Estonia Geography 1997

Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, betweenLatvia 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 to be 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

Land use
arable land : 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 48%
other : 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land 110 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards flooding occurs frequently in the spring

Environment - current issues air heavily polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning powerplants in northeast; contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products, chemicals at former Soviet military bases; Estonia has more than1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areasare heavily affected by organic waste; coastal sea water is polluted in manylocations

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements

NOTE: The information regarding Estonia on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Estonia Geography 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Estonia Geography 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.