lation, is an issue of concern to Moscow. Unemployment has
become a growing problem and Latvia hopes to receive an invitation
to begin EU accession talks by the end of 1999.

Geography

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between
Estonia and Lithuania

Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 64,589 sq km
land: 64,589 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,150 km
border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km,
Russia 217 km

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain: low plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m

Natural resources: minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite

Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 14% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 160 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: air and water pollution because of a
lack of waste conversion equipment; Gulf of Riga and Daugava River
heavily polluted; contamination of soil and groundwater with
chemicals and petroleum products at military bases

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

People

Population: 2,353,874 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 216,369; female 207,242)
15-64 years: 67% (male 749,396; female 825,988)
65 years and over: 15% (male 114,038; female 240,841) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -1.25% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 8.1 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 15.82 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.47 male(s)/female
total population: 0.85 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.19 deaths/1,000