View source for Geography of Estonia

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{{Country geography
| name = Estonia
| map = Satellite image of Estonia in April 2004.jpg
| continent = [[Europe]]
| region = [[Northern Europe]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|59|00|N|26|00|E|type:country}}
| km area = 45339
| percent land = 95.4
| km coastline = 3,794
| borders = [[Land borders|Total land borders]]:<br /> {{convert|657|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| highest point = [[Suur Munamägi]] <br /> {{convert|317|m|ft|abbr=on}}
| lowest point = [[Baltic Sea]] <br /> 0 meters
| longest river = [[Võhandu (river)|Võhandu]] <br /> {{convert|162|km|mi|abbr=on}}
| largest lake = [[Lake Peipus]] <br /> {{convert|3555|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
| exclusive economic zone= {{convert|36,992|km2|mi2|abbr=on}}
}}

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|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 [[island]]s and [[islet]]s in the Baltic Sea, off the western and northern shores of the country's mainland.

Average elevation in Estonia reaches {{convert|50|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}.
 
The climate is maritime, wet, with moderate winters and cool summers. [[Oil shale]] and [[limestone]] deposits, along with [[forest]]s which cover 47% of the land, play key economic roles in this generally resource-poor country. Estonia boasts over 1,500 [[lake]]s, numerous [[bog]]s, and 3,794 kilometers of [[coastline]] marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. 

==Geographic features==
[[File:Estonia 1999 CIA map.jpg|thumb|Map of Estonia]]
[[File:Eesti lipp.jpg|thumb|Typical landscape of the Estonian forest in winter]]
{{See also|List of islands of  Estonia}}
{{See also|List of rivers of  Estonia}}

Estonia is a flat country covering {{convert|45339|km2|sqmi|0|abbr=on}}, of which internal waters comprise 4.6%.<ref name="Raukas_2018">{{cite journal|last=Raukas|first=Anto|authorlink=Anto Raukas|title=Briefly about Estonia |journal=Dynamiques Environnementales|year=2018|volume=42|issue=42 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/dynenviron/2230?lang=en|doi=10.4000/dynenviron.2230|issn=2534-4358|pages=284–291|access-date=5 March 2023|doi-access=free}}</ref> Estonia has a long, shallow coastline ({{convert|3794|km|mi|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) along the Baltic Sea, with 1,520 islands dotting the shore.<ref name=":0">{{citation-attribution|1={{cite encyclopedia|title=Estonia, Latvia & Lithuania: country studies|publisher=[[Federal Research Division]], [[Library of Congress]]|location=Washington, D.C.|url=https://www.loc.gov/item/96004057/|last=Pettai|first=Velio A.|date=1996|editor-last=Iwaskiw|editor-first=Walter R.|edition=1st|pages=28–30|isbn=0-8444-0851-4|oclc=34245562|entry=Estonia: Physical Environment}}}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite web|date=September 2, 2021|title=Estonia|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/estonia/|access-date=September 10, 2021|website=[[The World Factbook]]|publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]]}}}}</ref> The two largest islands are [[Saaremaa]] (literally, island land), at {{convert|2673|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}, and Hiiumaa, at {{convert|989|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" /> The two islands are favorite Estonian vacation spots.<ref name=":0" /> The country's highest point, [[Suur Munamägi]] (Egg Mountain), is in the hilly southeast and reaches {{convert|318|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name=":0" /> Estonia is covered by about {{convert|18000|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}} of forest.<ref name=":0" /> Arable land amounts to about {{convert|9260|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" /> Meadows cover about {{convert|2520|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}, and pastureland covers about {{convert|1810|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" /> There are more than 1,400 natural and artificial lakes in Estonia.<ref name=":0" /> The largest of them, [[Lake Peipus]] ({{convert|3555|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}), forms much of the border between Estonia and Russia.<ref name=":0" /> Located in central Estonia, [[Võrtsjärv]] is the second-largest lake ({{convert|270|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref name=":0" /> The [[Narva River|Narva]] and [[Emajõgi]] are among the most important of the country's many rivers.<ref name=":0" />

A small, recent cluster of meteorite craters, the largest of which is called [[Kaali crater|Kaali]] are found on the Estonian island of [[Saaremaa]]. The impact may have been witnessed by the Iron Age inhabitants of the area.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Veski|first1=Siim|last2=Heinsalu|first2=Atko|last3=Lang|first3=Valter|last4=Kestlane|first4=Ülo|last5=Possnert|first5=Göran|date=2004-08-01|title=The age of the Kaali meteorite craters and the effect of the impact on the environment and man: Evidence from inside the Kaali craters, island of Saaremaa, Estonia|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225905751|journal=Vegetation History and Archaeobotany|volume=13|issue=3|pages=197–206|doi=10.1007/s00334-004-0043-x|s2cid=53476672}}</ref>

