Background: After centuries of Danish Swedish German and Russian rule Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 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.

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
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states

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
Extremes highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 16.04%
Permanent crops: 0.45%
Other: 83.51% (2001)

Irrigated land: 40 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Geography
Note: the mainland terrain is flat boggy and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1500 islands

Population: 1,341,664 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: -0.66% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA (2000)

Nationality
Noun: Estonian
Adjective: Estonian

Ethnic groups: Estonian 65.3% Russian 28.1% Ukrainian 2.5% Belarusian 1.5% Finn 1% other 1.6% (1998)

Languages: Estonian (official) Russian Ukrainian Finnish other

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran Russian Orthodox Estonian Orthodox Baptist Methodist Seventh-Day Adventist Roman Catholic Pentecostal Word of Life Jewish

Age structure
0-14 years: 16% (male 110,452; female 104,363)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 431,493; female 474,255)
65 years and over: 16.5% (male 72,819; female 148,282) (2004 est.)

Median age
Total: 38.8 years
Male: 35.1 years
Female: 42.1 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.66% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 9.79 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 13.27 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.16 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Environment
Current issues: 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 1400 natural and manmade lakes the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male/female
65 years and over: 0.49 male/female
Total population: 0.85 male/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.08 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 9.32 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.76 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 71.38 years
Male: 65.78 years
Female: 77.33 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 7,800 (2003 est.)
Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.8% (2003 est.)

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 republic

Capital: Tallinn

Administrative divisions
Note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Independence: 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union

Constitution: adopted 28 June 1992

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

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

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)
Head of government: Prime Minister Juhan PARTS (since 10 April 2003)
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 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 21 September 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament
Election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 186 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots were either left blank or invalid

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007)
Election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6

Judicial branch: National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)

Political parties and leaders: Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG chairman]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR chairman]; Social Liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians former Center Party members) [Peeter Kreitzberg]

International organization participation: Australia Group BIS CBSS CE EAPC EBRD EIB EU (new member) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICCt ICFTU ICRM IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO (correspondent) ITU MIGA NIB NSG OAS (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA PFP UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNTSO UPU WCO WEU (member affiliate) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
In the us chancery: 2,131 Massachusetts Ave. 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 Aldona Zofia WOS
From the us embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15,099 Tallinn
From the us mailing address: use embassy street address
From the us telephone: [372] 668-8,100
From the us fax: [372] 668-8,134

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

Economy overview: Estonia as a new member of the World Trade Organization is steadily moving toward a modern market economy with increasing ties to the West including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors. Estonia has been invited to join the European Union and will do so in May 2004. The economy is greatly influenced by developments in Finland Sweden Russia and Germany four major trading partners. The high current account deficit remains a concern. However the state budget enjoyed a surplus of $130 million in 2003.

Real gdp growth rate: 4.7% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,300 (2003 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.9%
Industry: 30.3%
Services: 64.8% (2003)

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

Industries: engineering electronics wood and wood products textile; information technology telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 654,000 (2003 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 11%
By occupation industry: 20%
By occupation services: 69% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 10.1% (2003)

Population below poverty line: NA (2000)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3%
Highest 10: 29.8% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 37 (1999)

Budget
Revenues: $3.806 billion
Expenditures: $3.648 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)

Public debt: 7.4% of GDP (2003)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.3% (2003 est.)

Current account balance: $-1.15 billion (2003)

Exports: $4.075 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment 33% wood and paper 15% textiles 14% food products 8% furniture 7% metals chemical products (2001)
Partners: Finland 21.9% Sweden 12.5% Russia 11.4% Germany 8.4% Latvia 7.4% Lithuania 4% (2003)

Imports: $5.535 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and equipment 33.5% chemical products 11.6% textiles 10.3% foodstuffs 9.4% transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Partners: Finland 15.9% Germany 11.1% Russia 10.2% Sweden 7.7% Ukraine 4.3% China 4.2% Japan 4.1% (2003)

Debt external: $7.002 billion (2003 est.)

Exchange rates: krooni per US dollar - 13.8564 (2003) 16.6118 (2002) 17.4781 (2001) 16.9686 (2000) 14.6776 (1999)

Electricity
Production: 7.937 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 6.192 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 1.19 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 1.27 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 1.27 billion m³ (2001 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 475,000 (2002)
Mobile cellular: 881,000 (2002)

Telephone system
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 available throughout most of the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by September 2000
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; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001)

Internet
Country code: .ee
Hosts: 82,142 (2004)
Users: 444,000 (2002)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $155 million (2002 est.)
Percent of gdp: 2% (2002 est.)

Airports: 29 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 14
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 8
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 3
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 15
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 4
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: gas 859 km (2004)

Railways
Total: 958 km
Broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified)
Note: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2003)

Waterways: 500 km (2003)

Merchant marine
Total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 212,998 GRT/177,488 DWT
By type: bulk 2, cargo 12, container 4, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea/passenger 5
Foreign owned: Netherlands 1
Registered in other countries: 45 (2004 est.)

Disputes international: Russia continues to reject signing and ratifying the joint December 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds