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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Estonia
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Estonia Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
   Geography    Estonia Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
59 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 45,226 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km
water: 2,015 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
3,794 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
40 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
21.1 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%)
Per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
air polluted with sulfur 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 wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
   People    Estonia Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,315,912 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 15% (male 101,430/female 95,658)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 423,664/female 464,813)
65 years and over: 17.5% (male 76,344/female 154,003) (2007 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 39.4 years
male: 36 years
female: 42.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.635% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
10.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.496 male(s)/female
total population: 0.842 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 72.3 years
male: 66.87 years
female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.41 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7,800 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2000 census)
   Government    Estonia Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary republic
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Tallinn
geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
adopted 28 June 1992
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 23 September 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament
election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - Estonian Reform Party 27.8%, Center Party of Estonia 26.1%, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 17.9%, Social Democratic Party 10.6%, Estonian Greens 7.1%, Estonian People's Union 7.1%, other 5%; seats by party - Reform Party 31, Center Party 29, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 19, Social Democrats 10, Estonian Greens 6, People's Union 6
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR]; Estonian Greens; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR]; Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Tonis LUKAS and Taavi VESKIMAGI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Nochnoy Dozor/Night Watch anti-fascist movement (leader Alexander KOROBOV)
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Vaino REINART
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Davis PHILLIPS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] 668-8100
FAX: [372] 668-8134
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
   Economy    Estonia Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
Estonia, a 2004 European Union entrant, has a modern market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels in Central Europe. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and strong trade ties with Finland, Sweden, and Germany. The current government has pursued relatively sound sound fiscal policies, resulting in balanced budgets and low public debt. In 2007, however, a large current account deficit and rising inflation put pressure on Estonia's currency, which is pegged to the euro, highlighting the need for growth in export-generating industries.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$28.68 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$15.31 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
7.9% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$21,800 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 28.9%
services: 68.2% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
688,000 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 11%
industry: 20%
services: 69% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.7% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
5% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
34 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
33.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $7.671 billion
expenditures: $7.015 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.8% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.8% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.599 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6.888 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
1.953 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
345 million kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
6,930 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
29,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,958 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
54,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.458 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.458 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$3.092 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$11.31 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Finland 18.4%, Sweden 12.4%, Latvia 8.9%, Russia 8.1%, US 5.5%, Germany 5.1%, Lithuania 4.8%, Gibraltar 4.7% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$14.71 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Finland 18.2%, Russia 13.1%, Germany 12.4%, Sweden 9%, Lithuania 6.4%, Latvia 5.7% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$135.5 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.605 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$20.24 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$16.32 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$3.557 billion (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$5.963 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
Estonian kroon (EEK)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
krooni per US dollar - 11.535 (2007), 12.473 (2006), 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003)
note: the krooni is pegged to the euro
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Estonia Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
541,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.659 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schools and libraries are connected to the internet, a large percentage of the population files income-tax returns online, and online voting was used for the first time in the 2005 local elections
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country
international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
3 (2001)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.ee
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
387,336 (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
760,000 (2006)
   Transportation    Estonia Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
19 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2007)
Heliports:
Definition Field Listing
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 859 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 968 km
broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 56,856 km
paved: 13,384 km (includes 99 km of expressways)
unpaved: 43,472 km (2004)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
320 km (2006)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 393,655 GRT/93,245 DWT
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 23, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 2)
registered in other countries: 67 (Antigua and Barbuda 15, Belize 1, Cambodia 1, Cyprus 5, Dominica 8, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malta 7, Norway 1, Panama 3, Slovakia 2, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 20, Vanuatu 1) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Kuivastu, Kunda Sadam, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu
   Military    Estonia Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
compulsory military service for men between 19 and 28; conscription lasts 11 months for junior NCOs and reserve platoon leaders; reserve officers and designated specialists have a different conscript service obligation; Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men up to 2010 and, unlike Latvia and Lithuania, has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 291,696
females age 18-49: 304,961 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 200,382 (in 2004, 51% of the young men called up for service were determined to be unfit; main obstacles to conscription were psychiatric and behavioral)
females age 18-49: 250,351 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 15-49: 11,146
females age 18-49: 10,605 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2% (2005 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Estonia Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Russia recalled its signature to the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia in 2005, rather than concede to Estonia's appending prepared a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important transshipment zone for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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