electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2006)

Roadways:

total: 69,675 km
paved: 69,675 km (2006)

Waterways:

300 km (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 22
by type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 3, liquefied gas 2,
passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 2 (Estonia 2)
registered in other countries: 118 (Antigua and Barbuda 13, Belize
12, Cambodia 1, Cook Islands 1, Cyprus 1, Dominica 1, Jamaica 1,
Liberia 21, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 16, Panama 8, Russia 2, Saint
Kitts and Nevis 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17) (2008)

Ports and terminals:

Riga, Ventspils

Military
Latvia

Military branches:

National Armed Forces (Nacionalo Brunoto Speku): Ground Forces, Navy
(Latvijas Juras Speki; includes Coast Guard (Latvijas Kara Flotes)),
Latvian Air Force (Latvijas Gaisa Speki), Border Guard, Latvian Home
Guard (Latvijas Zemessardze) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18 years of age for voluntary military service; conscription
abolished January 2007; under current law, every citizen is entitled
to serve in the armed forces for life (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 568,683
females age 16-49: 565,826 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 412,849
females age 16-49: 468,827 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 14,506
female: 13,982 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

1.2% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Latvia

Disputes - international:

Russia refuses to sign the 1997 boundary treaty due to Latvian
insistence on a unilateral clarificatory declaration referencing
Soviet occupation of Latvia and territorial losses; Russia demands
better Latvian treatment of ethnic Russians in Latvia; as of January
2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete
and mapped with final ratification documentation in preparation; the
Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary
treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil
exploration rights; as a member state that forms part of the EU's
external border, Latvia has implemented the strict Schengen border
rules with Russia

Illicit drugs:

transshipment and destination point for cocaine, synthetic drugs,
opiates, and cannabis from Southwest Asia, Western Europe, Latin
America, and neighboring Balkan countries; despite i