Geography of Estonia

Between 57.3 and 59.5 latitude and 21.5 and 28.1 longitude, Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea on the level northwestern part of the rising east European platform. Average elevation reaches only 50m (160 ft.). The climate resembles New England's. Oil shale and limestone deposits, along with forests which cover 47% of the land, play key economic roles in this generally resource-poor country. Estonia boasts over 1,500 lakes, numerous bogs, and 3,794 kilometers of coastline marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. Tallinn's Muuga port offers one of Europe's finest warm-water harbor facilities. Estonia's strategic location has precipitated many wars that were fought on its territory between other rival powers at its expense. In 1944 the U.S.S.R granted Russia the trans-Narva and Petseri regions on Estonia's eastern frontier, which still remain contested bilaterally. Location:\nEastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia.

Geographic coordinates:\n59 00 N, 26 00 E\n

Map references:\nEurope\n

Area:\n
total:\n45,226 km²\n
land:\n43,211 km²\n
water:\n2,015 km²\n
note:\nincludes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea\n

Area - comparative:\nslightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined\n

Land boundaries:\n
total:\n633 km\n
border countries:\nLatvia 339 km, Russia 294 km\n

Coastline:\n3,794 km\n

Maritime claims:\n
exclusive economic zone:\nlimits fixed in coordination with neighboring states\n
territorial sea:\n12 nm\n

Climate:\nmaritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers\n

Terrain:\nmarshy, lowlands\n

Elevation extremes:\n
lowest point:\nBaltic Sea 0 m\n
highest point:\nSuur Munamagi 318 m\n

Natural resources:\nshale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber, cambrian blue clay, limestone, dolomite, arable land\n

Land use:\n
arable land:\n25%\n
permanent crops:\n0%\n
permanent pastures:\n11%\n
forests and woodland:\n44%\n
other:\n20% (1996 est.)\n

Irrigated land:\n110 km² (1996 est.)\n

Natural hazards:\nflooding occurs frequently in the spring\n

Environment - current issues:\nair 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\n

Environment - international agreements:\n
party to:\nBiodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands\n
signed, but not ratified:\nClimate Change-Kyoto Protocol

See also : Estonia