The 2004 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency
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
Environment - international agreements:
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
Geography - note:
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore
lie more than 1,500 islands
People Estonia
Population:
1,341,664 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure:
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.)
Median age:
total: 38.8 years
male: 35.1 years
female: 42.1 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate:
−0.66% (2004 est.)
Birth rate:
9.79 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate:
13.27 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate:
−3.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio:
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.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 8.08 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.38 years
male: 65.78 years
female: 77.33 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.39 children born/woman (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
7,800 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian
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
Languages:
Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.8% (2003 est.)
Government Estonia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
Tallinn
Administrative divisions:
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
Independence:
20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
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
Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Executive branch:
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 186 votes
to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots
were either left blank or invalid
elections: president elected