Latvia - geography
Latvia's landscape is formed by deposits from the last ice age and is
predominantly lowland with moraine hills as well as NW-SE tunnel tunnels and
hills; only a few places reach the hills 300 m altitude. Between the hills there
are many wetlands, rivers and smaller streams; most
importantly, Daugava (Western Dvina), an important thoroughfare, is navigable
throughout Latvia. Three hydropower plants on the river supply a significant
part of the country's electricity supply. The river divides the country into two
parts; to the west lies the hilly peninsula Kurland (Kurzeme) between the Baltic
Sea and the Gulf of Riga, and north of Daugava lies the hill
country Livland(Vidzeme with Gaizinkalns 312 m). Latvia has a 500 km long
coastline with wide sandy beaches and dunes. Apart from the great Gulf of Riga,
there are only a few natural ports, apart from Riga only Ventspils and Liepāja,
both of which are ice-free.
Latvia is at the transition between NW Europe's coastal climate and Russia's
mainland climate and has summer temperatures slightly above and winter
temperatures slightly below the Danish ones. The normal precipitation of 550-800
mm annually corresponds to the conditions in Denmark.
The agricultural area accounts for 38% of the total area (2005). However, the
agricultural crisis of the 1990's has left more and more parts uncultivated (21%
in 2002). The forests, almost all of which are state-owned, cover almost half of
the country. Latvia has had effective reforestation rules, and the forest area
has, as an effect of the collectivization of agriculture, has been rising
since World War II. Oak and ash are in many places replaced by pine and
spruce. Latvian forestry is relatively highly mechanized, and timber and wood
products are an important export commodity. In several Western European
countries, there has been interest in the plans to outsource the forests for
further commercial use. Large areas of forest are only used very extensively; it
has helped to preserve a rich wildlife with both western and northeastern
species: wild boar, moose and wolves in addition to a species-rich bird life.
Population
The composition of the population by sex, age and ethnicity is still marked
by the consequences of World War II and the industrialization policy after 1945.
A significant immigration of predominantly Russians in connection with
industrialization changed the ethnic composition so that the Latvian share after
1945 fell from 75% to 52 %, while the Russian share increased from 12% to
34%. In addition, another 6% of other Slavic peoples, Belarusians. Since
1991, the Russian share has been declining, with many Russians emigrating as a
result of the changed conditions following Latvia's independence. In 2005,
Latvians made up 58.8% of the population, Russians 28.6%, Belarusians 3.8% and
Ukrainians 2.6%. According to
AllCityPopulation.com, the population fell by 14% from 1990 to 2005, when it
amounted to 2.3 million; this is partly due to emigration, partly low birth
rates and high mortality rates,
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Latvia? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
The geographical distribution of the population is very uneven; almost half
live in the industrialized Riga region, while some areas in the western part of
the country are very sparsely populated. The Russians live mainly in the cities,
and both Riga and Daugavpils have a Russian population majority. After
independence, a highly discriminatory nationality law was introduced against the
Russian population. Although the laws were modified somewhat, as a result
of criticism from the EU, over 60% of the Slavic-speaking population had not yet
obtained Latvian citizenship in 1997, and in 2005, almost 20% of the population
was still stateless. Many Russians who, due to citizenship laws, are excluded
from public positions have entered the private business world, and much of this
is now controlled by resident Russians.
Industries
Agricultureproduced in 1996 only 40% of the level from 1990. The
decline has particularly affected cattle farming, which was previously
dominant. The large state and collective farms of the Soviet era are now almost
completely privatized; in 1997, 90% of the greatly reduced private production
took place. The large decline in animal husbandry is mainly due to a lack of
feed. Privatization has led to very small uses; approximately 90% of cattle farms have
five or fewer cows, and the average farm size is 20 ha. Latvia's accession to
the EU in 2004 created problems for agriculture. Farmers were disappointed by
the low level of agricultural support, and increased demands on agriculture led
many to give up the profession. It is expected that agriculture will only play a
minor role in the Latvian economy, as the country now competes with other food
producers in the region for the same markets.
