:Laos Communications
Railroads:
none
Highways:
about 27,527 km total; 1,856 km bituminous or bituminous treated; 7,451 km
gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 18,220 km unimproved earth and
often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September
Inland waterways:
about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional
kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
Pipelines:
petroleum products 136 km
Ports:
none
Airports:
57 total, 47 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 14 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
service to general public considered poor; radio communications network
provides generally erratic service to government users; 7,390 telephones
(1986); broadcast stations - 10 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
:Laos Defense Forces
Branches:
Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia elements),
Air Force, National Police Department
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 946,289; 509,931 fit for military service; 45,232 reach
military age (18) annually; conscription age NA
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
:Latvia Geography
Total area:
64,100 km2
Land area:
64,100 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
1,078 km; Belarus 141 km, Estonia 267 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
Coastline:
531 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
NA nm
Continental shelf:
NA meter depth
Exclusive fishing zone:
NA nm
Exclusive economic zone:
NA nm
Territorial sea:
NA nm
Disputes:
the Abrene section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
to Russia in 1944
Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain:
low plain
Natural resources:
minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite
Land use:
27% arable land; NA% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 39% forest
and woodland; 21% other; includes NA% irrigated
Environment:
heightened levels of air and water pollution because of a lack of waste
conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga heavily polluted
:Latvia People
Population:
2,728,937 (July 1992), growth rate 0.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
15 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
12 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
19 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
65 years male, 75 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Latvian(s);adjective - Latvian
Ethnic divisions:
Latvian 51.8%, Russian 33.8%, Byelorussian 4.5%, Ukrainian 3.4%, Polish
2.3%, other 4.2%
Religions:
Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Languages:
Latvian NA% (official), Lithuanian NA%, Russian NA%, other NA%
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write
Labor force:
1,407,000; industry and construction 41%, agriculture and forestry 16%,
other 43% (1990)
Organized labor:
NA
:Latvia Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Latvia
Type:
republic
Capital:
Riga
Administrative divisions:
none - all districts are under direct republic jurisdiction
Independence:
18 November 1918; annexed by the USSR 21 July 1940, the Latvian Soviet
Socialist Republic declared independence 6 September 1991 from USSR
Constitution:
April 1978, currently rewriting constitution, but readopted the 1922
Constitution
Legal system:
based on civil law system
National holiday:
Independence Day, 18 November (1918)
Executive branch:
Prime Minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Chairman, Supreme Council, Anatolijs GORBUNOVS (since October 1988);
Chairmen, Andrejs KRASTINS, Valdis BIRKAVS (since NA 1992)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Ivars GODMANIS (since May 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Labor Party of Latvia, Juris BOJARS, chairman; Inter-Front of the
Working People of Latvia, Igor LOPATIN, chairman; note - Inter-Front was
banned after the coup; Latvian National Movement for Independence, Eduards
BERKLAVS, chairman; Latvian Social Democratic Party, Janis DINEVICS,
chairman; Social Democratic Party of Latvia, Uldis BERZINS, chairman;
Latvian People's Front, Romualdas RAZUKAS, chairman; Latvian Liberal Party,
Georg LANSMANIS, chairman
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held October 1988 (next to be held NA; note - elected by Parliament;
new elections have not been scheduled; results - percent of vote by party NA
Supreme Council:
last held 18 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results - undetermined; seats
- (234 total) Latvian Communist Party 59, Latvian Democratic Workers Party
31, Social Democratic Party of Latvia 4, Green Party of Latvia 7, Latvian
Farmers Union 7, 126 supported by the Latvia Popular Front
Congress of Latvia:
last held April 1990 (next to be held NA); note - the Congress of Latvia is
a quasi-governmental structure; results - percent of vote by party NA%;
seats - (231 total) number of seats by party NA
Member of:
CSCE, IAEA, UN
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Dr. Anatol DINBERGS; Chancery at 4325 17th St. NW, Washington, DC
20011; telephone (202) 726-8213 and 8214