billion (2000 est.)
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 Antonio O. GARZA


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


mailing address: P. O. Box 9000, Brownsville, TX 78520-0900


telephone: [52] (55) 5080-2000


FAX: [52] (55) 5080-2005, 5080-2834


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


consulate(s): Hermosillo, Matamoros, Merida, Nuevo Laredo, Nogales
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Andrejs PILDEGOVICS


chancery: 2306 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 328-2840


FAX: [1] (202) 328-2860
chief of mission: Ambassador Juan Jose BREMER Martino


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), Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Juan (Puerto Rico)


consulate(s): Albuquerque, Brownsville (Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit, Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Indianapolis (Indiana), Las Vegas, McAllen (Texas), Midland (Texas), Omaha, Orlando, Oxnard (California), Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Presidio (Texas), Raleigh, Saint Louis, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Santa Ana (California), Seattle, Tucson, Yuma (Arizona)
Disputes - international Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Latvia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia prolonged regional drought in the border region with the US has strained water-sharing arrangements
Economic aid - recipient $162 million (2004) $1.166 billion (1995)
Economy - overview Latvia's economy experienced average GDP growth of more than 7.0% over the past several years. In 2006 it reached 10.2% real GDP growth. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized, although the state still holds sizable stakes in a few large enterprises. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. The current account deficit - more than 15% of GDP in 2006 - and inflation remain major concerns. Mexico has a free market economy with 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, natural gas distribution, and airports. Income distribution remains highly unequal. Trade with the US and Canada has tripled since the implementation of NAFTA in 1994. Following 6.9% growth in 2000, real GDP fell 0.3% in 2001, recovering to only a plus 1% in 2002, with the US slowdown the principal cause. Mexico implemented free trade agreements with Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and the European Free Trade Area in 2001, putting more than 90% of trade under free trade agreements. Foreign direct investment reached $25 billion in 2001, of which $12.5 billion came from the purchase of Mexico's second-largest bank, Banamex, by Citigroup.
Electricity - consumption 6.09 billion kWh (2005) 186.7 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 707 million kWh (2005) 77 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 2.855 billion kWh (2005) 2.068 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 4.778 billion kWh (2005) 198.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 78.7%


hydro: 14.2%


nuclear: 4.2%


other: 2.9% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Galzina Kalns 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, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010 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, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, 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) mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%, white 9%, other 1%
Exchange rates lati per US dollar - 0.5597 (2006), - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002) Mexican pesos per US dollar - 9.66 (2002), 9.34 (2001), 9.46 (2000), 9.56 (1999), 9.14 (1998)
Executive branch chief of state: President Valdis ZATLERS (since 8 July 2007)


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 elected by Parliament for a four-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 31 May 2007 (next to be held 2011); prime minister appointed by the president


election results: Valdis ZATLERS elected president; parliamentary vote - Valdis ZATLERS 58, Aivars ENDZINS 39
chief of state: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Vicente FOX Quesada (since 1 December 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


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


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2006)


election results: Vicente FOX Quesada elected president; percent of vote - Vicente FOX Quesada (PAN) 42.52%, Francisco LABASTIDA Ochoa (PRI) 36.1%, Cuauhtemoc CARDENAS Solorzano (PRD) 16.64%, other 4.74%
Exports 6,765 bbl/day (2004) 1.881 million bbl/day (2001)
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 Lithuania 14.2%, Estonia 12.3%, Russia 11.5%, Germany 9.8%, UK 7.6%, Sweden 6.3%, Denmark 4.8% (2006) US 82.7%, Canada 5.4%, Japan 1.1% (2002)
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 - $924.4 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.7%


industry: 21.5%


services: 74.8% (2006 est.)
agriculture: 5%


industry: 26%


services: 69% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $8,900 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 11.9% (2006 est.) 0.7% (2002 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 - 2 (2002)
Highways - total: 329,532 km


