fixed line penetration remains low and concentrated in urban areas
domestic: multiple mobile cellular service providers with growing
coverage; mobile cellular subscribership reached 40 per 100 persons
in 2007
international: country code - 996; connections with other CIS
countries by landline or microwave radio relay and with other
countries by leased connections with Moscow international gateway
switch and by satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 (1
Intersputnik, 1 Intelsat); connected internationally by the
Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic line (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 3 (plus 10 repeater stations), FM 23, shortwave NA (2007)
Radios:
520,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (2 countrywide and 6 regional stations; state-owned); note - there
are about 20 private TV stations, most of which rebroadcast other
channels (2007)
Televisions:
210,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.kg
Internet hosts:
56,905 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
NA
Internet users:
750,000 (2007)
Transportation
Kyrgyzstan
Airports:
30 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 18
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 10 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 254 km; oil 16 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 470 km
broad gauge: 470 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 18,500 km
paved: 16,909 km (includes 140 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,591 km (2003)
Waterways:
600 km (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Balykchy (Ysyk-Kol or Rybach'ye)
Military
Kyrgyzstan
Military branches:
Army, Air Force, National Guard (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,398,878
females age 16-49: 1,419,374 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,061,942
females age 16-49: 1,211,249 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 60,706
female: 58,721 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues
Kyrgyzstan
Disputes - international:
Kyrgyzstan has yet to ratify the 2001 boundary delimitation with
Kazakhstan; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of
delimitation with Tajikistan; delimitation of 130 km of border with
Uzbekistan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other
areas
Illicit drugs:
limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy for CIS
markets; limited government eradication of illicit crops; transit
point for Southwest Asian narcotics bound for Russia and the rest of
Europe; major consumer of opiates
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Laos
Introduction
Laos
Background:
Modern-day Laos has its roots in the ancient Lao kingdom of Lan
Xang, established in the 14th Century under King FA NGUM. For 300
years Lan Xang had influence reaching into present-day Cambodia and
Thailand, as well as over all of what is now Laos. After centuries
of gradual decline, Laos came under the domination of Siam
(Thailand) from the late 18th century until the late 19th century
when it became part of French Indochina. The Franco-Siamese Treaty
of 1907 defined the current Lao border with Thailand. In 1975, the
Communist Pathet Lao took control of the government ending a
six-century-old monarchy and instituting a strict socialist regime
closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise
and the liberalization of foreign investment laws began in 1986.
Laos became a member of ASEAN in 1997.
Geography
Laos
Location:
Southeastern Asia, northeast of Thailand, west of Vietnam
Geographic coordinates:
18 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 236,800 sq km
land: 230,800 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Utah
Land boundaries:
total: 5,083 km
border countries: Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km,
Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season
(December to April)
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mekong River 70 m
highest point: Phou Bia 2,817 m
Natural resources:
timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use:
arable land: 4.01%
permanent crops: 0.34%
other: 95.65% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,750 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
333.6 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 3 cu km/yr (4%/6%/90%)
per capita: 507 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
floods, droughts
Environment - current issues:
unexploded ordnance; deforestation; soil erosion; most of the
population does not have access to potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; most of the country is mountainous and thickly forested;
the Mekong River forms a large part of the western boundary with
Thailand
People
Laos
Population:
6,677,534 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 1,374,966/female 1,362,945)
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 1,846,375/female 1,885,029)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 91,028/female 117,191) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 19.2 years
male: 18.9 years
female: 19.5 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.344% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
34.46 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
11.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 79.61 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 88.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 69.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.29 years
male: 54.19 years
female: 58.47 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.5 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,700 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and
malaria
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective: Lao or Laotian
Ethnic groups:
Lao 55%, Khmou 11%, Hmong 8%, other (over 100 minor ethnic groups)
26% (2005 census)
Religions:
Buddhist 67%, Christian 1.5%, other and unspecified 31.5% (2005
census)
Languages:
Lao (official), French, English, and various ethnic languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 68.7%
male: 77%
female: 60.9% (2001 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
male: 10 years
female: 8 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3% of GDP (2006)
Government
Laos
Country name:
conventional long form: Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form: Laos
local long form: Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form: none
Government type:
Communist state
Capital:
name: Vientiane
geographic coordinates: 17 58 N, 102 36 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 capital city*
(nakhon luang, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamxai,
Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louangnamtha, Louangphrabang,
