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Location:
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf
of Finland, between Latvia and Russia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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59
00 N, 26 00 E |
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Area:
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total:
45,226 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic
Sea
water: 2,015 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
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Land boundaries:
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total:
633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294
km |
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Coastline:
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3,794
km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive
economic zone: limits fixed in coordination
with neighboring states
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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maritime,
wet, moderate winters, cool summers |
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Terrain:
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marshy,
lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m |
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Natural resources:
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oil
shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand,
dolomite, arable land, sea mud |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 26.5%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 73.15% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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40
sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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sometimes
flooding occurs in the spring |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international
agreements:
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party
to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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the
mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded;
offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
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Population:
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1,408,556
(July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 15.8% (male 113,239; female 108,876)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 467,041; female
501,805)
65 years and over: 15.4% (male 71,512; female
146,083) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
38.1 years
male: 34.7 years
female: 41.3 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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-0.49%
(2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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9.24
births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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13.42
deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.49 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2003
est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
12.03 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2003
est.)
male: 13.88 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 70.31 years
male: 64.36 years
female: 76.57 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.27
children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence
rate:
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1%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with
HIV/AIDS:
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less
than 7,700 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less
than 100 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian |
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Ethnic groups:
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Estonian
65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian
1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998) |
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Religions:
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Evangelical
Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist,
Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic,
Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish |
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Languages:
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Estonian
(official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other |
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Literacy:
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definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Eesti Vabariik |
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Government type:
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parliamentary
republic |
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Capital:
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Tallinn
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Administrative divisions:
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15
counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa
(Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi),
Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu),
Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa
(Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare),
Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa
(Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center
name following in parentheses |
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Independence:
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regained
on 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
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National holiday:
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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 |
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Constitution:
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adopted
28 June 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based
on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative
acts |
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Suffrage:
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18
years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
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Executive branch:
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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
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
188 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155;
the remaining 24 ballots were either left blank
or invalid
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral
Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party
- Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform
Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria
Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad
7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica
28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13,
Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to
be held NA March 2007) |
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Judicial branch:
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National
Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Center
Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR,
chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu
REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond)
[Siim KALLAS]; Estonian United Russian People's
Party or EUVRP [leader NA]; Moderates (Moodukad)
[Ivari PADAR]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne
KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS]; Russian
Baltic Party [Sergei IVANOV] |
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International organization
participation:
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BIS,
CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO (correspondent), ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW,
OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UPU,
WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
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Diplomatic representation
in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
chancery: 1730 M Street NW, Suite 503, Washington,
DC 20036
consulate(s) general: New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108
telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 |
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Diplomatic representation
from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador Joseph M. DeTHOMAS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [372] 668-8100
FAX: [372] 668-8134 |
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Flag description:
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pre-1940
flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three
equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and
white
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A lire également:
Economie, Communication, Transports
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