Compare Qatar (2005) - Latvia (2005)

Compare Qatar (2005) z Latvia (2005)

	Qatar (2005)	Latvia (2005)

Administrative divisions	10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal	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
Age structure	0-14 years: 23.7% (male 104,453/female 100,295) 15-64 years: 72.9% (male 437,118/female 191,830) 65 years and over: 3.4% (male 21,599/female 7,756) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 14.4% (male 169,284/female 161,648) 15-64 years: 69.4% (male 770,839/female 819,309) 65 years and over: 16.1% (male 120,306/female 248,851) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish	grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Airports	4 (2004 est.)	50 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 over 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	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 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut	slightly larger than West Virginia
Background	Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.	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.
Birth rate	15.54 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	9.04 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $10.17 billion expenditures: $7.61 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2004 est.)	revenues: $4.231 billion expenditures: $4.504 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	Doha	Riga
Climate	arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers	maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline	563 km	531 km
Constitution	ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the Emir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005	15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution
Country name	conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar	conventional long form: Republic of Latvia conventional short form: Latvia local long form: Latvijas Republika local short form: Latvija former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate	4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	13.7 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	$18.62 billion (2004 est.)	$7.368 billion (2004 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: [974] 488 4101 FAX: [974] 488 4298	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
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Nasir bin Hamad bin Mubarak al-KHALIFA chancery: 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603 FAX: [1] (202) 237-0061 consulate(s) general: Houston	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
Disputes - international	none	the Latvian-Russian boundary treaty of 1997 remains unsigned and unratified with Russia linking it to better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians and Latvian politicians demanding Russian agreement to a declaration that admits Soviet aggression during the Second World War and other issues; 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
Economic aid - recipient	NA	$96.2 million (1995)
Economy - overview	Oil and gas account for more than 55% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 16 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 14 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total and third largest in the world. Long-term goals feature the development of offshore natural gas reserves to offset the ultimate decline in oil production. In recent years, Qatar has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural gas exports, becoming one of the world's fastest growing and highest per-capita income countries.	Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the 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. EU membership, a top foreign policy goal, came in May 2004. 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. A growing perception that many of Latvia's banks facilitate illicit activity could damage the country's vibrant financial sector.
Electricity - consumption	9.046 billion kWh (2002)	5.829 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	1.1 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	2.7 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	9.727 billion kWh (2002)	4.547 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m	lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities	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
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups	Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%	Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)
Exchange rates	Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2004), 3.64 (2003), 3.64 (2002), 3.64 (2001), 3.64 (2000)	lati per US dollar - 0.5402 (2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002), 0.6279 (2001), 0.6065 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad al-Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, third son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin JASIM bin JABIR al-Thani (since 16 September 2003; also Foreign Minister since 1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATTIYAH (since 16 September 2003; also Energy Minister since NA 1992) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999	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
Exports	NA	NA
Exports - commodities	liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel	wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners	Japan 41.9%, South Korea 15.8%, Singapore 9.1%, India 5.4% (2004)	UK 12.8%, Germany 12%, Sweden 10%, Lithuania 9.1%, Estonia 8%, Russia 6.4%, Denmark 5.4% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side	three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 0.3% industry: 58.2% services: 41.5% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 4.4% industry: 24.8% services: 70.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $11,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	8.7% (2004 est.)	7.6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	25 30 N, 51 15 E	57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note	strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits	most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
Heliports	1 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 1,230 km paved: 1,107 km unpaved: 123 km (1999 est.)	total: 60,472 km paved: 57,206 km unpaved: 3,265 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 25.9% (1998)
