Estonia
Republic of EstoniaEesti Vabariik
republicIndependence 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Estonia as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 101 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
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Geography
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of | Finland, between Latvia and Russia
17 fieldsLand useshare of 45,226 sq km
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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified :
- none of the selected agreements
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1997 est.)
Ethnic groups(1995)
Age structure
- 0-14 years:
- 19% (male 141,814; female 136,895)
- 15-64 years:
- 67% (male 460,067; female 495,935)
- 65 years and over:
- 14% (male 65,302; female 136,545) (July 1997 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
- total population:
- 0.87 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Religions
Evangelical Lutheran, others include Baptist, Methodist, 7th Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, 7th Day Baptist, Judaism
Government
Republic; President Lennart MERI (since 21 October 1992); Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (acting since NA March 1995
22 fieldsParliament or Riigikogu, 101 seatsone dot, one seat
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
Administrative divisions
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: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Lennart MERI (since 21 October 1992)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Tiit VAHI (acting since NA March 1995; confirmed 17 April 1995)
- 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 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
Political parties and leaders
- Coalition Party and Rural Union or KMU [Tiit VAHI, chairman] made up of 4 parties: Coalition Party, Country People's Party/Farmer's Assembly, Rural Union, and Pensioners' and Families' League;
- Reform Party-Liberals or RE [Siim KALLAS, chairman];
- Center Party or K [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman];
- Union of Pro Patria or Fatherland League (Isamaa) [Toivo JURGENSON, chairman];
- National Independence Party or ERSP [Kelam TUNNE, chairman];
- 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 Party of Estonia [Nikolai MASPANOV, chairman];
Moderates or 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];
- Republican Conservative [Vootele HANSEN];
- Development/Progressive Party [Andra VEIDEMANN, chairwoman], note - party was created by defectors from Center Party in late spring 1996, now holds 6 or 7 seats in Parliament
International organization participation
BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission :
- Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lauri LEPIK
- chancery:
- 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 588-0101
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission :
- Ambassador Lawrence P. TAYLOR
- embassy:
- Kentmanni 20, Tallinn EE 0001
- mailing address:
- American Embassy, Tallinn;
- PSC 78, Box T;
- APO AE 09723
- telephone:
- [372] (6) 312-021
Flag description
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.
22 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(1993 est.)
Economy - 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 2% in 1995-96. Following four years of decline, Estonia's GDP grew at 3% in 1995 and 1996. Despite these positive economic indicators, the current account deficit is widening. The resident IMF representative in Estonia has been worried since early 1996 about a rising public sector deficit boosted by local government spending.
Small- and medium-scale privatization is essentially complete, and large-scale privatization is progressing gradually. In 1996, Estonia's national airline was privatized; in 1997 Estonia plans to privatize large infrastructure, i.e., Eesti Energia, Tallinn Port, Estonian Telecom, and Oil Shale.
Estonia has successfully reoriented its 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 - $8.1 billion (1996 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
Industries
oil shale, shipbuilding, phosphates, electric motors, excavators, cement, furniture, clothing, textiles, paper, shoes, apparel
Exports
- total value:
- $2 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
- commodities:
- textiles 16%, food products 16%, machinery and equipment 16%, metals 9% (1995)
- partners:
- Finland, Russia, Sweden, Germany, Latvia (1995)
Imports
- total value :
- $3.1 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
- commodities:
- machinery and equipment 29%, foodstuffs 14%, minerals 13%, textiles 13%, metals 12% (1995)
- partners:
- Finland, Russia, Sweden, Germany (1995)
Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $147 million (1993) note: Western commitments $285 million (including international financial institutions)
Exchange rates
- krooni (EEK) per US$1 - 12.6 (January 1997), 12.410 (December 1996), 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
Communications
6 fieldsTelephone 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
Television broadcast stations
4 (1993) note: provide Estonian programs as well as Moscow Ostenkino's first and second programs
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthunpaved only
Networkskm
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)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,492 GRT/478,441 DWT
- ships by type :
- bulk 7, cargo 31, container 4, oil tanker 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 4 (1996 est.)
Military
Ground Forces, Navy/Coast Guard, Air and Air | Defense Force (not officially sanctioned), Maritime Border Guard, | Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Security Forces (internal and | border troops)
7 fieldsMilitary branches
Ground Forces, Navy/Coast Guard, Air and Air Defense Force (not officially sanctioned), Maritime Border Guard, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996, which Estonia is prepared to sign and ratify in January 1997;
- Estonia had claimed over 2,000 sq km territory in the Narva and Pechory regions in Russia - based on boundary established under the 1920 Peace Treaty of Tartu
Illicit drugs
transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus, and cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia ETHIOPIA
Introduction
1 fieldHistorical perspective
- on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took control in Addis Ababa;
- a new constitution was promulgated in December 1994 and national and regional popular elections were held in May and June 1995
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Estonia.” The World Factbook 1997. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/estonia/1997.