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Estonia:
Country Guide

Estonia - General Country Guide

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^{Source: CIA World Factbook}

Summary Data

summary data
Total Area (km²)	45,226
Land (km²)	43,211
Water (km²)	2,015
Population	1,307,605
Population Density (/km²)	29
Capital	Tallinn
Religion (%)	Evangelical Lutheran 13.6% Orthodox 12.8% Christian 1.4% Unaffiliated 34.1% Other 6.1%
Time	GMT +2
Climate	Maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers.

^{Source: CIA World Factbook}

Geography

Estonia lies along the shores of the Baltic Sea, just below Finland. The most northerly of the three Baltic States, Sweden is situated to the west of Estonia and Russia to the east, with St. Petersburg just across the north-eastern border. Estonia's location offers excellent access to nearby major cities such as Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Riga, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Vilnius, all of which can be reached within 2 hours if departing from Tallinn's international airport. It has an area of 45 228 km². The main landscape regions of Estonia are the North Estonian Plateau, the West Estonian Lowland, the Central Estonian Plain, and the Sakala, Otepää and Haanja Uplands in the south.

Government

The President of Estonia is Toomas Hendrik Ilves, sworn in from October 2006. As head of state, although the role is mainly ceremonial, the president is supreme commander of the armed forces and represents Estonia abroad. An Estonian president is elected to a five-year term by MPs and local officials.

The Prime Minister is Andrus Ansip. Andrus Ansip is Estonia's first sitting prime minister to be re-elected since the country quit the Soviet Union in 1991. He became Prime Minister in April 2005 and in March 2007 his centre-right Reform Party won parliamentary polls, but with too small a margin to govern alone.

Language

Estonian: 67.3%; Russian: 29.7%; Other: 3%

Electricity

230 volts 50HzHz Estonia. Plugs are of the two-pin standard European type.

Passports/Visa

Citizens of the EU and of the EEA Member states as well as citizens of the Swiss Confederation are able to enter Estonia without a visa. A valid personal ID card or Passport must be shown. Visitors from the US and Canada do not require a visa for short visits up to 90 days within six months. Certain countries will require a short-stay visa, the list of countries that must obtain a visa before entering Estonia is available from the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Anyone staying in Estonia for more than 90 days needs either a residence permit or a business visa. This is required after 180 days for Brits. These documents are not available on the border therefore must be obtained before travelling. Once you have been granted a business visa you must prove that you have health insurance to the value of £15,000 before being granted entry. A long term residence permit may be issued after staying in Estonia on a temporary residence permit for five years. After five years on a long term residence permit you may apply for citizenship.

Passport/Visa Information

Estonian Embassy

16 Hyde Park Gate
LONDON SW7 5DG
tel. +44 (0)20 758 93 428
fax: +44 (0)20 758 93 430
Embassy.London@estonia.gov.uk

Airports and Airlines

Tallinn International Airport (TLL)

Location: The airport is situated 4km (2.5 miles) south east of Tallinn city centre.
Time: GMT +2
Contacts: Tallinn Airport, Lennujaama 2, Tallinn 11101, Estonia. Telephone: (372) 605 888. Fax number 605 8433. E-mail info@tll.aero.
Transfer between terminals: There is one terminal.
Transfer to the city: Bus stops located outside the terminal building run services to and from the city centre.
Car rental: Car rental services are available from the terminal building.
Facilities: The airport offers facilities to accommodate disabled travellers. Restaurants and duty free shopping; post office, internet facilities, currency exchange and porter services.
Parking: Long and short term car parking is available.
Website: www.tallinn-airport.ee

Standard of Living

Living in the city in Estonia is very different to living in the countryside with standards at a considerably higher level in the city. The average living space increased between 1992 and 1997, but due to the breakdown of the collective farm system a portion of the rural population had to be moved into more primitive quarters. Despite standards of living being low in certain parts of Estonia, especially rural areas, a very high percentage of all adults can read and write. Estonia has made education compulsory starting at the age of seven and finishing at the age of sixteen.

Principal commercial centres and towns

Today 70% of Estonians live in cities or towns, the most highly populated being Tallinn, the capital, with nearly a third of the total population living here.