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Compare Russia (2001) - Latvia (2001)

Compare Russia (2001) z Latvia (2001)

 Russia (2001)Latvia (2001)
 RussiaLatvia
Administrative divisions 49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast), 21 republics* (respublik, singular - respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzhskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva (Moscow)****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutsk)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg (Saint Petersburg)****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya [North Ossetia] (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***, Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*, Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya, Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**, Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name with an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' or Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name

note:
the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetiya were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
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, Leipaja*, 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:
17.41% (male 12,915,026; female 12,405,341)

15-64 years:
69.78% (male 49,183,000; female 52,320,962)

65 years and over:
12.81% (male 5,941,944; female 12,703,924) (2001 est.)
0-14 years:
16.55% (male 201,746; female 193,036)

15-64 years:
68.15% (male 776,509; female 848,908)

65 years and over:
15.3% (male 118,110; female 246,922) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits; beef, milk grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Airports 2,743 (2000 est.) 25 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
471

over 3,047 m:
56

2,438 to 3,047 m:
178

1,524 to 2,437 m:
76

914 to 1,523 m:
69

under 914 m:
92 (2000 est.)
total:
13

2,438 to 3,047 m:
7

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

914 to 1,523 m:
1

under 914 m:
4 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
2,272

over 3,047 m:
28

2,438 to 3,047 m:
118

1,524 to 2,437 m:
204

914 to 1,523 m:
324

under 914 m:
1,598 (2000 est.)
total:
12

2,438 to 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
2

914 to 1,523 m:
2

under 914 m:
7 (2000 est.)
Area total:
17,075,200 sq km

land:
16,995,800 sq km

water:
79,400 sq km
total:
64,589 sq km

land:
64,589 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US slightly larger than West Virginia
Background The defeat of the Russian Empire in World War I led to the seizure of power by the communists and the formation of the USSR. The brutal rule of Josef STALIN (1924-53) strengthened Russian dominance of the Soviet Union at a cost of tens of millions of lives. The Soviet economy and society stagnated in the following decades until General Secretary Mikhail GORBACHEV (1985-91) introduced glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) in an attempt to modernize communism, but his initiatives inadvertently released forces that by December 1991 splintered the USSR into 15 independent republics. Since then, Russia has struggled in its efforts to build a democratic political system and market economy to replace the strict social, political, and economic controls of the communist period. After a brief period of independence between the two World Wars, Latvia was annexed by the USSR in 1940. It reestablished its independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia continues to revamp its economy for eventual integration into various Western European political and economic institutions.
Birth rate 9.35 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 8.03 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues:
$40 billion

expenditures:
$33.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues:
$1.33 billion

expenditures:
$1.27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Capital Moscow Riga
Climate ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline 37,653 km 531 km
Constitution adopted 12 December 1993 the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms
Country name conventional long form:
Russian Federation

conventional short form:
Russia

local long form:
Rossiyskaya Federatsiya

local short form:
Rossiya

former:
Russian Empire, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
conventional long form:
Republic of Latvia

conventional short form:
Latvia

local long form:
Latvijas Republika

local short form:
Latvija

former:
Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency Russian ruble (RUR) Latvian lat (LVL)
Death rate 13.85 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 14.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $163 billion (2000 est.) $800 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador James F. COLLINS

embassy:
Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, 121099 Moscow

mailing address:
APO AE 09721

telephone:
[7] (095) 728-5000

FAX:
[7] (095) 728-5203

consulate(s) general:
Saint Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
chief of mission:
Ambassador James H. HOLMES

embassy:
Raina Boulevard 7, LV-1510, Riga

mailing address:
American Embassy Riga, PSC 78, Box Riga, APO AE 09723

telephone:
[371] 721-0005

FAX:
[371] 782-0047
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Yuriy Viktorovich USHAKOV

chancery:
2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone:
[1] (202) 298-5700, 5701, 5704, 5708

FAX:
[1] (202) 298-5735

consulate(s) general:
New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
chief of mission:
Ambassador Aivis RONIS

