ESTONIA

Country Profile 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. Disputes 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 Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia Coordinates 59° 0' N 26° 0' E Capital Tallinn Main Cities Narva, Parnu, Tartu Area 45226 km2 Boundaries (km) 633 - Latvia 339, Russia 294 Coastline (km) 3,794 Timezone (GMT) 2 Population 1,307,605 (July 2008 est.) Public Holidays Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 20 August 1991 was the date of reindependence from the Soviet Union Currency Estonian kroon (EEK) GDP $29.35 billion (2007 est.) Main Exports machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) Climate maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers Natural Hazards sometimes flooding occurs in the spring Physical Features 1,500 lakes, many coastal islands, heavily forested Environmental 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

Flag Country Map(s)

Population and Demographics

Estonia has a population of 1,307,605 (July 2008 est.) .

Capital	Tallinn
Main urban areas	Narva, Parnu, Tartu
Ethnic groups	Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998)
Languages spoken	Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other

Population age 0-14: 14.9% (m 100,143/f 94,450) 15-64: 67.5% (m 420,896/f 462,072) 65+: 17.6% (m 76,171/f 153,873) (2008 est.)
	0-14	15-64	65+
Gender ratios At birth: 1.06 m/f , 0-14: 1.06 m/f , 15-64: 0.91 m/f , 65+: 0.5 m/f Total population: 0.84 m/f (2008 est.)

Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)

The population growth rate for Estonia is -0.632% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 39.6 years male: 36.2 years female: 43.2 years (2008 est.).

Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for Estonia are illustrated with a green bar.

Life Expectancy:	Total population: 72.56 years Male: 67.16 years Female: 78.3 years (2008 est.)	[72.56] [64.77] [ Male:, m] [63.16, m] [, f] [66.47, f]
Fertility:	1.42 children born/woman (2008 est.)	[1.42] [2.59]
Births:	10.28 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[10.28] [20.05]
Deaths:	13.35 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[13.35] [8.67]
Infants:	Total: 7.45 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 8.62 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 6.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)	[7.45] [48.87] [8.62, m] [50.98, m] [6.21, f] [46.65, f]

Economic Data

Economy Overview
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 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.

Debt and Aid
Debt: $23.08 billion (30 June 2007)
Aid Given: N/A
Aid Received: $135.5 million (2004)

Labour Force
Number in labour force: 687,000 (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 11% industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.)
Unemployment: 4.7% (2007 est.)

GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: Estonian kroon (EEK)
GDP: $29.35 billion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $21,100 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 7.1% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 3% industry: 28.5% services: 68.5% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 7.7% (2007 est.)

Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
Industries: engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textiles; information technology, telecommunications
Land use: arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005)
Exports: machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Electricity Consumption: 6.888 billion kWh (2005)
Natural Gas Consumption: 1.458 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Oil Consumption: 29,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Country Outline Map

Geographic Data

Estonia is located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia, in the timezone GMT 2. The country has boundaries of 633 - Latvia 339, Russia 294 (km), and a coastline of 3,794 (km). Major urban areas: Tallinn, Narva, Parnu, Tartu.

Elevations
Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
Highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Physical Features
1,500 lakes, many coastal islands, heavily forested

Hazards
Sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Climate
Maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Natural Resources
Oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud

Land Use
Arable land: 12.05% permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005)

Renewable Water Resources
21.1 cu km (2005)

Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%) per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002)

Environmental 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-20th 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

Detailed country map

Transport and Communications

A selection of key transport and communications information for Estonia

Number of main telephone lines
541,900 (2006)

Mobile (cellular) phones
1.659 million (2006)

Radio stations
AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)

Television stations
3 (2001)

Internet users
760,000 (2006)

Country internet code
.ee

Railways
total: 958 km broad gauge: 958 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2005)

Highways
total: 56,849 km paved: 13,303 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 45,546 km (2003)

Waterways
500 km (2005)

Pipelines
gas 859 km (2004)

Ports and harbours
Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu

Airports
19 (2007)

Heliports
1 (2007)