Everything about Estonia totally explained
Estonia, officially the
Republic of Estonia is a
country in
Northern Europe in the
Baltic region. It is bordered to the north by
Finland across the
Gulf of Finland, to the west by
Sweden, to the south by
Latvia, and to the east by the
Russian Federation. The territory of Estonia covers 45,227 km² and is influenced by a
temperate seasonal climate.
The
Estonians are a
Finnic people closely related to the
Finns, with the
Estonian language sharing many similarities to
Finnish. The modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the
Roman historian
Tacitus, who in his book
Germania (ca. AD 98) described a people called the
Aestii. Similarly, ancient
Scandinavian
sagas refer to a land called
Eistland. Early
Latin and other ancient versions of the name are
Estia and
Hestia. Until the late 1930s, the name was often written as "Esthonia" in most English speaking countries.
Estonia is a
democratic parliamentary republic and is divided into
fifteen counties (
Maakonnad). The capital and largest city is
Tallinn. Estonia has been a member of the
United Nations since
17 September 1991, of the
European Union since
1 May 2004, and of
NATO since
29 March 2004. Estonia has also signed the
Kyoto protocol. With only 1.3 million
inhabitants, it comprises one of the smallest populations of the
European Union countries.
The settlement of modern day Estonia began around 8500 BC, immediately after the
Ice Age. Over the centuries, the Estonians were subjected to
Danish,
Teutonic,
Swedish and
Russian rule. Foreign rule in Estonia began in 1227, when as a consequence of the
Northern Crusades the area was conquered by
Danes and
Germans. From 1228-1562, parts or most of Estonia were incorporated into the loosely organized
Livonian Confederation of
Teutonic Knights, during which time economic activity centered around the
Hanseatic League. In the 1500s, Estonia passed to
Swedish rule until 1721, when it was ceded to the
Russian Empire. The
Estophile Enlightenment Period (1750-1840) led to a
national awakening in the mid-19th century. In 1918 the
Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued, to be followed by the
Estonian War of Independence, which resulted in the
Tartu Peace Treaty recognising Estonian independence in perpetuity. During
World War II, Estonia was occupied and annexed first by the
Soviet Union and subsequently by
Nazi Germany, only to be re-occupied by the Soviet Union in 1944.
Estonia regained its independence on
20 August 1991. It has since embarked on a rapid program of social and economic reform. Today, the country has gained recognition for its economic freedom, its adaptation of new technologies, and as one of the world's fastest growing economies.
History
Human settlement in Estonia became possible 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, when the ice from the last
glacial era melted away. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the
Pulli settlement, which was located on the banks of the
river Pärnu, near the town of
Sindi, in southern Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating, it was settled around 11,000 years ago, at the beginning of the 9th millennium BC.
Prehistory
Evidence has been found of hunting and fishing communities existing around 6500 BC near the town of
Kunda in northern Estonia. Bone and stone artifacts similar to those found at Kunda have been discovered elsewhere in Estonia, as well as in Latvia, northern
Lithuania and in southern
Finland. The
Kunda culture belongs to the middle stone age, or
Mesolithic period.
The end of the
Bronze Age and the early
Iron Age were marked by great cultural changes. The most significant was the transition to farming, which has remained at the core of Estonian economy and culture. From approximately the first to 5th centuries AD, resident farming was widely established, the population grew, and settlement expanded. Cultural influences from the
Roman Empire reached Estonia, and this era is therefore also known as the
Roman Iron Age.
A more troubled and war-ridden middle
Iron Age followed with external dangers coming both from the
Baltic tribes, who attacked across the southern land border, and from overseas. Several
Scandinavian
sagas refer to campaigns against Estonia.
Estonian pirates conducted similar raids in the
Viking age and sacked and burned the
Swedish town of
Sigtuna in 1187.
In the first centuries AD political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the
province (Estonian:
kihelkond) and the land (Estonian:
maakond). The province comprised several elderships or villages. Nearly all provinces had at least one
fortress. The defense of the local area was directed by the highest official, the
king or
elder. The terra was composed of one or several provinces, also headed by an elder, king or their collegium. By the 13th century the following major lands had developed in Estonia:
Revala,
Harjumaa,
Saaremaa,
Hiiumaa,
Läänemaa,
Alempois,
Sakala,
Ugandi,
Jogentagana,
Soopoolitse,
Vaiga,
Mõhu,
Nurmekund,
Järvamaa and
Virumaa.
Estonia retained a
pagan religion centered around a deity called
Tharapita. The
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia mentions
Tharapita as the superior god of
Oeselians (inhabitants of
Saaremaa island), also well known to
Vironian tribes in northern Estonia. According to the chronicle, when the
crusaders invaded Vironia in 1220, there was a beautiful wooded hill in
Virumaa, where locals believe the Oeselian god Tharapita was born and from which he flew to
Saaremaa. The hill is believed to be the
Ebavere Hill (
Ebavere mägi) in modern
Lääne-Viru County.
