|
Country
|
| 
Latvia |
|
Leader
|
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II, represented by a governor
|
President : Andris Berzins
|
|
Population
|
109,011
| 2,191,580
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
73.300 years
| 72.930 years
|
|
Capital City
|
| Riga
|
|
Largest city
|
| Saint George's (population: 7,500) | Riga (population: 742,572) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.774
| 0.863
|
| GDP per capita |
| $15,900 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
96%
| 99.7%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
NA
| 5
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
21.4%
| 20%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
| 15.400%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Abolished in practice
| Abolished except for special circumstances
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary democracy
| parliamentary democracy
|
|
Independence date
|
| 18 November 1918 (from Soviet Russia)
|
| Religions |
Roman Catholic 53%, Anglican 13.8%, other Protestant 33.2%
| Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%, unspecified 63.7% (2006)
|
| Languages |
English (official), French patois
| Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3% (2000 census)
|
| Exports |
| wood and wood products, machinery and equipment, metals, textiles, foodstuffs
|
| External Debt |
| $38,370,000,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
| lati (LVL) per US dollar - 0.4701 (2008 est.), 0.5162 (2007), 0.5597 (2006), 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402 (2004)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
| 1.100%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
0
| 3
|
| Location |
Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, north of Trinidad and Tobago
| Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
|
| Area |
344 km sq
| 64,589 km sq
|
| Coastline |
121 km
| 498 km
|
| Climate |
tropical; tempered by northeast trade winds
| maritime; wet, moderate winters
|
|
|
|
