| 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.) |
| 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, and 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, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
| Geography - Note : |
Most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east. |
