Estonia Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Estonia?
Overview
Estonia is the northernmost of the three Baltic States. Its capital, Tallinn, lies about 80 kilometers south of Helsinki, Finland across the gulf of Finland. West of Estonia is the Baltic Sea, and to the east is Russia. Estonia borders Latvia on the south. The smallest of the Baltic States, Estonia covers 17,462 square miles (45,226 square kilometers)Estonia is located on the Great Northern European Plain. Its topography is typically flat in coastal regions and hilly in the inland southeastern part of the country. The elevation in northwestern Estonia averages 160 feet (49 meters) but rises to 320 feet (98 meters) in the southeast. The highest point in Estonia, at 1,040 feet (317 meters) above sea level, is a hill called "Suur Munamägi" ("Big Egg Mountain") in the southeast.
Estonia’s inland waters include 1,400 lakes and many shallow rivers. The largest lakes are Lake Peipsi in eastern Estonia on the Russian border and Lake Võrtsjärv in south-central Estonia. Estonia’s two major rivers are the Emajõgi, running east-west from Lake Võrtsjärv to Lake Peipsi, and the Narva, that connects Lake Peipsi to the Gulf of Finland. Estonia has substantial areas of bogs and wetlands, particularly in western regions. Forest and woodland, which are usually a mixture of coniferous spruce, pine, white birch, ash, maple, and aspen, cover 47.4% of Estonia.
Off the coast of Estonia sit 1,520 islands that account for nearly 8% of the country’s total land area. The largest islands are Saaremaa and Hiiumaa.
Geography - note
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islandsEstonia Use of Natural Resources
| Geographic Location | Europe |
| Total Area |
17,463 Square Miles 45,228 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
16,366 Square Miles 42,388 Square Kilometers |
| Water Area |
1,097 Square Miles 2,840 Square Kilometers |
| Land Boundaries |
393 Miles 633 Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
2 Square Miles 5 Square Kilometers |
| Border Countries | Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km |
| Coastline |
2,357 Miles 3,794 Kilometers |
| Geographic Coordinates | 59 00 N, 26 00 E |
| Terrain | marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south |
| Highest Point | 318 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Suur Munamagi 318 m |
| Lowest Point Location | Baltic Sea 0 m |
| Natural Resources | oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud |
| Time Zone | UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Daylight saving time | +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
