Latvia - Transportation

Railroads extend for 2,412 km (1,499 mi), linking port cities with Russia. More than 80% of railway use is for daily commuting. In 2002, there were 59,178 km (36,773 mi) of highways, of which 22,843 km (14,194 mi) were paved. Maritime ports include Riga, Ventspils, and Liepa ¯ja. In 2002, the merchant fleet consisted of 6 ships with a total of 30,119 GRT. Ventspils is the terminus of the 750 km 466 mi) oil pipeline from Polotsk, Belarus.

In 2001, Latvia has an estimated 25 airports, 13 of which have paved runways. The principal airport at Riga has international air links to Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and New York, as well as direct flights to Austria, Germany, Israel, Russia, and Belarus. In 2001, 305,100 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international airline flights.