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Location:
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
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Geographic coordinates:
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57 00 N, 25 00 E
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Map references:
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europe
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Area:
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total: 64,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km
land: 63,589 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than West Virginia
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,150 km
border countries: Belarus 141 km, Estonia 339 km, Lithuania 453 km, Russia 217 km
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Coastline:
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531 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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Climate:
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maritime; wet, moderate winters
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Terrain:
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low plain
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizinkalns 312 m
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Natural resources:
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peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 29.67%
permanent crops: 0.47%
other: 69.86% (2001)
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Irrigated land:
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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.)
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Natural hazards:
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NA
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east
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