Latvia Basic Facts
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Latvia
Capital Riga
Area 63,700 square kilometers / 24,600 square miles
Largest cities (population)
Riga 815,851 (1997 Estimate)
Daugavpils 117,502 (1997 Estimate)
Liepaja 97,278 (1997 Estimate)
Jelgava 70,962 (1997 Estimate)
Jurmala 58,977 (1997 Estimate)
Ventspils 46,564 (1997 Estimate)
Rezekne 41,464 (1997 Estimate)
People
Population 2,326,689 (2000 Estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate -1.07 per cent (2000 Estimate)
Population density
37 persons per square kilometre Estimate
95 persons per square mile Estimate
Urbanization
Per cent urban 74 per cent (1998 Estimate)
Per cent rural 26 per cent (1998 Estimate)
Life expectancy
Total 67.5 years (2000 Estimate)
Female 73.8 years (2000 Estimate)
Male 61.5 years (2000 Estimate)
Infant mortality rate
17 deaths per 1,000 live births (2000 Estimate)
Literacy rate
Total 99.7 per cent (2000)
Female 99.6 per cent (2000)
Male 99.8 per cent (2000)
Ethnic divisions
Latvian 55 per cent
Russian 32 per cent
Belarusian 4 per cent
Ukrainian 3 per cent
Polish 3 per cent
Other or none 3 per cent
Languages
Latvian (official), Russian, Lithuanian
Religions
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Government
Type of government Republic
Independence
6 September 1991 (from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR])
Constitution
In 1993 the Constitution of 15 February 1922 was fully restored
Voting rights Universal at age 18
Membership of international organizations
CE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICFTU, ICPO or Interpol, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT (non-signatory user), ISO (correspondent member), OAS (observer), UN, UNESCO, WHO, WTO
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)
6,396 million (1998)
GDP per capita (US$) 2,610 (1998)
GDP by economic sector
GDP, agriculture 4.7 per cent (1998)
GDP, industry 29.4 per cent (1998)
GDP, services 65.9 per cent (1998)
National budget (US$)
Total revenue 1,794 million (1997)
Total expenditure 1,770 million (1997)
Monetary unit 1 lats, consisting of 100 santimi
Exports
Oil products, timber, ferrous metals, dairy products, furniture, textiles
Imports
Fuels, cars, ferrous metals, chemicals
Major trading partners for exports
Russia, Germany, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Sweden
Major trading partners for imports
Russia, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania
Industries
Highly diversified; dependent on imports for energy, raw materials, and intermediate products; produces buses, vans, trams and railway carriages, synthetic fibres, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles
Agriculture
Products: meat, milk, eggs, grains, sugar beet, potatoes, vegetables; fishing and fish packing
Natural resources
Amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, gypsum, timber
Sources:
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Population, population growth rate, infant mortality, and life expectancy data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 2000; (www.census.gov). Population density data are from the individual country statistical bureaus, and the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center; International database, 2000; (www.census.gov). Largest cities population data and administrative divisions data are from the individual country statistical bureaus. Literacy rate data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database, 2000; (www.unesco.org). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database, 2000; (www.fao.org). Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook, as well as various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, SIL International; (www.sil.org).
Government section
Government, independence, constitution, and voting rights data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sector, and national budget data are from the World Bank database, 2000; (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, exports and imports, natural resources, agriculture, and industries information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook, and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
All this information has been taken from indirect resources.
Note: Due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100 per cent.
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