The Middle Ages period
Estonia was a part of the
Livonian Confederation from 1228 to the 1560s. The country was
Christianized when the
German "
Livonian Brothers of the Sword" conquered southern Estonia as part of the
Northern Crusades in the early
thirteenth century. At the same time,
Denmark attempted to take possession of northern Estonia. Estonia was consolidated under the two forces by 1227. Northern Estonia remained a possession of
Denmark until 1346.
Reval (known as
Tallinn since 1918) was given its
Lübeck Rights in 1248 and joined an alliance of trading guilds called the
Hanseatic League at the end of the thirteenth century. In 1343, the people of northern Estonia and
Saaremaa rebelled against
German rule in the
St. George's Night Uprising, which was put down by 1344.
Russia attempted unsuccessful invasions in 1481 and 1558.
The Reformation period
The
Reformation in
Europe officially began in 1517 with
Martin Luther (1483-1546) and his
95 Theses. The Reformation resulted in great change in the
Baltic region. Ideas entered the
Livonian Confederation very quickly and by the 1520s they were well known.
Language,
education,
religion, and
politics were greatly transformed. The
Church services were now given in the local vernacular, instead of
Latin, as was previously used. During the
Livonian War in 1561, northern Estonia submitted to Swedish control, while southern Estonia briefly came under the control of
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 1580s. In 1625, mainland Estonia came entirely under Swedish rule. Estonia was administratively divided between the provinces of
Estonia in the north and
Livonia in southern Estonia and northern
Latvia, a division which persisted until the early
twentieth century.
In 1631, the
Swedish king Gustaf II Adolf,
Gustavus Adolphus, forced the nobility to grant the peasantry greater rights, although serfdom was retained. In 1632 a printing press and
university were established in the city of
Dorpat (known as
Tartu since 1918). This period is known in Estonian history as
"the Good Old Swedish Time."
Estonia in the Russian Empire
Following the
Great Northern War, the Swedish empire lost Estonia to
Russia (1710 de facto, and 1721
de jure, by the
Treaty of Nystad). However, the upper classes and the higher middle class remained primarily
Baltic German. The war devastated the population of Estonia, but it recovered quickly. Although the rights of peasants were initially weakened, serfdom was abolished in 1816 in the province of Estonia and in 1819 in
Livonia.
Declaration of independence
As a result of the abolition of
serfdom and the availability of education to the native Estonian-speaking population, an active
Estonian nationalist movement developed in the
nineteenth century. It began on a cultural level, resulting in the establishment of Estonian language
literature,
theatre and professional
music and led into the formation of the Estonian national identity and late 1800s'
Age of Awakening. Among the leaders of the movement were
Johann Voldemar Jannsen,
Jakob Hurt and
Carl Robert Jakobson.
Significant accomplishments were the publication of the national epic,
Kalevipoeg, in 1862, and the organization of the first
national song festival in 1869. In response to a period of
Russification initiated by the
Russian empire in the 1890s,
Estonian nationalism took on more political tones, with intellectuals first calling for greater autonomy, and later, complete independence from the
Russian empire. Following the
Bolshevik takeover of power in
Russia after the
October Revolution of 1917 and
German victories against the Russian army, between the Russian
Red Army's retreat and the arrival of advancing
German troops, the
Committee of Elders of the
Maapäev issued the
Estonian Declaration of Independence in
Pärnu on
February 23 and in
Tallinn on
February 24 1918.
After winning the
Estonian Liberation War against
Soviet Russia and at the same time
German Freikorps volunteers (the
Tartu Peace Treaty was signed on
2 February 1920), Estonia maintained its independence for twenty-two years. Initially a
parliamentary democracy, the
parliament (
Riigikogu) was disbanded in 1934, following political unrest caused by the
global economic crisis. Subsequently the country was ruled by decree by
Konstantin Päts, who became President in 1938, the year parliamentary elections resumed.
Estonia in World War II
The fate of Estonia in
World War II was decided by the
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact and its of August 1939.
World War II losses in Estonia, estimated at around 25% of population, were among the highest in
Europe. War and occupation deaths have been estimated at 90,000. These include the
Soviet deportations in 1941, the German deportations and
Holocaust victims.
World War II began with the
invasion and subsequent partition of an important regional ally of Estonia –
Poland, by a joint operation of
Nazi Germany and
Soviet Union.
Soviet annexation
The
fate of the Republic of Estonia before the
World War II was decided by the
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of August 1939 after Stalin gained Hitler's agreement to divide Eastern Europe into "spheres of special interest" according to the
Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and its .
On
September 24 1939, warships of the
Red Navy appeared off Estonian ports and
Soviet bombers began a
patrol over
Tallinn and the nearby countryside. The
Estonian government was forced to give their assent to an agreement which allowed the
USSR to establish military bases and station 25,000 troops on Estonian soil for "mutual defence". On
June 12,
1940, the order for a total military blockade on Estonia was given to the Soviet
Baltic Fleet. On
June 14, 1940, while world’s attention was focused on the fall of
Paris to
Nazi Germany a day earlier, the Soviet military blockade on Estonia went into effect, two Soviet bombers downed a Finnish passenger airplane "
Kaleva" flying from Tallinn to Helsinki carrying three diplomatic pouches from the U.S. legations in
Tallinn,
Riga and
Helsinki. On
June 16, 1940, the Soviet Union invaded Estonia. The Red Army exited from their military bases in Estonia on June 17. The following day, some 90,000 additional troops entered the country.
