1,378,613 (July 1992), growth rate NA (1992)
Birth rate:
32 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
2 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NA migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
14 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
72 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Kuwaiti(s); adjective - Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions:
Kuwaiti 50%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 2%
Religions:
Muslim 85% (Shi`a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and
other 15%
Languages:
Arabic (official); English widely spoken
Literacy:
74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
Labor force:
566,000 (1986); services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade 12.0%,
manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%, agriculture 1.9%, power
and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying 1.4%; 70% of labor force was
non-Kuwaiti
Organized labor:
labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel
:Kuwait Government
Long-form name:
State of Kuwait
Type:
nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Kuwait
Administrative divisions:
5 governorates (mu'hafaz'at, singular - muh'afaz'ah); Al Ah'madi, Al Jahrah,
Al Kuwayt, 'Hawalli; Farwaniyah
Independence:
19 June 1961 (from UK)
Constitution:
16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)
Legal system:
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 25 February
Executive branch:
amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
National Assembly (Majlis al `umma) dissolved 3 July 1986; elections for new
Assembly scheduled for October 1992
Judicial branch:
High Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Amir Shaykh JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 31 December 1977)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister and Crown Prince SA`UD al-`Abdallah al-Salim al-Sabah (since
8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister SALIM al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at
age 21; note - out of all citizens, only 10% are eligible to vote and only
5% actually vote
Elections:
National Assembly:
dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992
Other political or pressure groups:
40,000 Palestinian community; small, clandestine leftist and Shi`a
fundamentalist groups are active; several groups critical of government
policies are active
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Shaykh Sa`ud Nasir al-SABAH; Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-0702
US:
Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM, Jr.; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (opposite the
Kuwait International Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P.O. Box 77
SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait; APO AE 09880); telephone [965] 242-4151 through
4159; FAX [956] 244-2855
:Kuwait Government
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black
trapezoid based on the hoist side
:Kuwait Economy
Overview:
Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil sector had dominated the
economy. Kuwait has the third-largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi
Arabia and Iraq. Earnings from hydrocarbons have generated over 90% of both
export and government revenues and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most of the
nonoil sector has traditionally been dependent upon oil-derived government
revenues. Iraq's destruction of Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war
has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80% of
Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaged key surface
facilities. Firefighters brought all of the roughly 750 oil well fires and
blowouts under control by November 1991. By yearend, production had been
brought back to 400,000 barrels per day; it could take two to three years to
restore Kuwait's oil production to its prewar level of about 2.0 million
barrels per day. Meanwhile, population had been greatly reduced because of
the war, from 2.1 million to 1.4 million.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $8.75 billion, per capita $6,200; real growth
rate -50% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital
expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Exports:
$11.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
oil 90%
partners:
Japan 19%, Netherlands 9%, US 8%, Pakistan 6%
Imports:
$6.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
partners:
US 15%, Japan 12%, FRG 8%, UK 7%
External debt:
$7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP
Electricity:
3,100,000 kW available out of 8,290,000 kW capacity due to Persian Gulf war;
7,300 million kWh produced, 3,311 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, building
materials, salt, construction
Agriculture:
virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water
must be distilled or imported
Economic aid:
donor - pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries
(1979-89)
Currency:
Kuwaiti dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.2950 (March 1992), 0.2843 (1991), 0.2915
(1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987)
:Kuwait Economy
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Kuwait Communications
Railroads:
6,456 km total track length (1990); over 700 km double track; government
owned
Highways:
3,900 km total; 3,000 km bituminous; 900 km earth, sand, light gravel
Pipelines:
crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165 km
Ports:
Ash Shu`aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' al 'Ahmadi
Merchant marine:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,196,435 GRT/1,957,216 DWT; includes
2 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 18 oil tanker, 4 liquefied gas; note - all
Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti waters at the time
of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred to the Liberian flag
or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states; only 1 has returned to Kuwaiti
flag since the liberation of Kuwait
Civil air:
9 major transport aircraft
Airports:
7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
civil network suffered extensive damage as a result of Desert Storm;
reconstruction is under way with some restored international and domestic
capabilities; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 0 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth
stations - destroyed during Persian Gulf war; temporary mobile satellite
ground stations provide international telecommunications; coaxial cable and
radio relay to Saudi Arabia; service to Iraq is nonoperational
