Part 474

@Latvia:Communications

Telephones: 660,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: service is better than in most of the other former Soviet republics domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population international: international traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch, through the new Ericsson digital telephone exchange in Riga, and through the Finnish cellular net; Sprint data network carries electronic mail

Radio broadcast stations: 25 (unknown type)

Radios: 1.4 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 30

Televisions: 1.1 million (1993 est.)

@Latvia:Transportation

Railways: total: 2,412 km broad gauge: 2,379 km 1.520-m gauge (271 km electrified) (1992) narrow gauge: 33 km 0.750-m gauge (1994)

Highways: total: 60,046 km paved: 22,998 km unpaved: 37,048 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 300 km perennially navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Daugavpils, Liepaja, Riga, Ventspils

Merchant marine: total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 491,582 GRT/639,414 DWT ships by type: cargo 7, oil tanker 19, refrigerated cargo 18, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7 (1996 est.)

Airports: 50 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 36 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 27 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces, Border Guard, Home Guard (Zemessardze)

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 575,121 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 450,640 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 16,323 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: 176 million rubles (1994); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the prevailing exchange rate could produce misleading results

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3% to 5% (1994)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: based on the 1920 Treaty of Riga, Latvia had claimed the Abrene/Pytalovo section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia in 1944; disputes maritime border with Lithuania (primary concern is oil exploration rights)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia; produces illicit amphetamines for export ______________________________________________________________________