Geography of Latvia which Latvia contested after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Latvia encompasses 64,589 square kilometers and is an extension of the East European Plain. Its flat terrain differs little from that of its surrounding neighbors. Latvia's only distinct border is the Baltic Sea coast, which extends for 531 kilometers. Its neighbors include Lithuania on the south (453 kilometers of common border), Estonia on the north (267 kilometers), Russia on the east (217 kilometers), and Belarus on the southeast (141 kilometers). Prior to World War II, Latvia bordered eastern Poland, but as a result of boundary changes by the Soviet Union,
Latvia–Russia relations of Latvia. Russia often criticizes Latvia for alleged discrimination against the Russian-speaking population. Russia has also participated in a number of cases of complaints against Latvia in the European Court of Human Rights as a third party. These cases also dealt with the violation of the rights of the Russian minority in Latvia. Such cases included "Slivenko v. Latvia", "Kononov v. Latvia", "Vikulov and others v. Latvia", "Sisojeva And Others v Latvia", and "Vasilevskiy v. Latvia". While some agreements have been signed by representatives of Latvia and Russia, not all have been passed by their respective legislatures and are therefore