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Latvia Geography 2016
https://allcountries.org/world_fact_book_2016/latvia/latvia_geography.html
SOURCE: 2016 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES











Latvia Geography 2016
SOURCE: 2016 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK AND OTHER SOURCES


Page last updated on February 11, 2016

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
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 62,249 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 2,340 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 124

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Area comparison map: area comparison map

Land boundaries:
total: 1,370 km
border countries (4): Belarus 161 km, Estonia 333 km, Lithuania 544 km, Russia 332 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
498 km
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

Maritime claims:
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

Terrain:
low plain

Elevation:
mean elevation:
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Gaizina Kalns 312 m

Natural resources:
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land

Land use:
agricultural land: 29.2% arable land 18.6%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 10.5%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 54.1%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 16.7% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
12 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 (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Total renewable water resources:
35.45 cu km (2011)
[see also: Total renewable water resources country ranks ]

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.42 cu km/yr (42%/45%/13%)
per capita: 177.9 cu m/yr (2007)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
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

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
most of the country is composed of fertile low-lying plains with some hills in the east


NOTE: The information regarding Latvia on this page is re-published from the 2016 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Latvia Geography 2016 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Latvia Geography 2016 should be addressed to the CIA.




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