Debt - external:
$3.4 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$96.2 million (1995)
Currency:
Latvian lat (LVL)
Currency code:
LVL
Exchange rates:
lati per US dollar - 0.62 (2002), 0.63 (2001), 0.61 (2000), 0.59
(1999), 0.59 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Latvia
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)