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe and Scandinavia and Latin American cocaine and some synthetics from Western Europe to CIS; vulnerable to money laundering despite improved legislation due to nascent enforcement capabilities and comparatively weak regulation of offshore companies and the gaming industry; organized crime (including counterfeiting, corruption, extortion, stolen cars, and prostitution) accounts for most laundered proceeds
Imports	NA	NA
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals	machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles
Imports - partners	France 26.6%, US 9.5%, Saudi Arabia 9.4%, UAE 6.3%, Germany 5.2%, Japan 5.2%, UK 5.1% (2004)	Germany 13.9%, Lithuania 12.2%, Russia 8.7%, Estonia 7%, Finland 6.3%, Sweden 6.1%, Poland 5.4%, Belarus 4.8% (2004)
Independence	3 September 1971 (from UK)	21 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate	10% (2003 est.)	8.5% (2004 est.)
Industries	crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair	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
Infant mortality rate	total: 18.61 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births male: 11.55 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3% (2004 est.)	6% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO	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, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land	130 sq km (1998 est.)	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.)
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal note: under the new judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, were merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, established for appeals	Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force	140,000 (2004 est.)	1.17 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km	total: 1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Land use	arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2001)	arable land: 29.67% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 69.86% (2001)
Languages	Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language	Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
Legal system	discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters	based on civil law system
Legislative branch	unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed) note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which came into force on 8 June 2004, provides for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the amir would appoint the remaining members	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 - JL 23.9%, PCTVL 18.9%, TP 16.7%, ZZS 9.5%, First Party 7.6%, LNNK 5.4%; seats by party - JL 26, PCTVL 24, TP 21, ZZS 12, First Party 10, LNNK 7
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 73.67 years male: 71.15 years female: 76.32 years (2005 est.)	total population: 71.05 years male: 65.78 years female: 76.6 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 89.1% female: 88.6% (2004 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Location	Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references	Middle East	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine	total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 525,051 GRT/772,635 DWT by type: cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 8, liquefied gas 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 6 (Kuwait 6) (2005)	total: 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 53,153 GRT/37,414 DWT by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 1 registered in other countries: 86 (2005)
Military branches	Qatari Amiri Land Force (QALF), Qatari Amiri Navy (QAN), Qatari Amiri Air Force (QAAF)	Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$723 million (FY00)	$87 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	10% (FY00)	1.2% (FY01)
National holiday	Independence Day, 3 September (1971)	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
Nationality	noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari	noun: Latvian(s) adjective: Latvian
Natural hazards	haze, dust storms, sandstorms common	NA
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, fish	peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Net migration rate	15.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1,024 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 702 km; oil/gas/water 41 km (2004)	gas 1,097 km; oil 409 km; refined products 415 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	none	First Party of Latvia or LPP [Juris LUJANS]; For Human Rights in a United Latvia or PCTVL [Tatjana ZDANOKA, Jakovs PLINERS]; For the Fatherland and Freedom/Latvian National Independence Movement or TB/LNNK [Janis STRAUME]; Harmony Center or SC [Sergejs DOLGOPOLOVS]; Latvian Green Party or LZP [Indulis EMSIS, Viesturs SILENIEKS, Raimonds VEJONIS]; 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]; New Democrats or JD [Maris GULBIS]; New Era Party or JL [Einars REPSE]; People's Harmony Party or TSP [Aivars DATAVS]; People's Party or TP [Atis SLAKTERIS]; Social Democratic Union or SDS [Egils BALDZENS]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	Headquarters for the Protection of Russian Schools (SHTAB) [Aleksandr KAZAKOV]
Population	863,051 (July 2005 est.)	2,290,237 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA
Population growth rate	2.61% (2005 est.)	-0.69% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Doha	Riga, Ventspils
Radio broadcast stations	AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
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 (2004)
Religions	Muslim 95%	Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.28 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.78 male(s)/female total population: 1.88 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	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 (2005 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat	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)
Telephones - main lines in use	184,500 (2003)	653,900 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	376,500 (2003)	1,219,600 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus three repeaters) (2001)	44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain	mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel	low plain
Total fertility rate	2.87 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.26 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	2.7% (2001)	8.8% (2004 est.)
Waterways	-	300 km (2004)

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