The CIA World Factbook 2015 by Intelligence Agency Central
Author:Intelligence Agency, Central
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2013-12-31T16:00:00+00:00
LATVIA
INTRODUCTION
Background: The name “Latvia” originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I, but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940—an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. Latvia 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 28% of the population) remains of concern to Moscow. Latvia acceded to both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004; it joined the eurozone in 2014.
GEOGRAPHY
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 64,589 sq km
country comparison to the world: 124
land: 62,249 sq km
water: 2,340 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,382 km
border countries: Belarus 171 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 292 km
Coastline: 498 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain: low plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizina Kalns 312 m
Natural resources: peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 17.96%
permanent crops: 0.11%
other: 81.93% (2011)
Irrigated land: 8.3 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 (2007)
Total renewable water resources: 35.45 cu km (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 0.42 cu km/yr (42%/45%/13%)
per capita: 177.9 cu m/yr (2007)
Natural hazards: NA
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, 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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east
PEOPLE AND SOCIETY
Nationality: noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian
Ethnic groups: Latvian 61.1%, Russian 26.2%, Belarusian 3.5%, Ukrainian 2.3%, Polish 2.2%, Lithuanian 1.3%, other 3.4% (2013 est.)
Languages: Latvian (official) 56.3%, Russian 33.8%, other 0.6% (includes Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian), unspecified 9.4% (2011 est.)
Religions: Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)
Population: 2,165,165 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.2% (male 156,851/female 150,074)
15-24 years: 11% (male 121,435/female 116,602)
25-54 years: 44.8% (male 481,336/female 487,991)
55-64 years: 17.2% (male 122,544/female 155,114)
65 years and over: 17.1% (male 121,668/female 251,550) (2014 est.)
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 50.2 %
youth dependency ratio: 22.
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