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ESTONIA
Map of ESTONIA
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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
land: 43,211 sq km
water: 2,015 sq km
note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea |
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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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territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states |
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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: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005) |
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Irrigated land:
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40 sq km (2003) |
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Total renewable water resources:
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21.1 cu km (2005) |
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 1.41 cu km/yr (56%/39%/5%)
per capita: 1,060 cu m/yr (2002) |
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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-20th 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-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Population:
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1,307,605 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 14.9% (male 100,143/female 94,450)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 420,896/female 462,072)
65 years and over: 17.6% (male 76,171/female 153,873) (2008 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 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census) |
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Religions:
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Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census) |
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Languages:
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Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census) |
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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% (2000 census) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia
local long form: Eesti Vabariik
local short form: Eesti
former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic |
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Government type:
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parliamentary republic |
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Capital:
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name: Tallinn
geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
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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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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 Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Source: http://cia.gov
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