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

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

FAX:
[1] (202) 726-6785
Disputes - international dispute over at least two small sections of the boundary with China remains to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996, which has not been signed or ratified by Russia as of February 2001; draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; 1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Russia has not been signed; has not ratified 1998 maritime boundary agreement with Lithuania (primary concern is oil exploration rights)
Economic aid - recipient $8.523 billion (1995) $96.2 million (1995)
Economy - overview A decade after the implosion of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia is still struggling to establish a modern market economy and achieve strong economic growth. In contrast to its trading partners in Central Europe - which were able to overcome the initial production declines that accompanied the launch of market reforms within three to five years - Russia saw its economy contract for five years, as the executive and legislature dithered over the implementation of many of the basic foundations of a market economy. Russia achieved a slight recovery in 1997, but the government's stubborn budget deficits and the country's poor business climate made it vulnerable when the global financial crisis swept through in 1998. The crisis culminated in the August depreciation of the ruble, a debt default by the government, and a sharp deterioration in living standards for most of the population. The economy rebounded in 1999 and 2000, buoyed by the competitive boost from the weak ruble and a surging trade surplus fueled by rising world oil prices. This recovery, along with a renewed government effort in 2000 to advance lagging structural reforms, have raised business and investor confidence over Russia's prospects in its second decade of transition. Yet serious problems persist. Russia remains heavily dependent on exports of commodities, particularly oil, natural gas, metals, and timber, which account for over 80% of exports, leaving the country vulnerable to swings in world prices. Russia's agricultural sector remains beset by uncertainty over land ownership rights, which has discouraged needed investment and restructuring. Another threat is negative demographic trends, fueled by low birth rates and a deteriorating health situation - including an alarming rise in AIDS cases - that have contributed to a nearly 2% drop in the population since 1992. Russia's industrial base is increasingly dilapidated and must be replaced or modernized if the country is to achieve sustainable economic growth. Other problems include widespread corruption, capital flight, and brain drain. In 2000, 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. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999 - the first Baltic state to join - and was invited at the Helsinki EU Summit in December 1999 to begin accession talks in early 2000. Unemployment fell to 7.8% in 2000, down from 9.6% in 1999, and 9.2% in 1998. Privatization of large state-owned utilities and the shipping industry faced more delays in 2000, and political instability will continue to delay completion of the privatization process over the next year. Latvia projects 6% GDP growth, 2.5%-3.0% inflation, and a 1.7% fiscal deficit in 2001. Preparing for EU membership over the next few years remains a top foreign policy goal.
Electricity - consumption 728.2 billion kWh (1999) 4.316 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 20 billion kWh (1999) 400 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 6 billion kWh (1999) 1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 798.065 billion kWh (1999) 3.996 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
66.31%

hydro:
19.79%

nuclear:
13.9%

other:
0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
31.78%

hydro:
68.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Caspian Sea -28 m

highest point:
Gora El'brus 5,633 m
lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point:
Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial, municipal, and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination; ground water contamination from toxic waste air and water pollution because of a lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga and Daugava River heavily polluted; contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and petroleum products at military bases
Environment - international agreements party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
party to:
Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1% Latvian 56.5%, Russian 30.4%, Byelorussian 4.3%, Ukrainian 2.8%, Polish 2.6%, other 3.4%
Exchange rates Russian rubles per US dollar - 28.3592 (January 2001), 28.1292 (2000), 24.6199 (1999), 9.7051 (1998), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996)

note:
the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1 January 1998 rubles
lati per US dollar - 0.614 (January 2001), 0.607 (2000), 0.585 (1999), 0.590 (1998), 0.581 (1997), 0.551 (1996)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN (acting president since 31 December 1999, president since 7 May 2000)

head of government:
Premier Mikhail Mikhaylovich KASYANOV (since 7 May 2000); First Deputy Premier Aleksey Leonidovich KUDRIN (since 18 May 2000), Deputy Premiers Aleksey Vasilyevich GORDEYEV (since 20 May 2000), Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 31 May 1999), Ilya Iosifovich KLEBANOV (since 31 May 1999), Valentina Ivanovna MATVIYENKO (since 22 September 1998)

cabinet:
Ministries of the Government or "Government" composed of the premier and his deputies, ministers, and other agency heads; all are appointed by the president

note:
there is also a Presidential Administration (PA) that provides staff and policy support to the president, drafts presidential decrees, and coordinates policy among government agencies; a Security Council also reports directly to the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 March 2000 (next to be held NA 2004); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma

election results:
Vladimir Vladimirovich PUTIN elected president; percent of vote - PUTIN 52.9%, Gennadiy Aadreyevich ZYUGANOV 29.2%, Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY 5.8%
chief of state:
President Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA (since 8 July 1999)

head of government:
Prime Minister Andris BERZINS (since 5 May 2000)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and appointed by the Parliament

elections:
president elected by Parliament for a four-year term; election last held 17 June 1999 (next to be held by NA June 2003); prime minister appointed by the president

