Location
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Geographic Coordinates
59 00 N, 26 00 E
Map References
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
Country comparison to the world: 133
Area Comparative: About twice the size of New Jersey
Land Boundaries
Total: 657 km
Border countries (2): Latvia 333 km, Russia 324 km
Coastline: 3,794 km
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: Limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Russia
Climate
Maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Terrain
Marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Elevation
Mean elevation: 61 m
Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
Highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Natural Resources
Oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Land Use
Agricultural land: 22.2% (2011 est.)
Arable land: 14.9% (2011 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.1% (2011 est.)
Permanent pasture: 7.2% (2011 est.)
Forest: 52.1% (2011 est.)
Other: 25.7% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (2012)
Population Distribution
A fairly even distribution throughout most of the country, with urban areas attracting larger and denser populations
Natural Hazards
Sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Current Environmental 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
Notes
- The mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded;
- Offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Article written for World Trade Press by CIA Factbook, Current as of 30 April, 2021.
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