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.
Full Name: Republic of Estonia
Area: 45,226 sq km (water: 2,015 sq km, land: 43,211 sq km) - note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Population: 1,299,371 (July 2009 est.)
Capital City: Tallinn
People: Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Language: Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Religion: 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)
Government Type: Parliamentary republic
Chief of State President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005)
GDP: $US 23.55 billion (2008 est.)
GDP per Capita: $US 21,400 (2008 est.)
Inflation: 6.6% (2007 est.)
Unemployment: 5.7% (2008 est.)
Industries: Engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
Currency: Estonian kroon (EEK)
Member of EU: Yes
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