Estonia

Internet country code

.ee

Internet hosts

387,336 (2007)

Internet users

760,000 (2006)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)

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 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)

Telephones - main lines in use

541,900 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.659 million (2006)

Television broadcast stations

3 (2001)

Agriculture - products

potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish

Budget

revenues: $6.064 billion expenditures: $5.445 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code)

Estonian kroon (EEK)

Current account balance

$-2.581 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$16.16 billion (2006 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

35.8 (2003)

Economic aid - recipient

$135.5 million (2004)

Economy - overview

Estonia has a modern market-based economy with strong ties to the West. It is a WTO and EU member and pegs its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low.

Electricity - consumption

6.888 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports

1.953 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports

345 million kWh (2005)

Electricity - production

9.599 billion kWh (2005)

Exchange rates

krooni per US dollar - 12.473 (2006), 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002) note: the krooni is pegged to the euro

Exports

$9.654 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)

Exports - partners

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)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$13.89 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$26.85 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 3.2% industry: 29.1% services: 67.8% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$20,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

11.4% (2006 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.5% highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)

Imports

$12.61 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)

Imports - partners

Finland 18.2%, Russia 13.1%, Germany 12.4%, Sweden 9%, Lithuania 6.4%, Latvia 5.7% (2006)

Industrial production growth rate

8% (2006 est.)

Industries

engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.4% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

33.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Labor force

687,000 (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 11% industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$5.963 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption

1.458 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports

1.458 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption

60,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

3,958 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports

54,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - production

6,819 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2006)

Population below poverty line

5% (2003)

Public debt

4.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.792 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$3.557 billion (2006 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$16.32 billion (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

4.5% (2006 est.)

Area

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

slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined

Climate

maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Coastline

3,794 km

Elevation extremes

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

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 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

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

Geographic coordinates

59 00 N, 26 00 E

Geography - note

the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands

Irrigated land

40 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

total: 633 km border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km

Land use

arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states

Natural hazards

sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Natural resources

oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud

Terrain

marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south

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 (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses

Capital

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

Constitution

adopted 28 June 1992

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

Executive branch

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

Flag description

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

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)

Legal system

based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch

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

National holiday

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

Political parties and leaders

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

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens

Background

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.

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49: 291,696 females age 18-49: 304,961 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

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

males age 15-49: 11,146 females age 18-49: 10,605 (2005 est.)

Military branches

Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2% (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

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)

Age structure

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.)

Birth rate

10.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Death rate

13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups

Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

1.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

7,800 (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate

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.)

Languages

Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.3 years male: 66.87 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2000 census)

Median age

total: 39.4 years male: 36 years female: 42.9 years (2007 est.)

Nationality

noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian

Net migration rate

-3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

Population

1,315,912 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate

-0.635% (2007 est.)

Religions

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)

Sex ratio

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.)

Total fertility rate

1.41 children born/woman (2007 est.)

Disputes - international

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

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

Airports

19 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways

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

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

1 (2007)

Merchant marine

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)

Pipelines

gas 859 km (2006)

Ports and terminals

Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu

Railways

total: 968 km broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006)

Roadways

total: 56,856 km paved: 13,384 km (includes 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 43,472 km (2004)

Waterways

320 km (2006)