Climate
maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud

Land use
arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005)

Irrigated land
40 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources
21.1 cu km (2005)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%)
per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002)

Natural hazards
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Environment - current issues
air polluted with sulphur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified waste-water discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one-20th the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of waste-water decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and man-made lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations

Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, 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, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands