Map of Estonia | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: In and out of Swedish and Russian control over the centuries, this little Baltic state was re-incorporated into the USSR after German occupation in World War II. Independence came with the collapse of the USSR in 1991; the last Russian troops left in 1994. Estonia thus became free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. The position of ethnic Russians (29% of the population) remains an issue of concern to Moscow. European Union (EU) membership negotiations, which began in 1998, remain a domestic issue.


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Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 45,226 km²
Land: 43,211 km²
Water: 2,015 km²
Note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Land boundaries
Total: 633 km
Border countries: (2) Latvia 339 km; , Russia 294 km

Coastline: 3,794 km

Maritime claims
Exclusive economic zone: limits to be fixed in coordination with neighboring states
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain: marshy, lowlands

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

Natural resources: shale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber, cambrian blue clay

Land use
Arable land: 22%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 11%
Forests and woodland: 31%
Other: 36% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 110 km² (1993 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: flooding occurs frequently in the spring

Geography


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Population: 1,421,335 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: -0.99% (1998 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Estonian(s)
Adjective: Estonian

Ethnic groups: Estonian 64.2%, Russian 28.7%, Ukrainian 2.7%, Byelorussian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.9% (1995)

Languages: Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, other

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, others include Baptist, Methodist, 7th Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, 7th Day Baptist, Judaism

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 19% (male 136,278; female 131,480)
15-64 years: 67% (male 456,796; female 492,946)
65 years and over: 14% (male 66,261; female 137,574) (July 1998 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: -0.99% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 9.04 births/1000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 14.15 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air heavily polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products, chemicals at former Soviet military bases; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas are heavily affected by organic waste; coastal sea water is polluted in many locations
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate

Life expectancy at birth
Female: 74.83 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.29 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
Female: 100% (1989 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
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: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Tallinn

Administrative divisions: 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 (Kuessaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
Note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Dependent areas

Independence: 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 24 February (1918)

Constitution: adopted 28 June 1992

Legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Lennart MERI (since 5 October 1992): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Mart SIIMANN (since 12 March 1997)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament
Elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after 3 rounds of balloting, 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 August-September 1996 (next to be held fall 2001); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament
Election results: Lennart MERI elected president by an electoral assembly after Parliament was unable to break a deadlock between MERI and RUUTEL; percent of electoral assembly vote_Lennert MERI 61%, Arnold RUUTEL 39%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
Elections: last held 5 March 1995 (next to be held NA March 1999)
Election results: percent of vote by party_KMU 32.22%, RE 16.18%, K 14.17%, Pro Patria and ERSP 7.85%, M 5.98%, Our Home is Estonia and Right-Wingers 5.0%; seats by party_KMU 41, RE 19, K 16, Pro Patria 8, Our Home is Estonia 6, M 6, Right-Wingers 5

Judicial branch: National Court, chairman appointed by the Parliament for life

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Grigore-Kalev STOICESCU
In the us chancery: 2,131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101
In the us fax: [1] (202) 588-0108
In the us consulates general: New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Walter ANDRUSYSZYU
From the us embassy: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Tallinn; PSC 78, Box T; APO AE 9,723
From the us telephone: [372] (6) 312-021
From the us fax: [372] (6) 312-025

Flag description: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990_three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: In 1997 Estonia's continued implementation of market economic reforms, disciplined fiscal and monetary policies, and a liberal free trade regime resulted in GDP growth of 10% and a drop in inflation to 11.2%. Estonia can point to its inclusion among the first group of Central and East European countries to begin EU accession talks in 1998 as its most significant economic achievement in 1997. Other economic strengths include solid investment grade rating from both Standard and Poors and Moody's, government revenue collection in excess of projections by more than 6%, growth in exports at a faster rate than imports, and record levels of foreign direct investment, among the highest per capita in Central and East Europe. Estonia privatized its shipping company in 1997, but failed to make as much progress privatizing other large infrastructure/utility companies, such as Eesti Energia and the Oil Shale company, which it plans to privatize in the next two years. The growing current account deficit, which stood at nearly 10% of GDP at yearend 1997, remains a serious concern. In 1998, GDP is expected to grow by 5.5% and inflation to fall 10%.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)

Real gdp per capita ppp

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.1%
Industry: 24.9%
Services: 68% (1995 est.)

Agriculture products: potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Industries: oil shale, shipbuilding, phosphates, electric motors, excavators, cement, furniture, clothing, textiles, paper, shoes, apparel

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

Labor force
Total: 785,000 (1996 est.)
By occupation industry and construction: 42%
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 20%
By occupation other: 38% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1997 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $1.7 billion
Expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $214 million (1996 est.)

Public debt

Taxes and other revenues

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Current account balance

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: total value:$2 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
Commodoties: textiles 16%, food products 16%, machinery and equipment 16%, metals 9% (1995)
Partners: Finland, Russia, Sweden, Germany, Latvia (1995)

Imports: total value:$3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
Commodoties: machinery and equipment 29%, foodstuffs 14%, minerals 13%, textiles 13%, metals 12% (1995)
Partners: Finland, Russia, Sweden, Germany (1995)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $270 million (January 1996)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: krooni (EEK) per US$1_14.527 (January 1998), 13.882 (1997), 12.034 (1996), 11.465 (1995), 12.991 (1994), 13.223 (1993; note_krooni are tied to the German deutsche mark at a fixed rate of 8 to 1


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Electricity access

Electricity production: 8.083 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity consumption
Per capita: 4,355 kWh (1995)

Electricity exports

Electricity imports

Electricity installed generating capacity

Electricity transmission distribution losses

Electricity generation sources

Petroleum

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones fixed lines

Telephones mobile cellular

Telephone system: system is antiquated; improvements are being made piecemeal, with emphasis on business needs and international connections; there are still about 150,000 unfulfilled requests for subscriber service
Domestic: substantial investment has been made in cellular systems which are operational throughout Estonia
International: international traffic is carried to the other former Soviet republics by landline or microwave radio relay and to other countries partly by leased connection to the Moscow international gateway switch and partly by a new Tallinn-Helsinki fiber-optic, submarine cable which gives Estonia access to international circuits everywhere; access to the international packet-switched digital network via Helsinki

Broadcast media

Internet country code

Internet users

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $35 million (1995)
Percent of gdp: 1.5% (1995)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 5 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 5
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Airports with paved runways
Total: 5
Over 3047 m: 1
2438 to 3047 m: 1
914 to 1523 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Airports with unpaved runways

Heliports

Pipelines: natural gas 420 km (1992)

Railways
Total: 1,018 km common carrier lines only; does not include dedicated industrial lines
Broad gauge: 1,018 km 1.520-m gauge (132 km electrified) (1995)

Roadways

Waterways: 500 km perennially navigable

Merchant marine
Total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 368,340 GRT/455,696 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 27, combination bulk 1, container 5, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 5 (1997 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996 which has not been ratified; Estonia claimed over 2,000 km² territory in the Narva and Pechory regions of Russia_based on boundary established under the 1920 Peace Treaty of Tartu

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus, and cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia