Country Facts - Latvia

The People

Ethnic Composition

Latvian	57.7%
Russian	29.6%
Belarusian	4.1%
Ukrainian	2.7%
Polish	2.5%
Lithuanian	1.4%
Other	2%

Religious Composition

Lutheran	55%
Roman Catholic	24%
Russian Orthodox	20%
Other and nonaffiliated	1%

Ethnic Composition

Latvian	51.8%
Russian	33.8%
Other Slavic	14.4%

Religious Composition

Lutheran	55%
Roman Catholic	24%
Russian Orthodox	20%
Other and nonaffiliated	1%

Nationality

Latvian(s)

Languages Spoken

Latvian (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other

Education and Literacy

Education is compulsory until age 16 years of age. Adult literacy is 99.8 percent nationwide.

Labor Force

Total: 1.1 million (2001)
By occupation:

Services	60%
Industry	25%
Agriculture	15%

Geography

Land Mass Total

24,937 sq mi (64,589 sq km)

Land

24,551 sq mi (63,589 sq km)

Water

386 sq mi (1,000 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 714 mi (1,150 km)
Border countries: Belarus 87 mi (141 km), Estonia 210 mi (339 km), Lithuania 281 mi (453 km), Russia 134 mi (217 km)

Coastline

329 mi (531 km)

Maritime claim

Continental shelf: 656 ft (200 m) depth or to the depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Maritime; wet, moderate winters.

Terrain

Low plains.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Baltic Sea 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Gaizinkalns 1,023 ft (312 m)

Natural Resources

Peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, wood, arable land, minimal; amber

Land use

Arable land	29%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	71%

(1998)

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, and 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.

Geography Note

Most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east.

Demographics

Population

2,366,515 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	15.8%	Male: 191,116	Female: 182,692
15-64 years:	68.6%	Male: 775,481	Female: 847,261
65 years and over:	15.6%	Male: 120,304	Female: 249,661

Growth Rate

-0.77% (2002)

Life Expectancy

69 years
female: 75.17 years
male: 63.13 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$7,800 (2001)

Infant Mortality

14.96 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth:	1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years:	1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:	0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over:	0.48 male(s)/female
Total population:	0.85 male(s)/female

(2002)

Net migration rate

-1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Latvia's transitional economy recovered from the 1998 Russian financial crisis, largely due to the Skele government's budget stringency at the time and a gradual reorientation of exports toward E.U. countries, lessening Latvia's trade dependency on Russia. The majority of companies, banks, and real estate have been privatized. Latvia officially joined the World Trade Organization in February 1999 - the first Baltic state to join - and was invited at the Helsinki E.U. Summit in December 1999 to begin accession talks in early 2000. Preparing for E.U. membership over the next few years was a top foreign policy goal. Latvia under Berzin has been given the "green light" to join the E.U. in 2004. However, Latvia's high current account deficit remains a major concern and it is slated to hit 8 to 9 percent of GDP in 2003-04 due to high import costs. Economic growth in 2003 will be kept in check due to the slow recovery in E.U. markets, but growth will accelerate in 2004 as a result of increasing consumer confidence both domestically and in the E.U. The external debt is forecast to be around 40 percent of GDP in this period. The Latvian currency (lat) is expected to remain stable right up to E.U. accession.

Unemployment

7.6% (2001)

Inflation Rate

2.5% (2001)

Industries

Buses, vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics, pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles; dependent on imports for energy, raw materials, and intermediate products.

Exports

US$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$3.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$18.6 billion (2001 est.)

Top Export Partners

Germany 17%, UK 16%, Sweden 10%, Lithuania 8% (2001)

Top Import Partners

Germany 17%, Russia 9%, Lithuania 8%, Finland 8%, Sweden 7% (2001)

Top Exports

Germany 17%, Russia 9%, Lithuania 8%, Finland 8%, Sweden 7% (2001)

Top Imports

Machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, vehicles

Debt - external

US$2.6 billion (2000)

Economic aid

US$96.2 million (1995)

Fiscal Year:

Calendar year

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	9a.m. to 6p.m.	Closed
Retail	10a.m. to 7p.m.	10a.m. to 4p.m.
Banks	10a.m. to 2p.m., 3p.m. to 8p.m.	Closed
Government	10a.m. to 3p.m.	Closed

Note: Some department stores keep later hours. Rural shops base schedules on local custom and seasonal needs.

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Labor Day	May 1	May1	May 1
Mother's Day²	May 12	May 10	May 9
Ligo Day	June 23	June 23	June 23
St. John's Day (Summer Solstice)	June 24	June 24	June 24
Proclamation of the Republic	November 18	November 18	November 18
Christmas Day³	December 25	December 25	December 25
St. Stephen's Day	December 26	December 26	December 26
New Year's Eve	December 31	December 31	December 31

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	Observed the second Monday in May.
³	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D. 320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox Church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press