In the face of overwhelming Soviet force, the Estonian government capitulated on
June 17,
1940 to avoid bloodshed.
The military occupation of Estonia was complete by the June 21 1940.
Most of the
Estonian Defence Forces and the
Estonian Defence League surrendered according to the orders believing that resistance would be crushed and were disarmed by the Red Army. Only the Estonian Single Signal Battalion stationed in
Tallinn at Raua Street continued to
resist. As the
Red Army brought in additional reinforcements supported by six
armoured fighting vehicles, the battle lasted several hours until sundown. There was one dead, several wounded on the Estonian side and about 10 killed and more wounded on the Soviet side. Finally the military resistance was ended with
negotiations and the Single Signal Battalion surrendered and was disarmed.
In August 1940, Estonia was illegally annexed by the Soviet Union as the
Estonian SSR. Those who had failed to do their "political duty" of voting Estonia into the USSR, specifically those who had failed to have their passports stamped for voting, were condemned to death by Soviet tribunals. The repressions followed with the mass
deportations carried out by the Soviets in Estonia on June 14, 1941. Many of the country's political and intellectual leaders were killed or deported to remote areas of the USSR by the Soviet authorities in 1940-1941. Repressive actions were also taken against thousands of ordinary people.
When the German
Operation Barbarossa started against the Soviet Union, about 34,000 young Estonian men were forcibly drafted into the
Red Army. Less than 30% of them survived the war. Political prisoners who couldn't be evacuated were executed by the
NKVD.
Many countries, including the
United States, didn't recognize the annexation of Estonia by the
USSR. Such countries recognized Estonian
diplomats and
consuls who still functioned in many countries in the name of their former governments. These diplomats persisted in this anomalous situation until the ultimate
restoration of
Baltic independence.
Contemporary Russian politicians deny that the Republic of Estonia was illegally annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940. They state that the Soviet troops had entered Estonia in 1940 following the agreements and with the consent of the government of the Republic of Estonia, regardless of how their actions can be interpreted today. They maintain that the USSR wasn't in a state of war and wasn't waging any combat activities on the territory of Estonia, therefore there could be no occupation. The official
Soviet and current
Russian version claims that Estonians voluntarily gave up their statehood.
Freedom fighters of 1944-1976 are labeled "
bandits" or "
nazis". The Russian position isn't recognized internationally.
German occupation
After the
Third Reich invaded the
Soviet Union on
June 22,
1941,the
Wehrmacht reached Estonia in (July 1941). The
German Army crossed the Estonian southern
border on 7th July. The
Red Army retreated behind the
Pärnu River- the
Emajõgi line on
12 July.
At the end July the
Germans resumed their advance in Estonia working in tandem with the Estonian
Forest Brothers. Both German troops and Estonian partisans took
Narva on
17 August and the Estonian capital
Tallinn on
28 August. After the Soviets were driven out from Estonia German troops disarmed all the partisan groups. Although initially the Germans were perceived by most Estonians as liberators from the USSR and its repressions, and hopes were raised for the restoration of the country's independence, it was soon realized that they were but another occupying power. The Germans pillaged the country for the war effort and unleashed the
Holocaust. For the duration of the occupation Estonia was incorporated into the German province of
Ostland. This led to many Estonians, unwilling to side with the Nazis, join the
Finnish Army to fight against the
Soviet Union. The
Finnish Infantry Regiment 200 (Estonian:
soomepoisid) was formed out of Estonian volunteers in
Finland. Although many Estonians were recruited in to the German armed forces (including
Waffen-SS), the majority did so only in 1944 when the threat of a new invasion of Estonia by the
Red Army had become imminent and it was clear that
Germany couldn't win the war.
By January 1944, the front was pushed back by the
Red Army almost all the way to the former Estonian border.
Narva was evacuated.
Jüri Uluots, the last legitimate prime minister of the Republic of Estonia (according to the
Constitution of the Republic of Estonia) prior to its fall to the
Soviet Union in 1940, delivered a radio address that appealed to all able-bodied men born from 1904 through 1923 to report for military service (Before this,
Jüri Uluots had opposed Estonian mobilization.) The call drew support from all across the country: 38,000 volunteers jammed registration centers. Several thousand Estonians who had joined the
Finnish Army came back across the
Gulf of Finland to join the newly formed Territorial Defense Force, assigned to defend Estonia against the Soviet advance. It was hoped that by engaging in such a war Estonia would be able to attract
Western support for the cause of Estonia's independence from the
USSR and thus ultimately succeed in achieving independence.
Soviet occupation
The
Soviet forces reconquered Estonia in the autumn of 1944 after fierce battles in the northeast of the country on the
Narva river and on the
Tannenberg Line (
Sinimäed) as part of the
Baltic Strategic Offensive Operation, a twofold military-political operation to rout forces of the
Wehrmacht and the so-called "
liberation of the Soviet Baltic peoples".
