Estonia

Republic of EstoniaEesti Vabariik

republicIndependence 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Estonia as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 88 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalTallinn

Position59 00 N, 26 00 E

Area45,100 sq km

LocationEastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of

Populationas each edition published it

1.46 million July 1996 est. · 1.61m in 1992

Population growth% a year

-1.13% 1996 est. · 0.52% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 38.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

68.13 years 1996 est. · 69.75 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.55 children per woman 1996 est. · 2.3 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

17.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1996 est. · 25 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$7,600 1995 est. · $5,480 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

6% 1995 est. · -30% in 1993

Geography

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

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Land useshare of 45,100 sq km

arable land 22%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 11%forest and woodland 31%other 36%irrigated 110 sq km (1990)

Area

45,100sq km

land area: 43,200 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than New Hampshire and Vermont combinednote: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Coastline

1,393km

exclusive economic zone: limits to be fixed in coordination with neighboring statesterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

557km

border countries: Latvia 267 km, Russia 290 km

Location

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

International disputes

claims over 2,000 sq km of Russian territory in the Narva and Pechora regions - based on boundary established under the 1921 Peace Treaty of Tartu;
disputes maritime border with Latvia - primary concern is fishing rights around Ruhne Island in the Gulf of Riga

Climate

maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain

marshy, lowlands

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

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
natural hazards:: flooding occurs frequently in the spring
international agreements:: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

People

15 fields

Population

1,459,428

(July 1996 est.)growth rate: -1.13% (1996 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1996 est.)

Birth

10.74Death

14.12Net migration

-7.96

Male · female(1996 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years68.13

62.5 · 74.05

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy100%

100% · 100%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

Ethnic divisions(1989)

Estonian 61.5%Russian 30.3%Ukrainian 3.2%Byelorussian 1.8%Finn 1.1%other 2.1% (1989)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 20% (male 148,683; female 143,563)
15-64 years:: 66% (male 467,759; female 501,519)
65 years and over:: 14% (male 63,976; female 133,928) (July 1996 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.48 male(s)/female
all ages:: 0.87 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate

17.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Estonian(s)
adjective:: Estonian

Languages

Estonian (official), Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, other

Government

Republic; President Lennart MERI (since 21 October 1992) was elected for a five-year term by Parliament; Acting Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (since NA March 1995)

22 fields

Legislature, 101 seatsone dot, one seat

KMU 41RE 19K 16Pro Patria 8Our Home is Estonia 6M 6Right-Wingers 5

Name of country

conventional long form:: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form:: Estonia
local long form:: Eesti Vabariik
local short form:: Eesti
former:: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

15 counties (maakonnad, singular -; maakond): Harju maakond (Tallinn), Hiiu maakond (Kardla), Ida-Viru maakond (Johvi), Jarva maakond (Paide), Jogeva maakond (Jogeva), Laane maakond (Haapsalu), Laane-Viru maakond (Rakvere), Parnu maakond (Parnu), Polva maakond (Polva), Rapla maakond (Rapla), Saare maakond (Kuessaare), Tartu maakond (Tartu), Valga maakond (Valga), Viljandi maakond (Viljandi), Voru maakond (Voru); note: county centers are in parentheses

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Lennart MERI (since 21 October 1992) was elected for a five-year term by Parliament;
election last held 20 September 1992 (next to be held fall 1996);
results - no candidate received majority;
Parliament elected Lennart MERI
head of government:: Acting Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (since NA March 1995); the president nominated and Parliament authorized the candidate for prime minister
cabinet:: Council of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament

Legislative branch

unicameral

Parliament (Riigikogu)

elections last held 5 March 1995 (next to be held NA 1999);
results - 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 - (101 total) KMU 41, RE 19, K 16, Pro Patria 8, Our Home is Estonia 6, M 6, Right-Wingers 5

Judicial branch

National Court

Political parties and leaders

Coalition Party and Rural Union (KMU), Tiit VAHI, chairman, made up of 4 parties: Coalition Party, Country People's Party, Farmer's Assembly, and Pensioners' and Families' League;
Reform Party-Liberals (RE), Siim KALLAS, chairman;
Center Party (K), Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman;
Union of Pro Patria or Fatherland Alliance (Isamaa of Fatherland), Toivo JURGENSON, chairman;
National Independence Party (ERSP), Kelam TUNNE, chairman, note - may have disappeared since the last election;
Our Home is

