After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Country profile: Estonia
A small and heavily forested country, Estonia is the most northerly of the three former Soviet Baltic republics. Not much more than a decade after it regained its independence following the collapse of the USSR, the republic was welcomed as an EU member in May 2004. The move came just weeks after it joined Nato.
These historic developments would have been extremely hard to imagine in not-so-distant Soviet times.
Estonia was part of the Russian empire until 1918 when it proclaimed its independence. Russia recognised it as an independent state under the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.
During the two decades that followed it tried to assert its identity as a nation squeezed between the rise of Nazism in Germany and the dominion of Stalin in the USSR.
After a pact between Hitler and Stalin, Soviet troops arrived in 1940 and Estonia was absorbed into the Soviet Union. Nazi forces pushed the Soviets out in 1941 but the Red Army returned in 1944 and remained for half a century.
The legacy of the Soviet years has left a mark which the country carries with it into its EU era: a large number of the Russian-speaking industrial workers brought in decades ago have ended up without Estonian citizenship for which they are required to pass an Estonian-language test. About a tenth of the population has no citizenship of any kind.
After a decade of negotiations, Estonia and Russia signed a treaty defining the border between the two countries in May 2005. The Estonian parliament ratified it soon afterwards but only after it had introduced reference to Soviet occupation. Moscow reacted by pulling out of the treaty and saying talks would have to start afresh.
The Estonian language is closely related to Finnish but not to the languages of either of the other Baltic republics, Latvia and Lithuania, or to Russian. The country has unique traditions in folk song and verse, traditions which have had to be strong to survive the many centuries of domination by foreign countries.
Estonia has enjoyed strong economic growth since joining the EU.
- Full name: Republic of Estonia
- Population: 1.3 million (UN, 2005)
- Capital: Tallinn
- Area: 45,227 sq km (17,462 sq km)
- Major languages: Estonian, Russian
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 65 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 kroon = 100 sents
- Main exports: Machinery, textiles, wood products
- GNI per capita: US $9,100 (World Bank, 2006)
- Internet domain: .ee
- International dialling code: + 372
President: Toomas Hendrik Ilves
Mr Ilves was sworn in as president in October 2006.
As head of state, the president is supreme commander of the armed forces and represents Estonia abroad. However, the role is mainly ceremonial. The president is elected to a five-year term by MPs and local officials.
Prime minister: Andrus Ansip
Andrus Ansip became prime minister in April 2005. He leads the centre-right Reform Party and was economy minister in the previous coalition government of Juhan Parts.
Mr Parts resigned after two years in office when parliament passed a vote of no confidence in his justice minister over proposed anticorruption measures.
Mr Ansip's government includes the centre-left Centre Party and the centrist People's Union. It is Estonia's eighth administration in 12 years.
The prime minister had sought to steer Estonia towards eurozone membership in 2007 but high inflation led the government to move the target date for entry to 2008.
The previous government had cut social spending and taxes while adopting tough measures to encourage the free market and foreign investment. Mr Ansip has promised to continue tax cuts and some of the economic policies of his predecessor but to increase social welfare measures
Andrus Ansip was 48 when he became premier. He entered national politics in 2004 following a stint as mayor of Tartu, Estonia's second city.
The post-independence years of the early 1990s saw a proliferation of newspapers. This subsequently turned into a fight for survival for a smaller number of surviving titles.
Broadcasting witnessed spectacular growth after 1991. The industry has attracted a number of foreign players; the two main commercial TV stations are owned by Swedish and Norwegian concerns.
Public radio and TV services are run by Eesti Televisioon (ETV) and Eesti Raadio (ER).
Take-up of cable TV is extensive. The service offers channels in Finnish, Swedish, Russian and Latvian.
The press
Television
Radio
News agency
Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low.
Estonian natural resources include oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Estonian religion is 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).
Natural hazards in Estonia include sometimes flooding occurs in the spring.
Travel Advice on Estonia
SUMMARY
- The threat from terrorism is low. But you should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners.
- You should be aware that petty theft, especially in Tallinn Old Town, is becoming increasingly common.
- You must have the original V5 C (Vehicle Registration Document) if driving into Estonia.
- Around 65000 British nationals visit Estonia every year. Most visits are trouble-free. The main type of incident for which British nationals require consular assistance in Estonia is for replacing lost or stolen passports, being a victim of petty crime or being arrested for drug possession.
- We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. Please see: Travel Insurance.
SAFETY AND SECURITY