:Kuwait Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 389,770; 234,609 fit for military service; 12,773 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $9.17 billion, 20.4% of GDP (1992 budget)
:Kyrgyzstan Geography
Total area:
198,500 km2
Land area:
191,300 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
3,878 km; China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km, Uzbekistan
1,099 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southern boundary in Isfara Valley
area
Climate:
dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in south (Fergana
Valley)
Terrain:
peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and basins
encompass entire nation
Natural resources:
small amounts of coal, natural gas, oil; also nepheline, rare earth metals,
mercury, bismuth, gold, uranium, lead, zinc, hydroelectric power
Land use:
NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest
and woodland; NA% other; includes NA% irrigated
Environment:
NA
:Kyrgyzstan People
Population:
4,567,875 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)
Birth rate:
31 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
- 8.5 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
56 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Life expectancy at birth:
62 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Kirghiz(s); adjective - Kirghiz
Ethnic divisions:
Kirghiz 52%, Russian 21%, Uzbek 13%, other 14%
Religions:
Muslim 70%, Russian Orthodox NA%
Languages:
Kirghiz (Kyrgyz)
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write
Labor force:
1,894,000 (1989); agriculture 33%, other 49%, industry 18%, other NA% (1988)
Organized labor:
NA
:Kyrgyzstan Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Kyrgyzstan
Type:
republic
Capital:
Bishkek (formerly Frunze)
Administrative divisions:
6 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast'); Chu, Dzhalal-Abad, Issyk-Kul',
Naryn, Osh, Talas; note - an oblast has the same name as its administrative
center
Independence:
31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union; formerly Kirghiz Soviet Socialist
Republic)
Constitution:
adopted NA, effective 20 April 1978, amended 23 September 1989; note - new
constitution is being drafted
Legal system:
NA
National holiday:
NA
Executive branch:
president, Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral body or bicameral
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
President Askar AKAYEV; Vice President Felix KULOV; Chairman, Supreme
Soviet, Medetkav SHERIMKULOV; Spiritual leader of Kyrgyz Muslims, Sadykzhav
KAMALOV
Chief of State:
President Askar AKAYEV (since 28 October 1990), Vice President Felix KULOV
(since 2 March 1992)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Tursenbek CHYNGYSHEV (since 2 March 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
Kyrgyzstan Democratic Movement, Zhypur ZHEKSHEYEV, Kazat AKMAKOV, and
Toshubek TURGANALIEV, co-chairmen of popular front coalition of 40 informal
groups for Democratic Renewal and Civic Accord, 117-man pro-Akayev
parliamentary faction; Civic Accord, Coalition representing nonnative
minority groups; National Revived Asaba (Banner) Party, Asan ORMUSHEV,
chairman; Communist Party now banned
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 12 October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - AKAYEV won in
uncontested election with 95% of vote with 90% of electorate voting; note -
Republic Supreme Soviet elections held 25 February 1990; presidential
elections held first by Supreme Soviet 28 October 1990, then by popular vote
12 October 1991
Supreme Soviet:
note - last held 25 February 1990 (next to be held no later than November
1994); results - Commnunists (310) 90%, seats - (350 total)
Other political or pressure groups:
National Unity Democratic Movement; Peasant Party; Council of Free Trade
Union; Union of Entrepreneurs
Member of:
CIS, CSCE, IMF, UN, UNCTAD
:Kyrgyzstan Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador NA; Chancery at NW, Washington, DC 200__; telephone (202) NA;
there are Consulates General in NA;
US:
Charge Ralph Bresler; Interim Chancery at #66 Derzhinskiy Prospekt;
Residence: Hotel Pishpek (mailing address is APO AE 09862); telephone
8-011-7-3312-22-22-70
Flag:
red-orange field with yellow sun in center with folk motif medallion
inscribed
:Kyrgyzstan Economy
Overview:
Kyrgyzstan's small economy (less than 1% of the total for the former Soviet
Union) is oriented toward agriculture, producing mainly livestock such as
goats and sheep, as well as cotton, grain, and tobacco. Industry,
concentrated around Bishkek, produces small quantities of electric motors,
livestock feeding equipment, washing machines, furniture, cement, paper, and
bricks. Mineral extraction is small, the most important minerals being rare
earth metals and gold. Kyrgyzstan is a net importer of most types of food
and fuel but is a net exporter of electricity. By early 1991, the Kirghiz
leadership had accelerated reform, primarily by privatizing business and
granting life-long tenure to farmers. In 1991 overall industrial and
livestock output declined substantially.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $NA billion, per capita $NA; real growth rate
-5% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
88% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $NA million; expenditures $NA million
Exports:
$115 million (1990)
commodities:
wool, chemicals, cotton, ferrous and nonferrous metals, shoes, machinery,
tobacco
partners:
Russia 70%, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and others
Imports:
$1.5 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel, machinery, textiles,
footwear
External debt:
$650 million (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.1% (1991)
Electricity:
NA kW capacity; 13,900 million kWh produced, 3,232 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes, sawn
logs, steel, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare earth
metals
Agriculture:
wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep and goats) and cattle, vegetables,
meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes
Illicit drugs:
poppy cultivation legal
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $NA billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million;
Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million
Currency:
as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Kyrgyzstan Communications
Railroads:
370 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
30,300 km total; 22,600 km paved or graveled, 7,700 km earth(1990)
Inland waterways:
NA km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
NA
Ports:
none - landlocked
Civil air:
NA
Airports:
NA
Telecommunications:
poorly developed; connections with other CIS countries by landline or
microwave and with other countries by leased connections with Moscow
international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - Orbita and INTELSAT
(TV receive only)
:Kyrgyzstan Defense Forces
Branches:
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops); National Guard, Civil
Defense; CIS Forces (Ground, Air, and Air Defense)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18)
annually
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
:Laos Geography
Total area:
236,800 km2
Land area:
230,800 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Utah
Land boundaries:
5,083 km; Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km,
Vietnam 2,130 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
boundary dispute with Thailand
Climate:
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to
April)
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use:
arable land 4%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and
woodland 58%; other 35%; includes irrigated 1%
Environment:
deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
Note:
landlocked
:Laos People
Population:
4,440,213 (July 1992), growth rate 2.9% (1992)
Birth rate:
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
16 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
107 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
49 years male, 52 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.3 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Lao(s) or Laotian(s); adjective - Lao or Laotian
Ethnic divisions:
Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other
15%
Religions:
Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%
Languages:
Lao (official), French, and English
Literacy:
84% (male 92%, female 76%) age 15 to 45 can read and write (1985 est.)
Labor force:
1-1.5 million; 85-90% in agriculture (est.)
Organized labor:
Lao Federation of Trade Unions is subordinate to the Communist party
:Laos Government
Long-form name:
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Type:
Communist state
Capital:
Vientiane
Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (kampheng
nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Champasak,
Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali,
Saravan, Savannakhet, Sekong, Vientiane, Vientiane*, Xaignabouri,
Xiangkhoang
Independence:
19 July 1949 (from France)
Constitution:
promulgated August 1991
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day (proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic), 2
December (1975)
Executive branch:
president, chairman and two vice chairmen of the Council of Ministers,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
Supreme People's Assembly
Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN (since 15 August 1991)
Head of Government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers Gen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August
1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN, party chairman;
includes Lao Patriotic Front and Alliance Committee of Patriotic Neutralist
Forces; other parties moribund
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Supreme People's Assembly:
last held on 26 March 1989 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote
by party NA; seats - (79 total) number of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups:
non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders have fled the country
Member of:
ACCT (associate), AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO,
IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Charge d'Affaires LINTHONG PHETSAVAN; Chancery at 2222 S Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6416 or 6417
US:
Charge d'Affaires Charles B. SALMON, Jr.; Embassy at Rue Bartholonie,
Vientiane (mailing address is B. P. 114, Vientiane, or AMEMB, Box V, APO AP
96546); telephone (856) 2220, 2357, 2384; FAX (856) 4675
:Laos Government
Flag:
three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a
large white disk centered in the blue band
:Laos Economy
Overview:
One of the world's poorest nations, Laos has had a Communist centrally
planned economy with government ownership and control of productive
enterprises of any size. In recent years, however, the government has been
decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a
landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure; that is, it has no
railroads, a rudimentary road system, limited external and internal
telecommunications, and electricity available in only a limited area.
Subsistence agriculture is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of
GDP and providing about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is
rice. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its
survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources; aid
from the former USSR and Eastern Europe has been cut sharply.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $800 million, per capita $200; real growth rate
4% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.4% (December 1991)
Unemployment rate:
21% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $83 million; expenditures $188.5 million, including capital
expenditures of $94 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$72 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
electricity, wood products, coffee, tin
partners:
Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, USSR, US, China
Imports:
$238 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
commodities:
food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures
partners:
Thailand, USSR, Japan, France, Vietnam, China
External debt:
$1.1 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 12% (1991 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1991 est.)
Electricity:
226,000 kW capacity; 1,100 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing,
construction
Agriculture:
accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force; subsistence
farming predominates; normally self-sufficient in nondrought years;
principal crops - rice (80% of cultivated land), sweet potatoes, vegetables,
corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton; livestock - buffaloes, hogs, cattle,
chicken
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, opium poppy for the international drug trade,
third-largest opium producer
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $605 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million
Currency:
new kip (plural - kips); 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at
:Laos Economy
Exchange rates:
new kips (NK) per US$1 - 710 (May 1992), 710 (December 1991), 700 (September
1990), 576 (1989), 385 (1988), 200 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
: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