Latvia's Geography | Latvia Geography

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania

Geographic coordinates: 57 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: Total: 64,589 sq km land: 63,589 sq km water: 1,000 sq km

Area - comparative: Slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: Total: 1,150 km border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km

Coastline: 531 km

Maritime claims: Territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate: Maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain: Low plain

Elevation extremes: Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m

Natural resources: Peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land

Land use: Arable land: 29.67% permanent crops: 0.47% other: 69.86% (2001)

Irrigated land: 200 sq km note: land in Latvia is often too wet, and in need of drainage, not irrigation; approximately 16,000 sq km or 85% of agricultural land has been improved by drainage (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010

Environment - international agreements: Party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: Most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east

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