Estonia

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.

• 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

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

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

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.)

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.49 male(s)/female

total population:

0.85 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

noun:

Estonian(s)

adjective:

Estonian

conventional long form:

Republic of Estonia

conventional short form:

Estonia

local long form:

Eesti Vabariik

local short form:

Eesti

former:

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

• 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

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

• 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]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Juri LUIK

chancery:

2131 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 588-0101

FAX:

[1] (202) 588-0108

consulate(s) general:

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS

embassy:

Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn

mailing address:

use embassy street address

telephone:

[372] 668-8100

FAX:

[372] 668-8134

lowest 10%:

3%

highest 10%:

29.8% (1998)

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

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)

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)

total:

51,411 km

paved:

10,334 km (including 94 km of expressways)

unpaved:

41,077 km (2000)

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.)

• 18 years of age for compulsory military service, with 11-month service obligation;
• Estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women up to 2010;
• 17 years of age for volunteers (2004)

• 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