Oudomxai, Phongsali, Salavan, Savannakhet, Viangchan (Vientiane)*,
Viangchan, Xaignabouli, Xekong, Xiangkhoang
Independence:
19 July 1949 (from France)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 2 December (1975)
Constitution:
promulgated 14 August 1991
Legal system:
based on traditional customs, French legal norms and procedures, and
socialist practice; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. CHOUMMALI Saignason (since 8 June
2006); Vice President BOUN-GNANG Volachit (since 8 June 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister BOUASONE Bouphavanh (since 8 June
2006); Deputy Prime Ministers Maj. Gen. ASANG Laoli (since May
2002), Maj. Gen. DOUANGCHAI Phichit (since 8 June 2006), SOMSAVAT
Lengsavat (since 26 February 1998), and THONGLOUN Sisoulit (since 27
March 2001)
cabinet: Ministers appointed by president, approved by National
Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by National Assembly
for five-year terms; election last held 8 June 2006 (next to be held
in 2011); prime minister nominated by president and elected by
National Assembly for five-year term
election results: CHOUMMALI Saignason elected president; BOUN-GNANG
Volachit elected vice president; percent of National Assembly vote -
100%; BOUASONE Bouphavanh elected prime minister; percent of
National Assembly vote - 97%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (115 seats; members elected by popular
vote from a list of candidates selected by the Lao People's
Revolutionary Party to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 30 April 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
LPRP 113, independents 2
Judicial branch:
People's Supreme Court (the president of the People's Supreme Court
is elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the
National Assembly Standing Committee; the vice president of the
People's Supreme Court and the judges are appointed by the National
Assembly Standing Committee)
Political parties and leaders:
Lao People's Revolutionary Party or LPRP [CHOUMMALI Saignason];
other parties proscribed
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ADB, APT, ARF, ASEAN, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO (subscriber),
ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO,
UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador PHIANE Philakone
chancery: 2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-6416
FAX: [1] (202) 332-4923
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ravic R. HUSO
embassy: 19 Rue Bartholonie, That Dam, Vientiane
mailing address: American Embassy Vientiane, APO AP 96546
telephone: [856] 21-26-7000
FAX: [856] 21-26-7190
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red
with a large white disk centered in the blue band
Economy
Laos
Economy - overview:
The government of Laos, one of the few remaining one-party Communist
states, began decentralizing control and encouraging private
enterprise in 1986. The results, starting from an extremely low
base, were striking - growth averaged 6% per year in 1988-2007
except during the short-lived drop caused by the Asian financial
crisis beginning in 1997. Despite this high growth rate, Laos
remains a country with a underdeveloped infrastructure, particularly
in rural areas. It has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, and
limited external and internal telecommunications, though the
government is sponsoring major improvements in the road system with
support from Japan and China. Electricity is available in urban
areas and in most rural districts. Subsistence agriculture,
dominated by rice, accounts for about 40% of GDP and provides 80% of
total employment. The economy will continue to benefit from aid from
international donors and from foreign investment in hydropower and
mining. Construction will be another strong economic driver,
especially as hydroelectric dam and road projects gain steam.
Several policy changes since 2004 may help spur growth. In late
2004, Laos gained Normal Trade Relations status with the US,
allowing Laos-based producers to benefit from lower tariffs on
exports. Laos is taking steps to join the World Trade Organization
in the next few years; the resulting trade policy reforms will
improve the business environment. On the fiscal side, a value-added
tax (VAT) regime, slated to begin in 2008, should help streamline
the government's inefficient tax system.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$12.8 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$4.028 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 40.9%
industry: 33.2%
services: 25.9% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
2.1 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 80%
industry and services: 20% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30.7% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.4%
highest 10%: 28.5% (2002)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.6 (2002)
Budget:
revenues: $473.1 million
expenditures: $647.2 million (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
12.67% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
28.5% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$327.9 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$717.9 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$285.8 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, tobacco,
cotton, tea, peanuts, rice; water buffalo, pigs, cattle, poultry
Industries:
copper, tin, gold, and gypsum mining; timber, electric power,
agricultural processing, construction, garments, tourism, cement
Industrial production growth rate:
12% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.639 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
1.344 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
547 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
367 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.4%
hydro: 98.6%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
2,996 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
3,036 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
-$285 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$970 million (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
wood products, coffee, electricity, tin, copper, gold
Exports - partners:
Thailand 32.7%, Vietnam 14.3%, China 5.9%, South Korea 4.8% (2007)
Imports:
$1.378 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, vehicles, fuel, consumer goods
Imports - partners:
Thailand 68.5%, China 9.3%, Vietnam 5.5% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$379 million (2006 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$540 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.179 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
kip (LAK)
Currency code:
LAK
Exchange rates:
