![]() | |
Continent | Europe |
---|---|
Region | Northern Europe |
Coordinates | 59°00′N26°00′E / 59.000°N 26.000°E |
Area | |
• Total | 45,339 km2 (17,505 sq mi) |
• Land | 95.4% |
• Water | 4.6% |
Coastline | 3,794 km (2,357 mi) |
Borders | Total land borders: 657 km (408 mi) |
Highest point | Suur Munamägi 317 m (1,040 ft) |
Lowest point | Baltic Sea 0 meters |
Longest river | Võhandu 162 km (101 mi) |
Largest lake | Lake Peipus 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi) |
Exclusive economic zone | 36,992 km2 (14,283 sq mi) |
Between 57.3 and 59.5 latitude and 21.5 and 28.1 longitude, Estonia lies on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea on the level northwestern part of the rising East European Platform. Estonia's continental mainland is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland (part of the Baltic Sea) across from Finland, to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia, and to the south by Latvia. Besides the part of the European continent, Estonian territory also includes the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,200 other islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, off the western and northern shores of the country's mainland.
Average elevation in Estonia reaches 50 m (164 ft).
The climate is maritime, wet, with moderate winters and cool summers. Oil shale and limestone deposits, along with forests which cover 47% of the land, play key economic roles in this generally resource-poor country. Estonia boasts over 1,500 lakes, numerous bogs, and 3,794 kilometers of coastline marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets.
Estonia is a flat country covering 45,339 km2 (17,505 sq mi), of which internal waters comprise 4.6%. [1] Estonia has a long, shallow coastline (3,794 km or 2,357 mi) along the Baltic Sea, with 1,520 islands dotting the shore. [2] [3] The two largest islands are Saaremaa (literally, island land), at 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi), and Hiiumaa, at 989 km2 (382 sq mi). [2] The two islands are favorite Estonian vacation spots. [2] The country's highest point, Suur Munamägi, is in the hilly southeast and reaches 318 m (1,043 ft) above sea level. [2] Estonia is covered by about 18,000 km2 (6,950 sq mi) of forest. [2] Arable land amounts to about 9,260 km2 (3,575 sq mi). [2] Meadows cover about 2,520 km2 (973 sq mi), and pastureland covers about 1,810 km2 (699 sq mi). [2] There are more than 1,400 natural and artificial lakes in Estonia. [2] The largest of them, Lake Peipus (3,555 km2 or 1,373 sq mi), forms much of the border between Estonia and Russia. [2] Located in central Estonia, Võrtsjärv is the second-largest lake (270 km2 or 104 sq mi). [2] The Narva and Emajõgi are among the most important of the country's many rivers. [2]
A cluster of recent meteorite craters, the largest of which is called the Kaali crater, is found on the island of Saaremaa. The impact c. 1530–1450 BC killed many, and was witnessed by many more, Nordic Bronze Age inhabitants of the area. [4]
Estonia has a temperate climate, with four seasons of near-equal length. [2] Average temperatures range from 16.3 °C (61.3 °F ) on the Baltic islands to 17.1 °C (62.8 °F) inland in July, the warmest month, and from −3.5 °C (25.7 °F) on the Baltic islands to −7.6 °C (18.3 °F) inland in February, the coldest month. [2] Precipitation averages 568 mm (22.4 in) per year and is heaviest in late summer. [2]
Estonia's land border with Latvia runs 333 km (207 mi); the Russian border runs 324 km (201 mi). [2] [3] From 1920 to 1945, Estonia's border with Russia, set by the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty, extended beyond the Narva river in the northeast and beyond the town of Petseri in the southeast. [2] This territory, amounting to some 2,300 km2 (888 sq mi), was transferred to Soviet Russia at the end of World War II. [2]
Estonia is located on the northwestern part of the East European Platform, bordering the Fennoscandian Shield. Estonia's bedrock consists of two main layers: the crystalline basement and the sedimentary cover. These are further classified into three distinct geological complexes. The crystalline basement, composed of granites, gneisses, and other crystalline rocks, formed during the Proterozoic. This is overlain by a sedimentary cover of Paleozoic rocks, including limestones and sandstones. Above this, a quaternary surface layer is mainly composed of unconsolidated sediments such as gravels, sands, and clays, which formed in the Cenozoic. [5]
Estonia is a part of the Euro-Siberian region of terrestrial Palearctic realm, and the Temperate Northern Atlantic marine ecoregion. [6]
65 different species of mammals live in the Estonian forests. There are an estimated 700 brown bears, over 150 wolves, 400 lynxes, 14,000–16,000 beavers, 3,400 wild boars, 10,000–11,000 moose and 120,000–130,000 deer. There are also red deer and other wild animals. [7]
Phytogeographically, the country is shared between the Central European and Eastern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Estonia belongs to the ecoregion of Sarmatic mixed forests.
There are several plant species endemic to Estonia. These include, for example, Saaremaa yellow rattle (Rhinanthus osiliensis) and Estonian saw-wort (Saussurea esthonica). In total, there are 83 endemic taxa, mostly from the hawkweed (Hieracium) genus. [8]
In total 1441 species of vascular plants have been described in Estonia, in addition more than 2500 species of algae, and 680 species of lichens. [8]
Area: [3]
total:45,228 square kilometres (17,463 sq mi)
land:42,338 square kilometres (16,347 sq mi)
water:2,840 square kilometres (1,100 sq mi)
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Land boundaries: [3]
total:657 km (408 mi)
border countries: Latvia 333 km (207 mi), Russia 324 km (201 mi)
Coastline:3,794 km (2,357 mi)
Maritime claims: [3]
territorial sea:12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
exclusive economic zone: limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden[ citation needed ], border treaty with Russia not ratified as of May 2021. [9]
Elevation extremes: [3]
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamägi 318 metres (1,043 ft)
Natural resources: oil shale (kukersite), peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud [3]
Land use (2018 est.): [3]
Irrigated land:40 km2 (15 sq mi) [3]
Total renewable water resources:12.806 km3 (3.072 cu mi) (2017 est.) [3]