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Compare Tuvalu (2005) - Latvia (2001)

Compare Tuvalu (2005) z Latvia (2001)

 Tuvalu (2005)Latvia (2001)
 TuvaluLatvia
Administrative divisions none 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: 30.8% (male 1,823/female 1,756)


15-64 years: 64.2% (male 3,620/female 3,847)


65 years and over: 5.1% (male 229/female 361) (2005 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 coconuts; fish grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Airports 1 (2004 est.) 25 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways - 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: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 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: 26 sq km


land: 26 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total:
64,589 sq km

land:
64,589 sq km

water:
0 sq km
Area - comparative 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than West Virginia
Background In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years. 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 21.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 8.03 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $22.5 million


expenditures: $11.2 million, including capital expenditures of $4.2 million (2000 est.)
revenues:
$1.33 billion

expenditures:
$1.27 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Capital Funafuti; note - administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet Riga
Climate tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March) maritime; wet, moderate winters
Coastline 24 km 531 km
Constitution 1 October 1978 the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Tuvalu


former: Ellice Islands


note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
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 - Latvian lat (LVL)
Death rate 7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.8 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external NA $800 million (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu 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 Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, New York 10017, telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 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 none 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 $13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US (1999 est.) $96.2 million (1995)
Economy - overview Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17 million to over $35 million in 1999. The US government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%. In 1998, Tuvalu began deriving revenue from use of its area code for "900" lines and in 2000, from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. Royalties from these new technology sources could increase substantially over the next decade. With merchandise exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments. 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 - 4.316 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports - 400 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports - 1 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production - 3.996 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
31.78%

hydro:
68.22%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location 5 m
lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point:
Gaizinkalns 312 m
Environment - current issues since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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 Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4% Latvian 56.5%, Russian 30.4%, Byelorussian 4.3%, Ukrainian 2.8%, Polish 2.6%, other 3.4%
Exchange rates Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)


head of government: Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA (since 11 October 2004)


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


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held 11 October 2004 (next to be held following parliamentary elections in 2006)


election results: Saufatu SOPOANGA resigned parliamentary seat on 27 August 2004 following no-confidence vote on 25 August 2004; succeeded by Deputy Prime Minister Maatia TOAFA in an acting capacity on 27 August 2004; Maatia TOAFA confirmed Prime Minister in a Parliamentary election (8-7 vote) on 11 October 2004
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 $1 million f.o.b. (2002) $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities copra, fish wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Exports - partners Germany 56.5%, Fiji 14.3%, Italy 10.9%, UK 7.7%, Poland 4.9% (2004) Germany 16%, UK 11%, Sweden 11%, Russia 7% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands three horizontal bands of maroon (top), white (half-width), and maroon
GDP - purchasing power parity - $17.3 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture:
5%

industry:
33%

services:
62% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,200 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 S, 178 00 E 57 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon -
Highways total: 8 km


paved: 0 km


unpaved: 8 km (1999 est.)
total:
59,178 km

paved:
22,843 km

unpaved:
36,335 km (1998 est.)
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; limited production of illicit amphetamine, ephedrine, and ecstasy for export
Imports $79 million c.i.f. (2002) $3.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels
Imports - partners Fiji 50.2%, Japan 18.1%, Australia 9.6%, China 8%, New Zealand 5.5% (2004) Russia 15%, Germany 10%, Finland 9%, Sweden 7% (1999)
Independence 1 October 1978 (from UK) 18 November 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 6.3% (2000 est.)
Industries fishing, tourism, copra 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 total: 20.03 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.9 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
15.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 5% (2000 est.) 2.7% (2000)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO 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) - 42 (2000)
Irrigated land NA 160 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction) Supreme Court (judges' appointments are confirmed by Parliament)
Labor force 7,000 (2001 est.) 1.4 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors) agriculture 10%, industry 25%, services 65% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total:
1,150 km

border countries:
Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (2001)
arable land:
27%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
13%

forests and woodland:
46%

other:
14% (1993 est.)
Languages Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui) Latvian or Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Legal system NA based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly (15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 July 2002 (next to be held NA 2006)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
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: 68.01 years


male: 65.79 years


female: 70.33 years (2005 est.)
total population:
68.7 years

male:
62.8 years

female:
74.9 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
100%

male:
100%

female:
99% (1989 est.)
Location Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Map references Oceania Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 54,993 GRT/86,048 DWT


by type: cargo 20, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 16 (China 9, Germany 2, Hong Kong 4, Thailand 1) (2005)
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 no regular military forces; national police force 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:
590,784 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
463,944 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
19,114 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 1 October (1978) 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: Tuvaluan(s)


adjective: Tuvaluan
noun:
Latvian(s)

adjective:
Latvian
Natural hazards severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to changes in sea level NA
Natural resources fish minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992)
Political parties and leaders there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings 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 none NA
Population 11,636 (July 2005 est.) 2,385,231 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 1.47% (2005 est.) -0.81% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Funafuti Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004) AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios - 1.76 million (1997)
Railways - 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 Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6% Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Sex ratio at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 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: serves particular needs for internal communications


domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands


international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite
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 700 (2002) 748,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (2004) 77,100 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 0 (2004) 44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Terrain very low-lying and narrow coral atolls low plain
Total fertility rate 3 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.15 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 7.8% (2000 est.)
Waterways - 300 km (perennially navigable)
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