Geography
Latvia
Area
land
62,249 sq km
water
2,340 sq km
total
64,589 sq km
Climate
maritime; characterized by wet conditions and moderate winters
Terrain
low plain
Land use
other
12.8% (2023 est.)
forest
55.5% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
31.7% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 21.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 9.7% (2023 est.)
Location
Eastern Europe, situated along the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania
Coastline
498 km
Elevation
lowest point
Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point
Gaizina Kalns 312 m
mean elevation
87 m
Irrigated land
6 sq km (2016)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
1,370 km
border countries
Belarus 161 km; Estonia 333 km; Lithuania 544 km; Russia 332 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone
boundaries established by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Russia
Natural hazards
a significant portion of agricultural lands may become saturated with water, necessitating drainage solutions
Geography - note
the majority of the nation consists of fertile lowlands, interspersed with some hills in the eastern region
Natural resources
peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, timber, arable land
Area - comparative
slightly greater in size than West Virginia
Geographic coordinates
57 00 N, 25 00 E
Population distribution
the highest population density is located in and around the capital city and port of Riga; smaller urban clusters are distributed across the nation