Estonia vs. Latvia
Geography
| Estonia | Latvia | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania |
| Geographic coordinates | 59 00 N, 26 00 E | 57 00 N, 25 00 E |
| Map references | Europe | Europe |
| Area | total: 45,228 sq km land: 42,388 sq km water: 2,840 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea | total: 64,589 sq km land: 62,249 sq km water: 2,340 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about twice the size of New Jersey | slightly larger than West Virginia |
| Land boundaries | total: 657 km border countries (2): Latvia 333 km, Russia 324 km | total: 1,370 km border countries (4): Belarus 161 km, Estonia 333 km, Lithuania 544 km, Russia 332 km |
| Coastline | 3,794 km | 498 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Russia | territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Russia continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
| Climate | maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers | maritime; wet, moderate winters |
| Terrain | marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south | low plain |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m mean elevation: 61 m | highest point: Gaizina Kalns 312 m lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m mean elevation: 87 m |
| Natural resources | oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud | peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 22.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 14.9% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 7.2% (2018 est.) forest: 52.1% (2018 est.) other: 25.7% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 29.2% (2018 est.) arable land: 18.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 10.5% (2018 est.) forest: 54.1% (2018 est.) other: 16.7% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 40 sq km (2012) | 12 sq km (2012) 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 |
| Natural hazards | sometimes flooding occurs in the spring | large percentage of agricultural fields can become waterlogged and require drainage |
| Environment - current issues | air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amounts of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen dramatically and the pollution load of wastewater at purification plants has decreased substantially due to improved technology and environmental monitoring; 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 | while land, water, and air pollution are evident, Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; improvements have occurred in drinking water quality, sewage treatment, household and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; concerns include nature protection and the management of water resources and the protection of the Baltic Sea |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands | most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east |
| Total renewable water resources | 12.806 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 34.94 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | a fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations | largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country |
Source: CIA Factbook