In the face of the country being re-occupied by the
Red Army, tens of thousands of
Estonians (including mayority of the
education,
culture,
science,
political and
social specialists) (estimates as much as 80,000) chose to either retreat together with the
Germans or flee to
Finland or
Sweden. On
12 January 1949 the
Soviet Council of Ministers issued a decree "on the expulsion and deportation" from
Baltic states of "all
kulaks and their families, the families of bandits and nationalists", and others. More than 200,000 people are estimated to have been deported from the
Baltic in 1940-1953. In addition, at least 75,000 were sent to
Gulag. More than 10% of the entire
adult Baltic
population was deported or sent to
Soviet labor and deathcamps. more than 20,000 Estonians were forcibly deported either to
labor camps or
Siberia (see
Gulag). Within the few weeks that followed, almost all of the remaining rural households were
collectivized. After
World War II, as part of the goal to more fully integrate Baltic countries into the
Soviet Union, mass deportations were concluded in the Baltic countries and the policy of encouraging Soviet immigration to the Baltic states continued. In addition to the human and material losses suffered due to war, thousands of civilians were killed and tens of thousands of people deported from Estonia by the
Soviet authorities until
Joseph Stalin's death in 1953.
Half of the deported perished, the other half were not allowed to return until the early 1960s (years after Stalin's death). The various repressive activities of Soviet forces in 1940-1941 and after reoccupation sparked a
guerrilla war against the Soviet authorities in Estonia which was waged into the early 1950s by "
forest brothers" (
metsavennad) consisting mostly of Estonian veterans of both the
German and
Finnish armies as well as some civilians. Material damage caused by the world war and the following Soviet
era significantly slowed Estonia's
economic growth, resulting in a wide
wealth gap in comparison with neighboring
Finland and
Sweden.
Militarization was another aspect of the Soviet regime. Large parts of the country, especially the coastal areas were restricted to all but the Soviet military. Most of the sea shore and all sea islands (including
Saaremaa and
Hiiumaa) were declared "border zones". People not actually resident there were restricted from traveling to them without a permit. A notable closed military installation was the city of
Paldiski which was entirely closed to all public access. The city had a support base for the Soviet
Baltic Fleet's submarines and several large military bases, including a nuclear submarine training centre complete with a full-scale model of a
nuclear submarine with working
nuclear reactors. The
Paldiski reactors building passed into Estonian control in 1994 after the last Soviet troops left the country.,
Immigration was another effect of Soviet occupation. Hundreds of thousands of migrants were relocated to Estonia from other parts of
Soviet Union to assist industrialization and militarization, contributing an increase of about half million people within 45 years. By 1980, when the
Olympic Regatta of the
1980 Olympic Games was held in
Tallinn,
russification and
immigration had achieved a level at which it began to spark popular protests.
Restoration of independence
The
United States,
United Kingdom and the majority of other western democracies considered the
annexation of Estonia by USSR illegal. They retained diplomatic relations with the representatives of the independent Republic of Estonia, never
de jure recognized the existence of the Estonian SSR, and never recognized Estonia as a legal constituent part of the Soviet Union.Estonia's return to independence became possible as the Soviet Union faced internal regime challenges, loosening its hold on outer empire. As the 1980s progressed, a movement for Estonian autonomy started. In the initial period of 1987-1989, this was partially for more economic independence, but as the Soviet Union weakened and it became increasingly obvious that nothing short of full independence would do, the country began a course towards self-determination.
In 1989, during the "
Singing Revolution", in a landmark demonstration for more independence, called
The Baltic Way, a human chain of more than two million people was formed, stretching through
Lithuania,
Latvia and Estonia. All three nations had similar experiences of occupation and similar aspirations for regaining independence. Estonia formally declared independence on
August 20,
1991, reconstituting the pre-1940 state, during the
Soviet military coup attempt in Moscow. The first country to diplomatically recognize Estonia's reclaimed independence was
Iceland. The last Russian troops left on
31 August 1994.
Geography
Topography
Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the
Baltic Sea immediately across the Gulf of Finland from Finland on the level northwestern part of the rising east European platform between 57.3° and 59.5° N and 21.5° and 28.1° E. Average elevation reaches only 50 meters (164 ft) and the country's highest point is the
Suur Munamägi in the southeast at 318 meters (1,043 ft). Estonia boasts over
1,400 lakes. Most are very small, with the largest,
Lake Peipus, (Peipsi in Estonian) being 3,555 km² (1372 sq mi). There are many rivers in the country. The largest are the Võhandu (162 km), Pärnu (144 km), and Põltsamaa (135 km). Estonia also boasts numerous
bogs, and 3,794 kilometers (2,357 mi) of coastline marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. The number of islands and islets is estimated at some 1,500. Two are large enough to constitute their own counties:
Saaremaa and
Hiiumaa.
