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Estonia: Geography
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Location:
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
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Geographic coordinates:
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59 00 N, 26 00 E
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total: 45,226 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
water: 2,015 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
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Land boundaries:
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total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
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Coastline:
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3,794 km
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
territorial sea: 12 NM
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Climate:
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maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
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Terrain:
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marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
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Natural resources:
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oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
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Land use:
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arable land: 26.5%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 73.15% (1998 est.)
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (1998 est.)
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Natural hazards:
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sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
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Environment - current issues:
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air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; 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
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
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Geography - note:
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the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
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