Latvia
Latvia: Travel tips, articles, photos, gallery, cities database, population, pics, flags, statistics, free maps online
Back to Countries, Click to read the whole article: Latvia
Introduction - Latvia: | Location - Latvia: | 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: 1,368 km
border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 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: Galzina Kalns 312 m | | Natural resources | peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land | | Land use | arable land: 28.19%
permanent crops: 0.45%
other: 71.36% (2005) | | 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 (2003) | | Natural hazards | NA | | Environment current issues | Latvias 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, as well as 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, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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 | |
People - Latvia: | Government - Latvia: | Economy - Latvia: | Communications - Latvia: | Transportation - Latvia: | Military - Latvia: |
This page was last updated on 16 September, 2007 Source: CIA >>> |