Climate
Estonia lies in the northern part of the
temperate climate zone and in the transition zone between
maritime and
continental climate. Because Estonia (and all of
Northern Europe) is continuously warmed by the
Gulf Stream it has a milder climate despite its northern latitude. The
Baltic Sea causes differences between the climate of coastal and inland areas. The average annual temperature in Estonia is 5 °C. The average temperature in February, the coldest month of the year, is -5.2 °C. The average temperature in July, which is considered the warmest month of the year, is 18 °C. The climate is also influenced by the
Atlantic Ocean, the
North-Atlantic Stream and the
Icelandic Minimum, which is an area known for the formation of cyclones and where the average air pressure is lower than in neighbouring areas. Estonia is located in a humid zone in which the amount of precipitation is greater than total evaporation. There are about 160 to 190 rainy days a year, and average precipitation is most plentiful on the western slopes of the
Sakala and
Haanja Uplands. Snow cover, which is deepest in the south-eastern part of Estonia, usually lasts from mid-December to late March.
Fauna
Estonia's sparse population and large areas of forest have allowed stocks of
European Lynx,
Wild Boar,
Brown Bears,
Wolves and
moose to survive, among other animals . Its birdlife includes
Golden Eagles and
White Storks. It has around a dozen national parks and protected areas, including
Lahemaa National Park, the country’s largest park, on the northern coast.
Soomaa National Park, near
Pärnu, is known for its ancient wetlands. Reserves such as
Käina Bay Bird Reserve and
Matsalu Nature Reserve (a wetland of international importance under the
Ramsar Convention) are also popular with locals and tourists and support a wide variety of birdlife .
Counties
The Republic of Estonia is divided into fifteen
counties (Maakonnad) which are the administrative subdivisions of the country. The first documented mentioning of Estonian political and administrative subdivisions comes from the
Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, written in the 13th century during the
Northern Crusades.
A
maakond (county) is the biggest administrative subdivision.
The
county government (Maavalitsus) of each county is led by a
county governor (Maavanem), who represents the
national government at the regional level. Governors are appointed by
Eesti Valitsus (government) for a term of five years. Several changes were made to the borders of counties after Estonia became independent, most notably the formation of
Valga County (from parts of
Võru,
Tartu and
Viljandi counties) and
Petseri County (area acquired from Russia with the 1920
Tartu Peace Treaty).
During the
Soviet rule,
Petseri County was annexed and ceded to the
Russian SFSR in 1945 where it became one the
Pskovs
districts. Counties were again re-established in
1 January,
1990 in the borders of the Soviet-era regions. Due to the numerous differences between the current and historical (pre-1940) layouts, the historical borders are still used in ethnology, representing cultural and linguistic differences better.
Municipalities and cities
Counties
| Capital |
Area |
Population |
| Harjumaa |
Tallinn |
4,333 km² |
521,410 |
| Hiiumaa |
Kärdla |
989 km² |
10,289 |
| Ida-Virumaa |
Jõhvi |
3,364 km² |
174,809 |
| Järvamaa |
Paide |
2,623 km² |
38,255 |
| Jõgevamaa |
Jõgeva |
2,604 km² |
37,647 |
| Läänemaa |
Haapsalu |
2,383 km² |
28,101 |
| Lääne-Virumaa |
Rakvere |
3,627 km² |
68,090 |
| Pärnumaa |
Pärnu |
4,807 km² |
89,660 |
| Põlvamaa |
Põlva |
2,165 km² |
31,954 |
| Raplamaa |
Rapla |
2,980 km² |
37,093 |
| Saaremaa |
Kuressaare |
2,673 km² |
35,356 |
| Tartumaa |
Tartu |
2,993 km² |
148,872 |
| Valgamaa |
Valga |
2,044 km² |
35,059 |
| Viljandimaa |
Viljandi |
3,422 km² |
56,854 |
| Võrumaa |
Võru |
2,305 km² |
38,967 |
Petserimaa
Annexed in 1945 by Russian SFSR and since 1991 by Russia. |
Petseri |
1,582 km² |
30,000 |
|
An omavalitsus (municipality) is the smallest administrative subdivision of Estonia. Each county is further divided into municipalities which are of two types: urban municipality,or linn (town), and rural municipality, or vald (parish). There is no other status distinction between them. Each municipality is a unit of self-government with its representative and executive bodies. The municipalities in Estonia cover the entire territory of the country.
Municipality may contain one or several populated places. Some urban municipalities are divided into linnaosad (districts) with limited self-government, for example Tallinn consists of 8 districts (Haabersti, Kesklinn, Kristiine, Lasnamäe, Mustamäe, Nõmme, Pirita and Põhja-Tallinn).
Municipalities are ranging in size from Tallinn with 400,000 inhabitants to Ruhnu with as few as 60. As over two-thirds of the municipalities have a population of under 3,000, many of them have found it advantageous to co-operate in providing services and carrying out administrative functions.
Since March 2008 there are total of 227 municipalities in Estonia, 33 of them are urban and 194 are rural.
