f foreign exchange and gold:
$2.61 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$18.9 billion (30 June 2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$96.2 million

Currency (code):
Latvian lat (LVL)

Currency code:
LVL

Exchange rates:
lati per US dollar - 0.55991 (2006), - 0.5647 (2005), 0.5402
(2004), 0.5715 (2003), 0.6182 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Latvia

Telephones - main lines in use:
731,000 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.872 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: recent efforts focused on bringing competition
to the telecommunications sector, beginning in 2003; the number of
fixed lines is decreasing as wireless telephony expands
domestic: two wireless service providers in addition to Lattelekom,
the incumbent monopoly
international: country code - 371; the Latvian network is now
connected via fiber optic cable to Estonia, Finland, and Sweden

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 56, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
1.76 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 31 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.22 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.lv

Internet hosts:
65,858 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
41 (2001)

Internet users:
1.03 million (2005)

Transportation Latvia

Airports:
46 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 13 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 22
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 1,097 km; oil 82 km; refined products 415 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,303 km
broad gauge: 2,270 km 1.520-m gauge (257 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 69,532 km
paved: 69,532 km (2004)

Waterways:
300 km (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 21 ships (1000 GRT or over) 250,559 GRT/336,136 DWT
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1
registered in other countries: 105 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Bahamas
1, Belize 6, Cambodia 2, Cyprus 4, Dominica 1, Gibraltar 2, Liberia
14, Malta 40, Marshall Islands 7, Panama 3, Russia 2, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 18) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Riga, Ventspils

Military Latvia

Military branches:
Latvian Republic De