paved: 108,087 km (including 6,429 km of expressways)


unpaved: 221,445 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 29.1% (2003)
lowest 10%: 1.6%


highest 10%: 41.1% (2001)
Illicit drugs transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs, opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin America, and neighboring Balkan countries; despite improved legislation, vulnerable to money laundering due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; CIS organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds illicit cultivation of opium poppy (cultivation in 2001 - 4,400 hectares; potential heroin production - 7 metric tons) and of cannabis (in 2001 - 4,100 hectares); government eradication efforts have been key in keeping illicit crop levels low; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America; major drug syndicates control majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; growing producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center
Imports 39,190 bbl/day (2004) 374,700 bbl/day (2001)
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 15.5%, Lithuania 12.9%, Russia 8%, Estonia 7.7%, Poland 7.2%, Finland 5.7%, Sweden 5%, Belarus 4.7% (2006) US 70.6%, Germany 3.5%, Japan 2.7% (2002)
Independence 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia) 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
Industrial production growth rate 8.5% (2006 est.) 4.9% (2002 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: 9.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 11.08 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 23.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 26.78 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 20.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.5% (2006 est.) 6.4% (2002 est.)
International organization participation Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO APEC, BCIE, BIS, Caricom (observer), CDB, CE (observer), EBRD, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM (observer), NEA, OAS, OECD, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 51 (2000)
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 (2003)
65,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament); Constitutional Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament) Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (judges are appointed by the president with consent of the Senate)
Labor force 1.136 million (2006 est.) 39.8 million (2000)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 13%


industry: 19%


services: 68% (2005 est.)
agriculture 20%, industry 24%, services 56% (1998)
Land boundaries total: 1,368 km


border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km
total: 4,353 km


border countries: Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km, US 3,141 km
Land use arable land: 28.19%


permanent crops: 0.45%


other: 71.36% (2005)
arable land: 13.2%


permanent crops: 1.1%


other: 85.7% (1998 est.)
Languages Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census) Spanish, various Mayan, Nahuatl, and other regional indigenous languages
Legal system based on civil law system with traces of Socialist legal traditions and practices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction 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 proportional representation from party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 7 October 2006 (next to be held in October 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - TP 19.5%, ZZS 16.7%, JL 16.4%, SC 14.4%; LPP/LC 8.6%; TB/LNNK 7%; PCTVL 6%; seats by party - TP 23, ZZS 18, JL 18, SC 17, LPP/LC 10, TB/LNNK 8, PCTVL 6
bicameral National Congress or Congreso de la Union consists of the Senate or Camara de Senadores (128 seats; 96 are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms, and 32 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 directly elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms; remaining 200 members are allocated on the basis of each party's popular vote, also for three-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 July 2000 for all of the seats (next to be held NA 2006); Chamber of Deputies - last held 6 July 2003 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 60, PAN 46, PRD 15, PVEM 5, PT 1, CD 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PRI 224, PAN 153, PRD 95, other 28
Life expectancy at birth total population: 71.6 years


male: 66.39 years


female: 77.1 years (2007 est.)
total population: 72.3 years


male: 69.26 years


female: 75.49 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.7%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.7% (2000 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.2%


male: 94%


female: 90.5% (2003 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 territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
contiguous zone: 24 NM


continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin


exclusive economic zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 201,684 GRT/221,186 DWT


by type: cargo 9, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 2


foreign-owned: 1 (Estonia 1)


registered in other countries: 122 (Antigua and Barbuda 9, Belize 14, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 1, Dominica 2, Jamaica 2, Liberia 15, Malta 36, Marshall Islands 10, Panama 5, Russia 2, St Kitts and Nevis 4, St Vincent and The Grenadines 20) (2007)
total: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 636,271 GRT/933,686 DWT


ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, combination ore/oil 1, liquefied gas 3, petroleum tanker 26, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 3


note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Canada 2, Denmark 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches Latvian Republic Defense Force: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Spelki), Border Guard, Latvian Home Guard (Latvijas Zemessardze) (2007) National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA) (including Army and Air Force), Navy Secretariat (including Naval Air and Marines)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $4 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.2% (2005 est.) 1% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 27,751,539 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 20,123,970 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age


note: starting in 2000, females were allowed to volunteer for military service (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 1,093,752 (2003 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 was the date Latvia declared itself independent from Soviet Russia; 4 May 1990 is when it declared the renewal of independence; 21 August 1991 was the date of de facto 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 -2.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -2.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006) crude oil 28,200 km; petroleum products 10,150 km; natural gas 13,254 km; petrochemical 1,400 km
Political parties and leaders First Party of Latvia or LPP [Ainars SLESERS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Roberts ZILE, Maris GRINBLATS]; Harmony Center or SC [Janis URBANOVICS, Nils USAKOVS]; Latvian Farmer's Union or LZS [Augusts BRIGMANIS]; Latvian Social Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDSP [Juris BOJARS]; Latvian Socialist Party or LSP [Alfreds RUBIKS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Ivars GODMANIS, Ainars BERZINS]; New Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE, Krisjanis KARINS]; People's Party or TP [Aigars KALVITIS]; The Union of Latvian Greens and Farmers Party or ZZS [Indulis EMSIS] Convergence for Democracy or CD [Dante DELGADO Ranauro]; Institutional Revolutionary Party or PRI [Dulce Maria SAURI Riancho]; Mexican Green Ecological Party or PVEM [Jorge Emilio GONZALEZ Martinez]; National Action Party or PAN [Luis Felipe BRAVO Mena]; Party of the Democratic Revolution or PRD [Amalia GARCIA Medina]; Party of the Nationalist Society or PSN [Gustavo RIOJAS Santana]; Social Alliance Party or PAS [Guillermo CALDERON Dominguez]; Workers Party or PT [Alberto ANAYA Gutierrez]
Political pressure groups and leaders Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV] 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 Union of Workers or UNT; Regional Confederation of Mexican Workers or CROM; Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants or CROC; Roman Catholic Church
Population 2,259,810 (July 2007 est.) 104,907,991 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 40% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate -0.648% (2007 est.) 1.43% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Acapulco, Altamira, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, La Paz, Lazaro Cardenas, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Progreso, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Topolobampo, Tuxpan, Veracruz
Radio broadcast stations AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 851, FM 598, shortwave 16 (2000)
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 (2006)
total: 19,510 km


standard gauge: 19,510 km 1.435-m gauge (2002)
Religions Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox nominally Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 6%, other 5%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.048 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.946 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.487 male(s)/female


total population: 0.862 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female


total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens 18 years of age; universal and compulsory (but not enforced)
Telephone system general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition to the telecommunications sector; the number of fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands


domestic: number of telecommunications operators has grown rapidly since the fixed-line market opened to competition in 2003; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership is roughly 125 per 100 persons


international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden
general assessment: low telephone density with about 12 main lines per 100 persons; privatized in December 1990; the opening to competition in January 1997 improved prospects for development


domestic: adequate telephone service for business and government, but the population is poorly served; domestic satellite system with 120 earth stations; extensive microwave radio relay network; considerable use of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, and mobile cellular service


international: 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), numerous Inmarsat mobile earth stations; linked to Central American Microwave System of trunk connections; high capacity Columbus-2 fiber-optic submarine cable with access to the US, Virgin Islands, Canary Islands, Morocco, Spain, and Italy (1997)
Telephones - main lines in use 657,400 (2006) 12.332 million (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.184 million (2006) 2.02 million (1998)
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 1.28 children born/woman (2007 est.) 2.53 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.5% (2006 est.) urban - 3% plus considerable underemployment (2002)
Waterways 300 km (2006) 2,900 km


note: navigable rivers and coastal canals
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