Estonia – country information

Country name	Estonia
Official name	Republic of Estonia
Capital	Tallinn
Continent	Europe
Area	45,100 km2
Population	1,311,870 (2014)
Foundation of a state	8/20/1991
The highest mountains	Munamagi 318 m
The largest lakes	Pejpsi / Čudské jezero (part) 3548 km 2
State system	a pluralistic republic (discriminating against non-Estonian voters) with a unicameral parliament
The biggest cities	Tallinn (capital) 460,000, Tartu 107,000, Narva 80,000
Official language	Estonian
Ethnicity/National Composition	Estonians 63.5%, Russians 28.5%, Ukrainians 3%, Belarusians 1.5%, Finns 1.2%, others 2.3%
Religious affiliation	Lutherans predominate, with minorities of Orthodox and Baptists
Currency	1 crown (EEK) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$21,714 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	72.04 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture and fishing 15%, mining and industry 41%, construction 4%, services 40%

Estonia – neighboring states

State	Capital	Area	Population
Latvia	Riga	64,600 km2	2,003,900
Russia	Moscow	17,098,200 km2	143,700,000

Country overview

Estonia, the northernmost of the three small Baltic republics, lies on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea, bordering Latvia to the south and Russia to the east. To the north, separated by the Gulf of Finland, lies Finland. In 1991, after half a century of Soviet rule, which many Western states had never known, Estonia regained its independence. Estonians, whose language is similar to Finnish and who share a common origin with the Finns, preserve an important cultural heritage that has survived many centuries of foreign domination.

According to Abbreviationfinder, Estonia is a state on the northeastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Common land borders in the east – with Russia, in the south – with Latvia.

The capital is Tallinn. The official language is Estonian. Currency – Euro, Religion – Christianity.

The climate is transitional from maritime to continental.

Estonia is located on the northwestern edge of the East European Plain off the coast of the Baltic Sea, between the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga. About 9% of the territory is islands. The islands form the West Estonian archipelago.

The height of the territory of Estonia is about 50 meters, the highest – the south-eastern part of Estonia – 318 m. The relief is flat and hilly. Glacial and water-glacial forms dominate.

The country is a member of the Schengen Agreement.

Country data

Location: Eastern Europe

Time zone: CET + 1

Total area: 45,228 km²

Land area: 42,388 km²

Water area: 2,840 km²

Length of the state border: 657 km

Bordering countries:
Lithuania: 333 km
Russian Federation: 324 km

Coastline: 3,794 km

Capital: Tallin

Regions: 15
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)

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 372 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Population

Population: approx. 1.3 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: -0.7% per year

Population density (inh. Per km²): 29

Life expectancy: 69 (male), 80 (female)

Official language: Estonian, Russian

Religions:

Climate

There is a maritime, partly humid, climate with moderate summers (around 20 ° C) and cold, snowy winters (0 ° C to -10 ° C).

Occasional winter days also bring extreme frost (down to -30 ° C).

Rain can be expected all year round. However, it falls most in the period from mid-July to mid-September.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Euro (EUR)

Classification: 1 euro = 100 cents

ATMs: are available in almost all major cities.

International credit cards: These are now accepted in many hotels and shops.

Regulations: Foreign and national currencies can be imported and exported in unlimited amounts.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 20 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco
• 2 liters of alcoholic beverages (up to 22%)

(Information applies to people aged 16 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

Travel advice

There is currently no country-specific safety notice for Estonia.

Behavioral advice

Since the theft rate of cars has been particularly high in recent years, you should not leave your car unlocked.

Bags and other valuable items should also be out of sight.

Thefts are common in the cities favored by tourists and in the capital.

In Estonia, driving with dipped headlights is compulsory throughout the year and at any time of the day.

Economy

A large part of the economy is focused on the wood industry. The mining and export of wood and many different wood products is geared towards global marketing.

Industries: Energy, wood processing, agriculture, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, textiles

Natural resources: amber, limestone, farmland, peat

Land use:

• Usable land: 25%
• Grain cultivation: 0%
• Pasture area: 11%
• Forests: 44%
• other: 20%

Plants

One fifth of the country consists of moors and swamps. Many different plant species have found their habitat here.

In recent years several national parks have been established to protect nature.

However, large parts of the country that were previously forested were cut down for recycling.

Animals

Many animal species that are already extinct in Europe can still be found in the vast forests of Estonia.

Bears, moose, foxes and wolves have survived there as well as many species of red deer and wild boar.