Short facts about the geography of Estonia

Location:

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates:

59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total:  45,226 sq km land:  43,211 sq km water:  2,015 sq km note:  includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Land boundaries:

total:  633 km border countries:  Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km

Coastline:

3,794 km

Maritime claims:

exclusive economic zone:  limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states territorial sea:  12 NM

Climate:

maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain:

marshy, lowlands

Elevation extremes:

lowest point:  Baltic Sea 0 m highest point:  Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources:

shale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber, cambrian blue clay, limestone, dolomite, arable land

Land use:

arable land:  25% permanent crops:  0% permanent pastures:  11% forests and woodland:  44% other:  20% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land:

110 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards:

flooding occurs frequently in the spring

Environment - current issues:

air heavily polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products, chemicals at former Soviet military bases; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas are heavily affected by organic waste; coastal sea water is polluted in many locations

Environment - international agreements:

party to:  Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:  Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Source: World Factbook