Estonia has a temperate climate, with four seasons of near-equal length.<ref name=":0" /> Average temperatures range from {{convert|16.3|°C|1|lk=on}} on the Baltic islands to {{convert|17.1|°C|1}} inland in July, the warmest month, and from {{convert|−3.5|°C|1}} on the Baltic islands to {{convert|−7.6|°C|1}} inland in February, the coldest month.<ref name=":0" /> Precipitation averages {{convert|568|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} per year and is heaviest in late summer.<ref name=":0" />

Estonia's land border with Latvia runs {{convert|333|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}; [[Estonia-Russia border|the Russian border]] runs {{convert|324|km|mi|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> From 1920 to 1945, Estonia's border with Russia, set by the 1920 [[Treaty of Tartu (Estonia–Russia)|Tartu Peace Treaty]], extended beyond the Narva river in the northeast and beyond the town of [[Petseri]] in the southeast.<ref name=":0" /> This territory, amounting to some {{convert|2300|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}}, was transferred to [[Russian SFSR|Soviet Russia]] at the end of [[World War II]].<ref name=":0" />
===Geology===
{{Main|Geology of Estonia}}
[[File:Ontika maastikukaitseala.jpg|thumb|right|The cliff at [[Valaste Falls]] illustrates the [[stratigraphy]] of various geological eras.]]

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 [[granite]]s, [[gneiss]]es, and other crystalline rocks, formed during the [[Proterozoic]]. This is overlain by a sedimentary cover of [[Paleozoic]] rocks, including [[limestone]]s and [[sandstone]]s. Above this, a [[quaternary]] surface layer is mainly composed of unconsolidated sediments such as [[gravel]]s, [[sand]]s, and [[clay]]s, which formed in the [[Cenozoic]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://geoportaal.maaamet.ee/docs/geoloogia/andmed/Aluskord_400000_seletuskiri.pdf?t=20160506132630|title=Eesti kristalse aluskorra geoloogiline kaart}}</ref>
==Fauna==

{{Main|Fauna of Estonia}}

There live 65 different species of mammals 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.<ref name="GBIF">[https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/taxonomy?country=EE&taxon_key=1&advanced=1 Animalia] [[GBIF]]</ref>

==Flora==
{{Main|Flora of Estonia}}

[[File:Laelatu puisniit.jpg|thumb|In Laelatu meadow, there have been found 76 species of plants in 1 m<sup>2</sup>. That is the 2nd largest number of species per m<sup>2</sup> in the world.]]

==Environmental issues==
{{See also|Protected areas of Estonia}}
[[File:Suur-Pakri - kaugpommitajate polügoon.JPG|thumb|The Soviet army used the [[Pakri Islands]] as sites for aerial bombardment. The collection and destruction of thousands of Soviet explosive devices was mostly complete by 1997.]]
One of the most burdensome legacies of the 1944–1991 Soviet occupation of Estonia is widespread environmental pollution.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Auer, M.R., [[Anto Raukas|Raukas, A.]] (2002). Determinants of environmental cleanup in Estonia. ''Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy'', 20: 679–698.</ref> The worst offender in this regard was the Soviet army.<ref name=":0" /> Across military installations covering more than {{Convert|800|km2}} of Estonian territory, the army dumped hundreds of thousands of tons of jet fuel into the ground, improperly disposed of toxic chemicals, and discarded outdated explosives and weapons in coastal and inland waters.<ref name=":0" />

In the 1990s, during the army's withdrawal from Estonia, extensive damage was done to discarded buildings and equipment.<ref name=":0" /> In October 1993, the Estonian Ministry of Environment issued a preliminary report summing up part of the degradation it had surveyed thus far.<ref name=":0" /> The report described the worst damage as having been done to Estonia's topsoil and underground water supply by the systematic dumping of jet fuel at six Soviet army air bases.<ref name=":0" /> At the air base near Tapa, site of the worst damage, officials estimated that {{Convert|6|km2}} of land were covered by a layer of fuel; {{Convert|11|km2}} of underground water were said to be contaminated.<ref name=":0" /> The water in the surrounding area was undrinkable, and was sometimes set fire by locals to provide heat during the winter.<ref name=":0" /> With Danish help, Estonian crews began cleaning up the site, although they estimated the likely cost to be as much as 4 million [[Estonian kroon|EEK]].<ref name=":0" /> The Ministry of Environment assigned a monetary cost of more than 10 billion EEK to the damage to the country's topsoil and water supply.<ref name=":0" /> However, the ministry was able to allocate only 5 million EEK in 1993 for cleanup operations.<ref name=":0" />

