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Country
(long form)
Republic of Latvia
Capital
Riga
Total Area
24,937.95 sq mi
64,589.00 sq km
Population
2,404,926 (July 2000 est.)
Estimated Population in 2050
1,755,412
Languages
Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Literacy
100.0% total, 100.0% male, 100.0% female
Religions
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Life Expectancy
62.48 male, 74.62 female (2000 est.)
Government Type
parliamentary democracy
Currency
1 Latvian lat (LVL) = 100 santims
GDP (per capita)
$4,200 (1999 est.)
Labor Force (by occupation)
agriculture and forestry 16%, industry 41%, services 43% (1990)
Industry
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
Agriculture
grain, sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Arable Land
27%
Exports
wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
Imports
machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels
Natural Resources
minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite, hydropower, arable land
Current Environmental Issues
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
Telephones (main lines in use)
748,000 (1997)
Telephones (mobile cellular)
175,348 (1999)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
11 (1999)
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