kips (LAK) per US dollar - 9,658 (2007), 10,235 (2006), 10,820
(2005), 10,585.5 (2004), 10,569 (2003)
Communications
Laos
Telephones - main lines in use:
94,800 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.478 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public is poor but improving;
the government relies on a radiotelephone network to communicate
with remote areas
domestic: multiple service providers; mobile cellular usage growing
rapidly; combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership
about 25 per 100 persons
international: country code - 856; satellite earth station - 1
Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region) (2007)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 14, shortwave 2 (2006)
Radios:
730,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
7 (includes 1 station relaying Vietnam Television from Hanoi) (2006)
Televisions:
52,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.la
Internet hosts:
1,015 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
100,000 (2007)
Transportation
Laos
Airports:
42 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 23 (2007)
Pipelines:
refined products 540 km (2007)
Roadways:
total: 29,811 km
paved: 4,010 km
unpaved: 25,801 km (2006)
Waterways:
4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are
intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)
Merchant marine:
total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 2,370 GRT/3,110 DWT
by type: cargo 1 (2008)
Military
Laos
Military branches:
Lao People's Armed Forces (LPAF): Lao People's Army (LPA; includes
Riverine Force), Air Force (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
15 years of age for compulsory military service; minimum 18-month
conscript service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,549,774
females age 16-49: 1,570,702 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 993,162
females age 16-49: 1,052,053 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 73,973
female: 72,758 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.5% of GDP (2006)
Military - note:
serving one of the world's least developed countries, the Lao
People's Armed Forces (LPAF) is small, poorly funded, and
ineffectively resourced; its mission focus is border and internal
security, primarily in countering ethnic Hmong insurgent groups;
together with the Lao People's Revolutionary Party and the
government, the Lao People's Army (LPA) is the third pillar of state
machinery, and as such is expected to suppress political and civil
unrest and similar national emergencies, but the LPA also has
upgraded skills to respond to avian influenza outbreaks; there is no
perceived external threat to the state and the LPA maintains strong
ties with the neighboring Vietnamese military (2008)
Transnational Issues
Laos
Disputes - international:
Southeast Asian states have enhanced border surveillance to check
the spread of avian flu; talks continue on completion of demarcation
with Thailand but disputes remain over islands in the Mekong River;
concern among Mekong Commission members that China's construction of
dams on the Mekong River will affect water levels
Illicit drugs:
estimated opium poppy cultivation in 2008 was 1,900 hectares, about
a 73% increase from 2007; estimated potential opium production in
2008 more than tripled to 17 metric tons; unsubstantiated reports of
domestic methamphetamine production; growing domestic
methamphetamine problem (2007)
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@Latvia
Introduction
Latvia
Background:
The name "Latvia" originates from the ancient Latgalians, one of
four eastern Baltic tribes that formed the ethnic core of the
Latvian people (ca. 8th-12th centuries A.D.). The region
subsequently came under the control of Germans, Poles, Swedes, and
finally, Russians. A Latvian republic emerged following World War I,
but it was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized
by the US and many other countries. Latvia reestablished its
independence in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Although the last Russian troops left in 1994, the status of the
Russian minority (some 30% of the population) remains of concern to
Moscow. Latvia joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Geography
Latvia
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: 63,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,382 km
border countries: Belarus 171 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km,
Russia 292 km
Coastline:
498 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain:
low plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Galzina Kalns 312 m
Natural resources:
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 28.19%
permanent crops: 0.45%
other: 71.36% (2005)
Irrigated land:
200 sq km
note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not
irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land
has been improved by drainage (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
49.9 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.25 cu km/yr (55%/33%/12%)
per capita: 108 cu m/yr (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service
industries after the country regained independence; the main
environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality
and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as
well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU
accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full
enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with
some hills in the east
People
Latvia
Population:
2,245,423 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 13.4% (male 154,077/female 146,825)
15-64 years: 69.7% (male 760,976/female 803,106)
65 years and over: 16.9% (male 124,658/female 255,781) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 39.9 years
male: 36.9 years
female: 43 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.629% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
9.62 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
13.63 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.96 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 10.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.88 years
male: 66.68 years
female: 77.35 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.29 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,600 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2008)
Nationality:
noun: Latvian(s)
adjective: Latvian
Ethnic groups:
Latvian 57.7%, Russian 29.6%, Belarusian 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.7%,
Polish 2.5%, Lithuanian 1.4%, other 2% (2002)
Religions:
Lutheran 19.6%, Orthodox 15.3%, other Christian 1%, other 0.4%,
unspecified 63.7% (2006)
Languages:
Latvian (official) 58.2%, Russian 37.5%, Lithuanian and other 4.3%
(2000 census)
Literacy: