| Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania |
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| Geographic coordinates | 57 00 N, 25 00 E |
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| Zone | Europe |
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| Area | total: 64,589 sq km
land: 63,589 sq km
water: 1,000 sq km |
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| Land boundaries | total: 1,368 km
border countries: Belarus 167 km, Estonia 343 km, Lithuania 576 km, Russia 282 km |
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| Coastline | 531 km |
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| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation |
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| Climate | maritime; wet, moderate winters |
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| Terrain | low plain |
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| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Galzina Kalns 312 m |
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| Natural resources | peat, limestone, dolomite, amber, hydropower, wood, arable land |
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| Irrigated land | 531 km |
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| Natural hazards | NA |
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Environment -
current issues | Latvia's environment has benefited from a shift to service industries after the country regained independence; the main environmental priorities are improvement of drinking water quality and sewage system, household, and hazardous waste management, as well as reduction of air pollution; in 2001, Latvia closed the EU accession negotiation chapter on environment committing to full enforcement of EU environmental directives by 2010 |
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Environment -
international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| Geography - note | most of the country is composed of fertile, low-lying plains, with some hills in the east |
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