In a 1992 government report to the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development, Estonia detailed other major environmental concerns.<ref name=":0" /> For instance, for several consecutive years Estonia had led the world in the production of sulfur dioxide per capita.<ref name=":0" /> Nearly 75% of Estonia's [[air pollution]] was reported to come from [[Narva Power Plants|two oil shale-based thermal power stations operating near Narva]].<ref name=":0" /> The [[Oil shale in Estonia|mining of oil shale]] in northeastern Estonia has also left large mounds of limestone [[tailings]] dotting the region.<ref name=":0" /> Near the town of [[Sillamäe]], site of a former uranium enrichment plant, about 1,200 tons of uranium and about 750 tons of thorium had been dumped into a reservoir on the shore of the Gulf of Finland.<ref name=":0" /> This was said to have caused severe health problems among area residents.<ref name=":0" /> In the coastal town of Paldiski, the removal of waste left by Soviet army nuclear reactors was also a major concern.<ref name=":0" /> The combined cost of environmental cleanup at both towns was put at more than EEK3.5 billion.<ref name=":0" />

'''Natural hazards:''' flooding occurs frequently in the spring in certain areas'''<ref name=":1" />'''

'''Environment – current issues:''' air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amounts of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen dramatically and the pollution load of wastewater at purification plants has decreased substantially due to improved technology and environmental monitoring; 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.'''<ref name=":1" />'''

'''Environment – international agreements:'''<br />
''party to:'' Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, [[Biodiversity]], Climate Change, Climate Change-[[Kyoto Protocol]], Climate Change-[[Paris Agreement]], [[Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty|Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban]], [[Desertification]], Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, [[Law of the Sea]], Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling'''<ref name=":1" />'''

==Area and boundaries==
[[File:Hellamaa panoraam.jpg|thumb|300px|Hellamaa bay in [[Hiiumaa]].]]
'''Area:<ref name=":1" />'''<br />
''total:'' {{Convert|45228|km2}}<br />
''land:'' {{Convert|42338|km2}}<br />
''water:'' {{Convert|2840|km2}}<br />
''note:'' includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

'''Land boundaries:<ref name=":1" />'''<br />
''total:'' {{Convert|657|km|abbr=on}}<br />
''border countries:'' Latvia {{Convert|333|km|abbr=on}}, Russia {{Convert|324|km|abbr=on}}

'''Coastline:''' {{Convert|3794|km|abbr=on}}

'''Maritime claims:<ref name=":1" />'''<br />
''territorial sea:'' {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on|lk=in}}

''[[exclusive economic zone]]:'' limits as agreed to by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}, [[Estonian–Russian territorial dispute#Post-Soviet times|border treaty with Russia]] not ratified as of May 2021.<ref name=iilss-20210524>{{cite web |url=https://iilss.net/maritime-boundaries-between-russia-and-estonia/ |title=Maritime boundaries between Russia and Estonia |website=International institute for Law of the Sea Studies |date=24 May 2021 |access-date=21 September 2025}}</ref>

'''Elevation extremes:<ref name=":1" />'''<br />
''lowest point:'' Baltic Sea 0 m<br />
''highest point:'' [[Suur Munamägi]] {{Convert|318|m}}

===Geographical (landscape) areas===
*Northern Estonia (roughly equivalent to ''Põhja-Eesti maastikuvaldkond'' ([[:et:Põhja-Eesti maastikuvaldkond|:et]]), which includes the capital city [[Tallinn]])
*Southern Estonia
*Western Estonia
*Eastern Estonia
<!--Sometimes is used term "Northeastern Estonia" (mainly same as [[Ida-Viru County]]) and "Central Estonia"-->

==Resources and land use==
[[File:Pine forest in Estonia.jpg|thumb|Forests cover more than half of the territory of Estonia.]]
'''Natural resources:''' [[oil shale]] ([[kukersite]]), [[peat]], [[Rare-earth element|rare earth elements]], [[phosphorite]], clay, [[limestone]], [[sand]], [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]], [[arable land]], sea mud'''<ref name=":1" />'''

'''Land use (2018 est.):<ref name=":1" />'''

* agricultural land: 22.2% (14% arable land, 0.1% permanent crops, 7.2% permanent pasture)
* forest: 52.1%
* other: 25.7%

'''Irrigated land:''' {{Convert|40|km2|abbr=on}}'''<ref name=":1" />'''

'''Total renewable water resources:''' {{Convert|12.806|km3|abbr=on}} (2017 est.)'''<ref name=":1" />'''

== See also ==
{{commons category}}
* [[Extreme points of Estonia]]
* [[Climate of Estonia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Estonia topics|state=autocollapse}}
{{Geography of Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Geography Of Estonia}}
[[Category:Geography of Estonia| ]]