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Republic of Latvia

Latvijas Republika

former: Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic


 
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COMMUNICATIONS

Telephones - main lines in use:
734,693 (2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
401,263 (2000)
Telephone system:
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)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
1.76 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.lv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
41 (2001)
Internet users:
312,000 (2001)
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TRANSPORTATION

Railways:
total: 2,412 km
broad gauge: 2,379 km 1.520-m gauge (271 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2001)
Highways:
total: 59,178 km
paved: 22,843 km
unpaved: 36,335 km (1998 est.)
Waterways:
300 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines:
crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992)
Ports and harbors:
Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils
Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 30,119 GRT/30,572 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 3 (2002 est.)
ships by type: cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 4
Airports:
25 (2001)
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 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
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 (2002)
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MILITARY

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guard, National Guard
Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 591,592 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 464,843 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 19,114 (2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$87 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.2% (FY01)
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TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES

Disputes - international:
the Russian Duma refuses to ratify boundary delimitation treaty with Latvia; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights
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; money laundering remains a concern
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