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia, along the Gulf of Finland. The city is an important industrial, political and cultural center, and seaport. There are currently 33 cities and several town-parish towns in the county. More than 70% of the entire population lives in the towns. The 20 largest cities are shown on the table below:
|
Politics
Politics of Estonia takes place in a framework of a
parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the
Prime Minister of Estonia is the
head of government, and of a
multi-party system.
Parliament
Estonia is a
parliamentary,
representative democratic republic. The Estonian political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1992
constitutional document. Estonia
elects a
legislature on the national level. The
Riigikogu, exercising the
legislative power, has 101 members, elected for a four year term by
proportional representation. A
head of state - the
president - is elected for a five year term by parliament (1st-3rd round) or an electoral college (4th and subsequent rounds). Locally, Estonia elects local government councils, which vary in size, but by the election law there are minimum size of councils depending on the size of municipality. Local government councils are elected by proportional representation too.
Government and e-Government
The
Government of Estonia (Estonian:
Vabariigi Valitsus) or the
executive branch is formed by the
Prime Minister of Estonia, nominated by the president and approved by the parliament.The government exercises executive power pursuant to the
Constitution of Estonia and the laws of the Republic of Estonia and consists of 12 ministers, including the
prime minister. The prime minister also has the right to appoint other ministers, whom he or she'll assign with a subject to deal with and who won't have a ministry to control, becoming a 'minister without portfolio'. The prime minister has the right to appoint a maximum of 3 such ministers, as the limit of ministers in one government is 15. It is also known as the
cabinet. The cabinet carries out the country’s domestic and foreign policy, shaped by parliament (Riigikogu); it directs and co-ordinates the work of government institutions and bears full responsibility for everything occurring within the authority of executive power. The government, headed by the
Prime Minister, thus represents the political leadership of the country and makes decisions in the name of the whole executive power.
Estonia has pursued the development of the
e-state and
e-government.
Internet voting is used in elections in Estonia
(External Link
).
The first
Internet voting took place in the 2005 local elections and the first in a parliamentary election was made available for the
2007 elections, in which 30,275 individuals voted over the
Internet. Voters have a chance to invalidate their vote in traditional elections, if they wish to. In its 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index,
Reporters Without Borders ranked Estonia 3rd out of 169 countries.
Law and court
The supreme
judicial power is vested in the
Supreme Court or
Riigikohus, with 17 justices. The Chief Justice is appointed by the parliament for nine years on nomination by the president.The official
Head of State is the
President of Estonia, who gives
assent to the laws passed by
Riigikogu, also having the right of
sending them back and proposing new laws. The president, however, doesn't use these rights very often, having a largely ceremonial role. He or she's elected by
Riigikogu, with two-thirds of the votes required. If the candidate doesn't gain the amount of votes required, the right to elect the president goes over to an electoral body, consisting of the 101 members of Riigikogu and representatives from local councils. As other spheres, Estonian law-making has been successfully integrated with the
Information Age.
Foreign relations
Since regaining independence, Estonia has pursued a foreign policy of close cooperation with its Western European neighbors. The two most important policy objectives in this regard have been accession into
NATO and the
European Union, achieved in March and May of 2004 respectively. Estonia's international realignment toward the West has been accompanied by a general deterioration in relations with
Russia, most recently demonstrated by the controversy surrounding relocation of the
Bronze Soldier WWII memorial in Tallinn.
An important element in Estonia's post-independence reorientation has been closer ties with the
Nordic countries, especially
Finland and
Sweden. Indeed, Estonians consider themselves a Nordic people rather than
Balts, based on their historical ties with Sweden, Denmark and particularly Finland. In December 1999 Estonian foreign minister (and since 2006,
president of Estonia)
Toomas Hendrik Ilves delivered a speech entitled "Estonia as a Nordic Country" to the
Swedish Institute for International Affairs. In 2003, the
foreign ministry also hosted an exhibit called "Estonia: Nordic with a Twist". And in 2005, Estonia joined the
European Union's
Nordic Battle Group. It has also shown continued interest in joining the
Nordic Council.
Whereas in 1992 Russia accounted for 92% of Estonia's international trade, today there's extensive economic interdependence between Estonia and its Nordic neighbors: three quarters of
foreign investment in Estonia originates in the Nordic countries (principally Finland and Sweden), to which Estonia sends 42% of its exports (as compared to 6.5% going to Russia, 8.8% to Latvia, and 4.7% to Lithuania). On the other hand, the Estonian political system, its
flat rate of income tax, and its non-welfare-state model distinguish it from the other Nordic states, and indeed from many other European countries.
Military
Estonian military - the
Estonian Defence Forces - is the name of the unified armed forces of the Republic of Estonia with
Maavägi (Army),
Merevägi (Navy),
Õhuvägi (Air Force) and a paramilitary organization
Kaitseliit (Defence League). The national defence policy aims to guarantee the
preservation of the
independence and
sovereignty of the state, the
integrity of its land area, territorial waters and airspace and its constitutional order. Its main goals remain the development and maintenance of a credible
capability to defend the nation's vital interests and development of the
Defence Forces in a way that ensures their
interoperability with the armed forces of
NATO and
European Union member states and their capability to participate in the full range of
Alliance missions.
Ajateenistus (Military Service) is compulsory for men between 18 and 28, and conscripts serve
eight-month to
eleven-month tours of duty depending on the
army branch they serve in. Estonia has retained
conscription unlike
Latvia and
Lithuania and has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces. In 2008, the military spending will reach to 1.85% - 5 billion
krones of the
GDP and will continue to increase till 2010 when the 2.0% level is achieved. As of January 2008, the Estonian military had almost 300 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of various international peacekeeping forces, including 35
Defence League troops stationed in
Kosovo; 120
Ground Forces soldiers in the
NATO-led
ISAF force in
Afghanistan; 80 soldiers stationed as a part of
MNF in the
Iraq; and 2 Estonian officers in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and 2 Estonian military agents in
Israel in
Golan Heights. The Estonian Defence Forces have had previously military missions also in
Croatia from March till October 1995, in
Lebanon from December 1996 till June 1997 and in
Macedonia from May till December 2003. Estonia participates in the
Nordic Battlegroup and has announced readiness to send soldiers also to
Sudan to
Darfur if necessary, creating the very first
African peacekeeping mission for the armed forces of Estonia.
E-Military
The
Military of Estonia is introducing a new 21st century based
cyber warfare and
defence formation in order to protect the vital
infrastructure and
e-infrastructure of Estonia. Currently the leading organization in the Estonian cyber defence is the
CERT (the Computer Emergency Response Team of Estonia), established in 2006, as an organisation responsible for the management of security incidents in .ee computer networks. Its task is to assist Estonian internet users in the implementation of preventive measures in order to reduce possible damage from security incidents and to help them in responding to security threats. The unit deals with security incidents that occur in Estonian networks, are started there, or have been notified of by citizens or institutions either in Estonia or abroad.
On
June 25,
2007, Estonian president
Toomas Hendrik Ilves met with the president of
USA,
George W. Bush. Among the topics discussed were the attacks on Estonian e-infrastructure.
The attacks triggered a number of military organisations around the world to reconsider the importance of network security to modern military doctrine. On
June 14,
2007, defence ministers of
NATO members held a meeting in
Brussels, issuing a joint
communiqué promising immediate action. First public results are estimated to arrive by autumn 2007.
As to the placement of a newly planned
NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (
CCD COE), Bush proclaimed the policy of
USA as supporting Estonia as this centre's location. In the aftermath of the
Cyberattacks on Estonia 2007, plans to combine network defence with Estonian military doctrine, and related
NATO plans to create a Cybernetic Defence Centre in Estonia, have been nicknamed the "Tiger's Defence", in reference to Tiigrihüpe.
Economy
The Republic of Estonia is currently a member of the
European Union since
1 May 2004 and its economy is rated as
high income by the
World Bank. Level of the Estonian economy
Estonian economic miracle has been often being described as the
Baltic Tiger.
By 1929, a stable currency, the
Kroon (crown), was established. It is issued by the
Bank of Estonia, the country's
central bank. Trade focused on the local market and the West, particularly Germany and the United Kingdom. Only 3% of all commerce was with the
USSR. Before the
Second World War Estonia was mainly an
agriculture country whose products such as
butter,
milk and
cheese was widely known on the
western European markets.
The
USSR's forcible
annexation of Estonia in 1940 and the ensuing
Nazi and
Soviet destruction during World War II crippled the Estonian economy.
Post-war Sovietization of life continued with the integration of Estonia's economy and industry into the
USSR's centrally planned structure.
Since
re-establishing independence, Estonia has styled itself as the gateway between East and West and aggressively pursued economic reform and integration with the West. Estonia's market reforms put it among the economic leaders in the former
COMECON area. A balanced
budget, almost non-existent
public debt, flat-rate
income tax,
free trade regime, fully convertible
currency backed by
currency board and a strong peg to the
euro, competitive commercial banking sector, hospitable environment for
foreign investment,
innovative e-Services and even mobile-based services are all hallmarks of Estonia's free-market-based economy. Estonia also has made excellent progress in regard to
structural adjustment.
