Estonia is bordered in the north by the Gulf of Finland, in the east by Russia, in the south by Latvia and in the west by the Baltic Sea. Estonia owns 1 520 litle islands ; the two widest, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, divide the Riga’s Gulf from the Baltic Sea.
It is a land of low plains and hills, scattered with numerous lakes and watercourses. The average altitude is about 50 meters, the peak of the country is only 318 meters high. The rocky coastline is about 3 794 km long. The marshes and the lakes cover about 25% of territory. The two most important lakes are Peïpous lake on the oriental border and Võrts-Järv in the southern center of the country, which both represent almost four fifth of the whole lake surface.
The climate is continental type, tempered with seaborne influences. The rainfalls are moderated with an average pluviometry which varies from 500 to 700 milimeters a year.
