Estonia

More Facts & Figures

National name: Eesti Vabariik

Current government officials

Languages: Estonian 67% (official), Russian 30%, other (2000)

Ethnicity/race: Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belorussian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000)

National Holiday: Independence Day, February 24

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 14%, Russian Orthodox 13%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1%, unaffiliated 34%, none 6% (2001)

Literacy: 99.8% (2011 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2011 est.): $27.02 billion; per capita $20,200. Real growth rate: –7.9%. Inflation: –5.1%. Unemployment: n.a.%. Arable land: 12.05%. Agriculture: potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish. Labor force: 704,400; industry 20%, agriculture 11%, services 69% (1999 est.). Industries: engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications. Natural resources: oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud. Exports: $15.64 billion (2011 est.): machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001). Imports: $16.24 billion (2011 est.): machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001). Major trading partners: Finland, Sweden, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Lithuania, U.S., Gibraltar (2006).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 482,200 (2011); mobile cellular: 1.653 million (2011). Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001). Television broadcast stations: 3 (2001). Internet hosts: 848,009 (2011). Internet users: 971,700 (2001).

Transportation: Railways: total: 1,200 km (2011). Highways: total: 56,034 km; (2011). Waterways: 500 km (2003). Ports and harbors: Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu. Airports: 19 (2011).

International disputes: in 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules.

Major sources and definitions