EstoniaGeography
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Location: |
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
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Geographic coordinates: |
59 00 N, 26 00 E
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Map references: |
Europe
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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
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Area - comparative: |
slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
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Land boundaries: |
total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
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Coastline: |
3,794 km
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Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
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Climate: |
maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
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Terrain: |
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
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Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
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Natural resources: |
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
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Land use: |
arable land: 16.04%
permanent crops: 0.45%
other: 83.51% (2001)
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Irrigated land: |
40 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards: |
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
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Environment - current issues: |
air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
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Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note: |
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
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More about Estonia:
Introduction
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
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