Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Estonia Almanac
Official Name:
Eesti Vabariik—the Republic of Estonia—or simply Esto-
nia.
Population:
Estonia is home to 1.3 million people (77 per square mile).
Nearly three in four are of Estonian heritage, and about one-quarter
areofRussian descent, with smaller minorities ofUkrainians, Belarus-
ians, and Finns. About 70 percent speak the official lan-
guage—Estonian—and nearly 30 percent speak Russian. The majority
of Estonians are unaffiliated with any religion. About 14 percent are
Lutheran and 13 percent are Orthodox.
Latitude and Longitude:
59°N and 26°E, similar latitude to Juneau,
Alaska.
Area:
17,500squaremiles,aboutthesizeofNewHampshireandVermont
combined.
Geography:
Between Latvia and Russia, Estonia borders the Baltic Sea
and Gulf of Finland. It includes more than 1,500 islands and islets, and
has the highest number of meteorite craters per land area in the world.
BiggestCity:
ThecapitalofEstonia,Tallinn,has400,000people(500,000
in the metropolitan area).
Economy:
Estonia's transition to a free-market system included joining
the World Trade Organization and the European Union. Once a Baltic
tiger, its economy was hard-hit by the recent economic downturn. But
Estoniaismakingacomeback:ItnowhasthehighestGDPgrowthrate
in Europe and boasts a per-capita GDP of $20,600—the highest of the
Baltic states. Its three major trading partners are Finland, Sweden, and
Germany; its strengths are electronics and telecommunications (the
country is so wired that its nickname is E-stonia).
Currency:
€1 (euro) = about $1.30.
Government:
Estonia is a parliamentary democracy, with a president
elected by parliament (Toomas Hendrik Ilves, since October of 2006)
