ESTONIA. Republic of Estonia
A state in the northwest of Europe, on the coast of the Baltic Sea. It has land borders with the Leningrad and Pskov regions of the Russian Federation and Latvia. Area - 45.2 thousand km². Capital - Tallinn (400 thousand), major cities: Tartu (101 thousand), Narva (69 thousand), Kohtla-Järve (49 thousand), Pärnu (48 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 15 counties (maakonnad). Population - 1 million 347 thousand (2005); including Estonians - 68%, Russians - 25.6%, Ukrainians - 2.1%, Belarusians - 1.3%, Finns - 0.9%, others - 2.1%. Non-Estonian population dominates in the northeastern part of the country, particularly in the city of Narva (96% of residents are Russian-speaking). The official language is Estonian. Religion - Lutheranism (majority of believers), Orthodoxy, Baptism. Currency - Estonian kroon.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established on October 24, 1991).
National holiday - February 24 - Independence Day (1918).
Estonia is a parliamentary republic. The constitution, adopted on June 28, 1992, is in effect.
The head of state is the president (A. Rüütel was elected on September 21, 2001); elected by parliament (in some cases by an electoral college) for a term of 5 years with the right to be re-elected once. The highest legislative body is the Riigikogu (unicameral parliament), consisting of 101 deputies elected for 4 years by secret ballot using a proportional system (the next elections will be held in 2007). The highest executive body is the government, headed by the prime minister (since April 2005 - A. Ansip).
Estonia has a multi-party system. The ruling coalition includes: the Reform Party (chairman - A. Ansip), the People's Union (chairman - V. Reiljan), and the Center Party (chairman - E. Savisaar). The leading opposition party is the "Republic" (T. Veskimägi). The radical-nationalist party "Fatherland Union" (T. Lukas) and the Social Democratic Party (I. Padar), which advocate for the immutability of state policy in the field of language and citizenship, are also not part of the ruling coalition. The United People's Party of Estonia (UPPE), which aims to express the interests of Russian-speaking voters, did not pass to the Riigikogu as a result of the parliamentary elections in 2003.
In April 2001, a non-governmental public organization was established - the Union of Russian Compatriots of Estonia, aimed at providing support to the Russian-speaking population in ensuring human rights and freedoms, preserving and developing Russian culture, language, and education, as well as assisting entrepreneurs among Russian compatriots.
The trade union association is the Central Union of Trade Unions of Estonia.
In the mid-3rd century AD, the territory of modern Estonia was settled by Finno-Ugric tribes. The first Slavic settlements in the western parts of the country appeared in the 11th century. In 1030, Prince Yaroslav the Wise founded the city of Yuryev (Tartu). From the 12th century, local tribes were dependent on Kievan Rus. In the 13th-16th centuries, the territory of present-day Estonia was conquered by German crusaders and included in the lands of the Livonian Order and Danish feudal lords. Then, during the 16th-17th centuries, it was under the rule of Sweden. In 1721, after the Great Northern War, Estonian lands became part of Russia. In April 1917, they were allocated as a separate province, which was granted autonomy.
On July 7-8, 1917, the first elections to the Estonian parliament were held. On February 24, 1918, the independence of Estonia was proclaimed. On February 2, 1920, as a result of the Civil War in the northwest of Russia, in which Estonian armed units participated, the Treaty of Tartu was signed between the RSFSR and the Republic of Estonia. In 1934, a coup d'état was carried out, a dictatorship was established, the parliament was dissolved, and in 1935, political parties were banned.
On September 28, 1939, a Mutual Assistance Treaty was signed between the USSR and Estonia, under which Estonia agreed to host a contingent of Soviet troops on its territory. On July 21, 1940, the Estonian State Duma, elected on July 14-15, 1940, proclaimed the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic. On August 6, 1940, the Supreme Soviet of the USSR satisfied the request of the Estonian State Duma to accept the Estonian SSR into the Soviet Union.
On December 1-2, 1988, a socio-political movement - the People's Front (leader - E. Savisaar) was formed in Estonia, aiming to fight for the republic's exit from the USSR. On May 8, 1990, the Supreme Council of the ESSR proclaimed the Estonian Republic (ER). On December 11, 1991, a Treaty on the Foundations of Interstate Relations was signed in Tallinn between the RSFSR and the ER (entered into force on January 14, 1992). On September 6, 1991, the State Council of the USSR recognized the independence of the Republic of Estonia.
Since 1991, Estonia has been a member of the UN, since 1993 - the Council of Europe, and since 2004 - the EU and NATO.
Estonia is an industrial-agrarian country, whose economy is characterized by relatively stable development. GDP growth has been maintained at around 5% for several years. In 2004, GDP increased by 6.2% to 8.9 billion euros, with the shares of individual sectors being: industry - 18%, trade - 13.9%, transport and communications - 16.4%, construction - 7%, financial sector - 4.1%, agriculture - about 3%, others - 37.6%. Gold and foreign exchange reserves - 1.3 billion euros, external state debt - about 255 million euros, foreign direct investments - 6.3 billion euros, inflation - 3%, unemployment rate - 9.7% of the economically active population.
In 2004, GDP per capita amounted to 6,592.3 euros.
In the industrial sector, 33% of the economically active population is employed, in agriculture - 12%, in the service sector, including transport - 55%.
The main industries are: light and food industry, woodworking, machine engineering, and production of building materials.
Agriculture specializes in meat and dairy livestock farming. The area of cultivated land is 1.1 million hectares. The gross grain harvest in 2004 amounted to 599.7 thousand tons.
Estonia has a developed transport network. The main load falls on rail and road transport. The main passenger seaport is Tallinn, and the main transport port is Muuga, which, along with most other ports in the country, is united in the Tallinn Port JSC. In October 2005, a private cargo port opened in the city of Sillamäe. There is ferry service with Helsinki, Stockholm, and Rostock (Germany). Tallinn is connected by air to several foreign countries, primarily in Europe.
The servicing of cargo flows from Russia is one of the main sources of foreign currency income for the Estonian budget. Russian transit significantly ensures the loading of the Estonian railway and the Tallinn seaport.
Main foreign trade partners: Finland, Sweden, Germany, and Russia.
Approximately 90% of Estonia's imports from Russia consist of products from the oil and gas, forestry, and woodworking industries, as well as machine engineering. The products imported into Russia are mainly from the light and food industries and agriculture.
The largest universities: Tartu University, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn University; Estonian Agricultural University.
Newspapers published include daily: "SL Õhtuleht," "Postimees," "Eesti Päevaleht," "Äripäev"; weekly: "Eesti Ekspress," "Maaleht." In Russian, daily: "Молодежь Эстонии" and "Вести дня"; weekly: "Молодежь Эстонии - Суббота," "Вести Неделя Плюс," "МК - Эстония," "День за днем," and "Деловые ведомости."
The information agency is the Baltic News Service (BNS).
Estonian national television is located in Tallinn and has state ("ETV") and commercial ("Kanal-2" and "TV-3") channels. Estonian state radio has 4 independent broadcasting channels, including the Russian-speaking "Radio-4."