election results:
Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA elected as a compromise candidate in second phase of balloting, second round (after five rounds in first phase failed); percent of parliamentary vote - Vaira VIKE-FREIBERGA 53%, Valdis BIRKAVS 20%, Ingrida UDRE 9%
Exports $105.1 billion (2000 est.) $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners US 8.8%, Germany 8.5%, Ukraine 6.5%, Belarus 5.1%, Italy 5%, Netherlands 4.8% (1999) Germany 16%, UK 11%, Sweden 11%, Russia 7% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP purchasing power parity - $1.12 trillion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
7%

industry:
34%

services:
59% (1999 est.)
agriculture:
5%

industry:
33%

services:
62% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.3% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 60 00 N, 100 00 E 57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture -
Highways total:
952,000 km

paved:
752,000 km (including, in addition to about 336,000 km of conventionally paved roads, about 416,000 km of roads, the surfaces of which have been stabilized with gravel or other coarse aggregates, making them trafficable in wet weather)

unpaved:
200,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1998)
total:
59,178 km

paved:
22,843 km

unpaved:
36,335 km (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
1.7%

highest 10%:
38.7% (1998)
lowest 10%:
2.9%

highest 10%:
25.9% (1998)
Illicit drugs limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium poppy and producer of amphetamine, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to the US, and growing domestic market; major source of heroin precursor chemicals; corruption and organized crime are major concerns; heroin an increasing threat in domestic drug market 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; limited production of illicit amphetamine, ephedrine, and ecstasy for export
Imports $44.2 billion (2000 est.) $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners Germany 13.8%, Belarus 10.7%, Ukraine 8.3%, US 7.9%, Kazakhstan 4.6%, Italy 3.8% (1999) Russia 15%, Germany 10%, Finland 9%, Sweden 7% (1999)
Independence 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 18 November 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 8.8% (2000 est.) 6.3% (2000 est.)
Industries complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts 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, raw materials, and intermediate products
Infant mortality rate 20.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) 15.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 20.6% (2000 est.) 2.7% (2000)
International organization participation APEC, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, G- 8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer), ZC BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 35 (2000) 42 (2000)
Irrigated land 40,000 sq km (1993 est.) 160 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Superior Court of Arbitration; judges for all courts are appointed for life by the Federation Council on the recommendation of the president Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force 66 million (1997) 1.4 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 15%, industry 30%, services 55% (1999 est.) agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries total:
19,961 km

border countries:
Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,485 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km
total:
1,150 km

border countries:
Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Land use arable land:
8%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
4%

forests and woodland:
46%

other:
42% (1993 est.)
arable land:
27%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
13%

forests and woodland:
46%

other:
14% (1993 est.)
Languages Russian, other Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Legal system based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts based on civil law system
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats; as of July 2000, members appointed by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the federal cities of Moscow and Saint Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats; half elected by proportional representation from party lists winning at least 5% of the vote, and half from single-member constituencies; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
State Duma - last held 19 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2003)

election results:
State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - KPRF 24.29%, Unity 23.32%, OVR 13.33%, Union of Right Forces 8.52%, LDPR 5.98%, Yabloko 5.93%; seats by party - KPRF 113, Unity 72, OVR 67, Union of Rightist Forces 29, LDPR 17, Yabloko 21, other 16, independents 106, repeat election required 8, vacant 1
unicameral Parliament or Saeima (100 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held NA October 2002)

election results:
percent of vote by party - People's Party 21%, LC 18%, TSP 14%, TB/LNNK 14%, Social Democrats 13%, New Party 7%; seats by party - People's Party 24, LC 21, TB/LNNK 17, TSP 16, Social Democrats 14, New Party 8
Life expectancy at birth total population:
67.34 years

male:
62.12 years

female:
72.83 years (2001 est.)
total population:
68.7 years

male:
62.8 years

female:
74.9 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
100%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
100%

male:
100%

female:
99% (1989 est.)
Location Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references Asia Europe
Maritime claims continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total:
878 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,314,485 GRT/5,344,958 DWT

ships by type:
barge carrier 1, bulk 20, cargo 543, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 7, container 31, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 35, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 164, refrigerated cargo 24, roll on/roll off 17, short-sea passenger 7

note:
includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Reunion 1 (2000 est.)
total:
8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 27,984 GRT/29,978 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 3 (2000 est.)
Military branches Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Strategic Rocket Forces Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $NA $60 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA% 0.9% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
38,866,147 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
590,784 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
30,337,743 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49:
463,944 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
1,242,778 (2001 est.)
males:
19,114 (2001 est.)
National holiday Russia Day, 12 June (1990) Independence Day, 18 November (1918); note - 18 November 1918 is the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 18 November 1991 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality noun:
Russian(s)

adjective:
Russian
noun:
Latvian(s)

adjective:
Latvian
Natural hazards permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula NA
Natural resources wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber

note:
formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources
minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate 0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (June 1993 est.) crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992)
Political parties and leaders Agrarian Party [Mikhail Ivanovich LAPSHIN]; Communist Party of the Russian Federation or KPRF [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Fatherland-All Russia or OVR [Yuriy Mikhailovich LUZHKOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia or LDPR [Vladimir Volfovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Union of Right Forces [Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS, Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR, Irina Mutsuovna KHAKAMADA, Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV]; Unity [Sergey Kuzhugetovich SHOYGU]; Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]

note:
some 150 political parties, blocs, and movements registered with the Justice Ministry as of the 19 December 1998 deadline to be eligible to participate in the 19 December 1999 Duma elections; of these, 36 political organizations actually qualified to run slates of candidates on the Duma party list ballot, 6 parties cleared the 5% threshold to win a proportional share of the 225 party seats in the Duma, 9 other organizations hold seats in the Duma: Bloc of Nikolayev and Academician Fedorov, Congress of Russian Communities, Movement in Support of the Army, Our Home Is Russia, Party of Pensioners, Power to the People, Russian All-People's Union, Russian Socialist Party, and Spiritual Heritage; primary political blocs include pro-market democrats - (Yabloko Bloc and Union of Right Forces), anti-market and/or ultranationalist (Communist Party of the Russian Federation and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia)
Anticommunist Union or PA [P. MUCENIEKS]; Christian Democrat Union or LKDS [Talavs JUNDZIS]; Christian People's Party or KTP [Uldis AUGSTKALNS]; Democratic Party "Saimnieks" or DPS [Ziedonis CEVERS, chairman]; For Fatherland and Freedom or TB [Maris GRINBLATS], merged with LNNK; For Human Rights in a United Latvia [Janis JURKANS], a coalition of the People's Harmony Party or TSP, the Latvian Socialist Party or LSP, and the Equal Rights Movement; Green Party or LZP [Olegs BATAREVSKI]; Latvian Liberal Party or LLP [J. DANOSS]; Latvian National Conservative Party or LNNK [Andrejs KRASTINS]; Latvian National Democratic Party or LNDP [A. MALINS]; Latvian Social-Democratic Workers Party (Social Democrats) or LSDWU [Juris BOJARS and Janis ADAMSONS, leaders]; Latvian Unity Party or LVP [Alberis KAULS]; Latvia's Way or LC [Andrei PANTELEJEVS]; New Christian Party [Ainars SLESERS]; New Faction [Ingrida UDRE]; "Our Land" or MZ [M. DAMBEKALNE]; Party of Russian Citizens or LKPP [V. SOROCHIN, V. IVANOV]; People's Party [Andris SKELE]; Political Union of Economists or TPA [Edvins KIDE]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 145,470,197 (July 2001 est.) 2,385,231 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line 40% (1999 est.) NA%
Population growth rate -0.35% (2001 est.) -0.81% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Saint Petersburg, Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Radio broadcast stations AM 420, FM 447, shortwave 56 (1998) AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 61.5 million (1997) 1.76 million (1997)
Railways total:
149,000 km

note:
86,000 km are in common carrier service; 63,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use; 40,000 km of the railway in common carrier use are electrified

broad gauge:
149,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1998)
total:
2,412 km

broad gauge:
2,379 km 1.520-m gauge (271 km electrified) (1992)

narrow gauge:
33 km 0.750-m gauge (1994)
Religions Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other 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:
0.94 male(s)/female

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

total population:
0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.85 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal for Latvian citizens
Telephone system general assessment:
the telephone system has undergone significant changes in the 1990s; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed to offer communication services; access to digital lines has improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy; however, a large demand for main line service remains unsatisfied

domestic:
cross-country digital trunk lines run from Saint Petersburg to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures; cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated, inadequate, and low density

international:
Russia is connected internationally by three undersea fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Orbita systems
general assessment:
inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an international capability independent of the Moscow international switch; more facilities are being installed for individual use

domestic:
expansion underway in intercity trunk line connections, rural exchanges, and mobile systems; still many unsatisfied subscriber applications

international:
international connections are now available via cable and a satellite earth station at Riga, enabling direct connections for most calls (1998)
Telephones - main lines in use 30 million (1998) 748,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.5 million (October 2000) 77,100 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 7,306 (1998) 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions low plain
Total fertility rate 1.27 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate 10.5% (2000 est.), plus considerable underemployment 7.8% (2000 est.)
Waterways 95,900 km (total routes in general use)

note:
routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet-95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids-60,400 km; man-made navigable routes-16,900 km (Jan 1994)
300 km (perennially navigable)
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