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: slightly larger than West Virginia

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: 87 m
[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 ]

Population - distribution:
largest concentration of people is found in and around the port and capital city of Riga; small agglomerations are scattered throughout the country

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