General background: 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.
Area comparative: Slightly smaller than New Hampshire
and Vermont combined
Climate: Maritime,
wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Terrain:
Marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Population: 1,415,681 (July 2002 est.)
Ethnic groups: Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%,
Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.6%
(1998)
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox,
Estonian Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist,
Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish
Language: Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian,
Finnish, other
Government type: Parliamentary republic
Capital: Tallinn
Legal system: Based on civil law system; no
judicial review of legislative acts
Economic overview: Estonia, as a new member
of the World Trade Organization, is steadily moving
toward a modern market economy with increasing ties
to the West, including the pegging of its currency to
the euro. A major goal is accession to the EU, possibly
by 2004. The state of the economy is greatly influenced
by developments in Finland and Sweden, two major trading
partners.
Communication/Telephone system: 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.
Places of interest:
Travel tips:
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