Estonia made up of 2 parties

United Peoples Party and the Russian People's Party of Estonia;
United Peoples Party, Viktor ANDREJEV, chairman;
Russian People's Party of Estonia, Sergei KUZNETSOV, chairman;
Moderates (M) made up of 2 parties: Social Democratic Party and Rural Center Party;
Social Democratic Party, Eiki NESTOR, chairman;
Rural Center Party, Vambo KAAL, chairman;
Right-Wingers, Ulo NUGIS, chairman

International organization participation

BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Toomas Hendrik ILVES
chancery:: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 588-0101

FAX

[1] (202) 789-0471; consulate(s) general: New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Lawrence P. TAYLOR
embassy:: Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [372] (6) 312-021

FAX

[372] (6) 312-025

Flag

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

Economy

Estonia continues to experience strong economic | growth after its economy bottomed out in 1993.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$7,600

(1995 est.)

Real growth rate

(1995 est.)industrial production growth: NA%

Inflation, consumer prices

29%

(1995 est.)

Unemployment rate

(1994 est.)

GDP composition by sector(1993 est.)

agriculture 10%industry 37%services 53% (1993 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$620 millionExpenditures

$582 million

expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA (January-October 1995)

Installed generating capacity, 3,420,000 kW

Electricity production

11.3 billionElectricity consumption per capita

6,528 (1993)

Economic overview

Estonia continues to experience strong economic growth after its economy bottomed out in 1993. Bolstered by a widespread national desire to reintegrate into Western Europe, Estonia has adhered to disciplined fiscal and financial policies and has led the FSU countries in pursuing economic reform.

Monthly inflation has been held to under 5% since the beginning of 1992, with monthly inflation in 1995 at 2%. Following four years of decline, Estonia's GDP grew 5% in 1994 and 6% in 1995 - among the highest rates in Europe, according to estimates of the IMF and Estonia's own Economic Ministry.

Despite these positive economic indicators, unemployment - 8% in 1994 - is on the rise, and wages - especially for teachers and law enforcement personnel - have not kept pace with inflation. Small- and medium-scale privatization is essentially complete, and large-scale privatization is progressing, but slowly.

Estonia has successfully reoriented it trade toward the West, two-thirds of exports now going to Western markets. Estonia's free trade policies were the cornerstone of its negotiations with the European Union, and led to the signing of an association agreement in June 1995. Estonia was the only Baltic state not to have a transition period imposed by the EU prior to its implementation of a free trade agreement.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $12.3 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

Labor force

750,000 (1992); by occupation: industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 20%, other 38% (1990)

Industries

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

Agriculture

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

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia and Latin America to Western Europe;
very limited illicit opium producer;
mostly for domestic consumption

Exports

$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995)

commodities:: textile 14%, food products 11%, vehicles 11%, metals 11% (1993)
partners:: Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany

Imports

$2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1995)

commodities:: machinery 18%, fuels 15%, vehicles 14%, textiles 10% (1993)
partners:: Finland, Russia, Germany, Sweden

External debt

$270 million (January 1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $147 million (1993) note: Western commitments $285 million (including international financial institutions)

Currency

1 Estonian kroon (EEK) = 100 cents (introduced in August 1992)

Exchange rates

krooni (EEK) per US$1 - 11.523 (December 1995), 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

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 22 in all

2 438 to 3 047 m

914 to 1 523 m

1 524 to 2 437 m

under 914 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

14,771Railways

1,018Waterways

500

Highways: paved: 8,124 km (including 62 km of expressways) · unpaved: 6,647 km (1993) · Railways: ; does not include dedicated industrial lines · broad gauge: 1,018 km 1.520-m gauge (132 km electrified) (1995)

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)

Highways

total:: 14,771 km
paved:: 8,124 km (including 62 km of expressways)
unpaved:: 6,647 km (1993)

Pipelines

natural gas 420 km (1992)

Ports

Haapsalu, Narva, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn

Merchant marine

total:: 52 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 353,140 GRT/467,086 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 6, cargo 33, oil tanker 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 4 (1995 est.)

Communications

9 fields

Fixed lines

400,000

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

males age 15-49:: 357,835
males fit for military service:: 280,757
males reach military age (18) annually:: 10,525 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $35 million, 1.5% of GDP (1995)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Estonia.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/estonia/1996.

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