Fishing. Latvia was one of the most active fishing republics of the
Soviet Union, and the Latvian fishing fleet landed 5% of the Union's total
catch. The high seas fleet, which fished in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and
accounted for approximately 85% of the catches were hit hard as oil prices approached
world market prices. A large part of the fleet was therefore at a standstill in
the 1990's, with significant consequences for the large fishing
industry. Fisheries' share of GDP fell from 3.4% in 1996 to 1.15% in 2003, and
the share of exports fell from 9% in 1996 to 3.2% in 2003. In 2003, 14,000 or
1.2% of the country's labor force engaged in fishing.
Industry.Apart from forests, fuel peat and raw materials for
construction, Latvia has no raw materials of importance. However, smaller oil
fields have been found and extraction has begun. Despite a shortage of raw
materials, Latvia was one of the most industrially developed Soviet republics
and was a leader in, among other things, communication and other high
technology. For example, every second telephone in the Soviet Union was produced
in Latvia. Many of these industries, which had the Soviet common market as a
customer, have declined sharply. The most important industry is now the timber
industry, which in the period 1996-2005 increased production by more than
100%; timber accounted for 31% of the country's total exports in 2004. Other
important industries are the food industry, which is recovering from the Russian
currency crisis in 1998 and since 2001 has increased exports to the CIS
countries, and the textile industry, however, that began to decline back in
2005, when rising wages prompted foreign investors to move their business
further east. Almost half of all Latvian industry is located in Riga.
Environment. The centrally directed Soviet industrial policy paid
little attention to local interests and the environment. As recently as 1992,
the first phase of a Riga sewage treatment plant was opened. The strong
industrial concentration in the Riga area therefore led to extensive pollution
of large and small watercourses and significant air pollution. When the majority
of Latvia's streams, in addition to several Estonian, flow into the Gulf of
Riga, it became so polluted that in the late 1980's the authorities had to
discourage bathing in the famous resort town of Jūrmala. With the large decline
in production after independence, both in agriculture and industry, pollution
has been greatly reduced, but very few environmental investments have been made,
and a forthcoming economic recovery will bring back many of the environmental
problems.
During the Soviet era, Latvia was a fully integrated part of the planned
economy system, and many Latvian companies had a de facto monopoly on the Soviet
market. The independence and dissolution of the Union meant a sharp reduction of
this market, and during the 1990's the EU became Latvia's main market; In 2004,
77% of exports went to the EU-25. However, Russia remains an important trading
partner with a share of exports and imports of approximately 8%, and Ventspils is
an important shipping port for Russian oil, which at the end of 2005 was hit by
a Russian blockade of the oil pipeline from Russia to the city's oil
terminal. Furthermore, liberal Latvian banking laws make Riga an attractive
target for Russian capital investments. GDP growth in 2005 was 9.5% compared to
2004.
Latvia - language
The dominant language is Latvian, spoken by approximately 59% of the population
(2005); from 1989 it is the country's only official language. Russian is spoken
by approximately 29%.
Of other languages, Belarusian (about 100,000), Ukrainian (about
80,000), Polish (about 55,000) and Lithuanian (about 35,000) are spoken. In
NV, quite a few people still speak lively.
A new language law came into force in 2000; it must strengthen the Latvian
language and strengthen the integration of minorities. Since 2004, all schools
have had to teach mainly in Latvian, which has provoked protests among the
Russian minority. In 2012, a proposal to make Russian the country's second
official language was rejected in a referendum.
Latvia - religion
A fertility cult was replaced by Christianity by Christianity in the
1100-1200's; German influence has been strong ever since. From the 1520's,
the Reformation took root; after a Catholic push, the Evangelical-Lutheran
direction was consolidated under Swedish rule, and the existing confessional
boundaries were formed. The subsequent imperial rule changed little for a long
time, but Russification became problematic for non-Orthodox.
In the 1900's. the political upheavals have been catastrophic for Christian
communities and especially Jews. From the 1940's to the 1980's, Soviet policy in
the country had crippling effects. Where before World War II there were
approximately 1 mio. (especially Lutheran) Protestant, 1/2 million. Catholics
and 300,000 Orthodox, there is in the 1990's a more than halved Protestantism and
a greatly reduced Orthodox Church. Despite difficult adjustment problems,
however, there is renewed growth and significance in the church and nationally
in general.
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