Latvia

C

Plants and Animals

About one quarter of Latvia is forested, mainly with pine, spruce, birch, and aspen. Deer and wild boar are common, and a wide variety of birds, including the black stork, resides in the country.

D

Environmental Concerns

Like most former republics of the USSR, Latvia suffers the negative environmental legacy of decades of ecological and environmental mismanagement by a government that never implemented emission-control technologies. Industrial pollution continues to be a problem due to the high cost of upgrading or replacing existing technologies and facilities. Industrial, agricultural, and municipal enterprises have produced dangerous levels of water pollution. Water pollution is especially severe in the Daugava River and the Gulf of Riga because of the outflow of untreated waste water at Riga and industrial discharge from factories along the Daugava and its tributaries. In addition, chemicals and petroleum products at military bases have contaminated soil and groundwater.

Air pollution in Latvia is particularly heavy during windless, cloudy weather. The main air pollutants are sulphur dioxide, ammonia, phenols, formaldehyde, and nitrogen oxides. Latvia suffers from high levels of acid rain, which has defoliated more than half the country's trees. In addition, the extraction of peat reserves continues to damage wildlife habitats. In 1995, 46.4 per cent of the country's total land area was forested. Environmental issues began to be discussed publicly in the late 1980s as part of Latvia's independence movement. The government has designated 12.5 per cent (1997) of the country protected and has ratified international environmental agreements pertaining to air pollution, biodiversity, climate change, endangered species, hazardous wastes, ozone layer protection, ship pollution, and wetlands.

III

Population

The population of the republic is 2,259,810 (2007 estimate). Latvians constitute 59 per cent of the population; before annexation in 1940 by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), they comprised three quarters of the population. Russians, who live mostly in Latvia’s urban areas, make up the largest minority with around 29 per cent of the population. Other minorities include Ukrainians, Belorussians, Lithuanians, Jews, Estonians, and Poles.

A

Population Characteristics

Latvia is highly urbanized. Population density is 36 people per sq km (92 per sq mi). About 66 per cent of the population lives in urban areas, with about a third of the country’s inhabitants residing in the capital, Riga.

B

Principal Cities

Riga has a population of 735,241 (2004 estimate). Other important cities include Daugavpils, population 111,231 (2004 estimate), and Liepāja, 86,496 (2004 estimate). Numerous towns and small cities are located along the country’s rivers, waterways, and coastal areas.