Resources
Resource
| Location |
Reservs |
Oil-shale
|
North-East Estonia |
1,137,700,000 mln t |
| Sea mud (medical) |
South-Estonia |
1,356,400,000 mln t |
| Construction sand |
across the country |
166,700,000 mln m³ |
| Construction gravel |
North-Estonia |
32,800,000 mln m³ |
| Lake mud (medical) |
across the country |
1,133,300 mln t |
| Lake mud (fertilizer) |
East-Estonia |
170,900 t |
| Ceramic clay |
across the country |
10,600,000 mln m³ |
| Ceramsid clay (for gravel) |
across the country |
2,600,000 mln m³ |
| Technological dolomite |
West-Estonia |
16,600,000 mln m³ |
| Technologicallubjakivi |
North-Estonia |
13,800,000 mln m³ |
| Decoration dolomite |
West-Estonia |
2,900,000 mln m³ |
| Construction dolomite |
West-Estonia |
32,900,000 mln m³ |
| Blue clay |
across the country |
2,044,000 mln t |
| Granite |
across the country |
1,245,100,000 mln m³ |
| Peat |
across the country |
230,300,000 mln t |
| Construction limestone |
North-Estonia |
110,300,000 mln m³ |
| Limestone cement |
North-Estonia |
9,400,000 mln m³ |
| Clay cement |
North-Estonia |
15,6000,000 mln m³ |
| Dictyonema flabelliforme |
North-Estonia |
64,000,000,000 mln t |
| Wood |
across the country |
15,6000,000 mln m³ |
| Technological sand |
North-Estonia |
3,300,000 mln m³ |
| Lake lime |
North-Estonia
South-Estonia
|
808,000 t |
| Phosphorite |
North-Estonia |
over 350,000,000 mln t (estimated) |
| Subsoil |
across the country |
21,1 km³ |
|
Oil shale (or kukersite) and limestone deposits, along with forests which cover 47% of the land, play key economic roles in this generally resource-poor country. In 1994, Estonia became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a flat tax, with a uniform rate of 26% regardless of personal income. In January 2005 the personal income tax rate was reduced to 24%. A subsequent reduction to 23% followed in January 2006. The income tax rate will be decreased by 1% annually to reach 18% by January 2010. The Government of Estonia finalized the design of Estonia's euro coins in late 2004, and is now intending to adopt the euro as the country's currency between 2011 and 2013, later than planned due to continued high inflation. In 1999, Estonia experienced its worst year economically since it regained independence in 1991, largely because of the impact of the August 1998 Russian financial crisis. Estonia joined the WTO in November 1999. With assistance from the European Union, the World Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank, Estonia completed most of its preparations for European Union membership by the end of 2002 and now has one of the strongest economies of the new member states of the European Union.
Infrastructure and e-Infrastructure
Transport and logistics play a vital role in the Estonian economy. The country’s favorable geographic location, along with its well-developed infrastructure, offers excellent opportunities for all transport and logistics related activities. Estonia has become an important transit center as its location is ideal for the creation of efficient transportation links and distribution chains of goods and services for companies in Europe and in other parts of the world. Approximately 7.5% of the country’s workforce is employed in transportation and road management, and over the past years the share of transportation and telecommunications in the economic activity has steadily increased and currently constitutes ca. 15% of the GDP. Railway transport dominates the cargo sector, comprising 70% of all carried goods, domestic and international. Road transport is the one that prevails in the passenger sector, accounting for over 90% of all transported passengers. The Estonian transportation and logistics sector is a successful combination of transportation services, transit trade, distribution centers and value-added logistics. Transit services constitute a profitable form of exports for the nation, and their future success ranks highly among the priorities of Estonia’s economic policy.
Located in the Baltic Sea region, Estonia has captured an increasing share of the rapidly growing trade through the Baltic Sea. 5 major cargo ports offer easy navigational access, deep waters, and good ice conditions. There are 12 airports and 1 heliport in Estonia. Tallinn International Airport is the largest airport in Estonia, providing services to a number of international carriers flying to 23 destinations.
|
Estonia has a strong
information technology (
IT)
sector, partly due to the
Tiigrihüpe project undertaken in mid 1990s, and has been mentioned as the most "wired" and advanced country in
Europe in the terms of
e-government.
Oil shale industry and pollution
Although the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily the air is polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast Estonia due the mining industry which was created by the Soviets in early
1950s. In 2000 the emissions were 80% smaller than in 1980 and the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies was one twentieth the level of 1980. With the start-up of new water purification plants the pollution load of wastewater has decreased. Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and man-made lakes. The coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations, mainly in East-Estonia. One of the main goals of long-term national development programme of fuel and energy management and goal programme of energy saving is the reduction of environmental impacts. The main tasks in the area are to raise the efficiency of energy production and transport and to use more environment-friendly fuels and reduce special consumption of energy in all branches of economy and households.
There are plans to establish new power stations and to provide higher efficiency in oil shale based energy production with the concurrent and significant reduction of the harmful environmental impact via the renovation of combustion technology.
Trade and investment
Proximity to the Nordic markets, location between Eastern and Western Europe, competitive cost structure and high-skill labour force have been the major Estonian comparative advantages since the 1990s.Estonia has a modern
market-based economy and one of the highest
per capita income levels in
Central Europe. The economy benefits from strong
electronics and
telecommunications sectors and strong trade ties with
Finland,
Sweden and
Germany. The current government has pursued relatively sound
fiscal policies, resulting in balanced budgets and low
public debt. In 2007, however, a large current account deficit and rising inflation put pressure on
Estonia's currency, which is pegged to the
euro, highlighting the need for growth in export-generating industries.
Estonia exports machinery and equipment (33% of all exports annually), wood and paper (15% of all exports annually), textiles (14% of all exports annually),
food products (8% of all exports annually), furniture (7% of all exports annually), and
metals and
chemical products. Estonia also exports 1.562 billion
kilowatt hours of
electricity annually.
