Estonia at a glance Estonia in Estonian is “Eesti” Population: 1.36 million Area: 45 227 sq. km Capital city: Tallinn. National Day: Independence Day, February 24, when Estonia declared its independence in 1918 Estonian flag: blue, black and white Estonian National Anthem Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm (MP3/1,7 mb) Dates from Estonian history A dozen questions about Estonia STATE Estonia is a parliamentary republic The Head of the State is the President, who is elected by the parliament or an Electoral Body for 5 years. National legislature: the Riigikogu. A unicameral parliament of 101 members. Term: 4 years. There are 15 counties and 241 local governments in Estonia. State http://www.riik.ee/en/ PEOPLE One third of the population of 1.36 million lives in the capital city of Tallinn Largest ethnic groups: Estonians 68%, Russians 26%, Ukrainians 2%, Belorussians 1%, Finns 1%. Religion: Mostly Lutheran, but there are also Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Baptists, Methodists and Roman Catholics in Estonia. Traditions and values LANGUAGE Estonian is a Finno-Ugric language related to Finnish and Hungarian. One fourth of the population speaks Russian. English, Finnish and German are also widely understood and spoken. The Latin alphabet is used in the Estonian language. Foreigners are certainly not accustomed to the vowels Õ, Ä, Ö, Ü. Hello! - Tere! Please - Palun Thank you - Tänan How are you? - Kuidas läheb? Ladies and gentlemen - Daamid ja härrad All right! - Hästi! Why not?! - Miks mitte?! Goodbye! - Nägemist! ECONOMIC SUCCESS Estonian economic success is based on a balanced state budget, liberal foreign trade and a stable national currency, the kroon (EEK). The kroon is pegged to the euro at 15,6 kroons to 1 Euro. Estonia has a unique tax system: a flat 26% income tax and reinvested corporate profits are tax-free. Estonia has the 6th most open economy in the world. The country’s competitiveness ranks 17th. The main export partners are Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Germany, United Kingdom and the main import partners are Finland, Germany, Sweden, China, Russia and Japan. Altogether 80% of the trade takes place with European Union countries. Main economic indicators NATURE Estonia is a green land, where forests cover around half of the country. There are more than 1500 islands. Sea islands form one tenth and lakes about one twentieth of Estonia's territory. Estonia is also rich in wildlife. There are 170 wolves, 600 bears, 950 lynxes, 11 700 elks and 16 000 wild boars in Estonia. Highest point: Suur Munamägi (Great Egg Hill), 318 m Largest lake: Peipsi, the fifth largest lake in Europe The average temperature is –7° C in January and +22° C in July. White summer nights beginin May and last until the end of July, but it gets dark at 3-4 pm in wintertime. DISTANCES FROM TALLINN TO: Helsinki 85 km Brussels 2300 km Paris 2600 km London 2600 km Rome 3100 km E-INCLUSION Internet: Estonia maintains the highest Internet connections / population ratio in Central and Eastern Europe and is also ahead of most of the European Union countries. 45% of the population are Internet users. 35% of the population have a computer at home, 69% of home computers are connected to the Internet. All Estonian schools are connected to the Internet Incomes can be declared to the Tax Board via the Internet 43% of Estonian people conduct their everyday banking via the Internet The Government has changed Cabinet meetings to paperless sessions using a web-based document system There are about 500 Public Internet Access Points in Estonia, 36 per 100 000 people (one of the highest ratios in Europe) Digital signature act: digital signature accepted on official documents State budget expenditure can be followed on the Internet in real-time There are over 160 free wireless Internet zones around the country. Mobile phones: 65% of the population are mobile phone subscribers Mobile parking (ticketing via SMS) All of Estonia is covered with digital mobile phone networks E-Estonia CULTURE & SPORTS Famous sportspeople: Marko Märtin – Ford Rallye Sport’s number one driver Mart Poom – The Estonian football team goalkeeper (also plays for Sunderland, UK) Jaan Kirsipuu – Ag2r cyclist Erki Nool – Sydney Olympics Gold Medallist in the decathlon Famous composers: Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, Erki-Sven Tüür Estonians have renowned choirs and song festivals. Every four years, more than 30000 singers from choirs all over Estonia gather to sing at the summer National Song Festivals in Tallinn. Estonian culture Cultural calendar