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capital:
tallinn administrative divisions: 15 counties (maakonnad. singular - maakond): harjumaa (tallinn). hiiumaa (kardla). ida-virumaa (johvi). jarvamaa (paide). jogevamaa (jogeva). laanemaa (haapsalu). laane-virumaa (rakvere). parnumaa (parnu). polvamaa (polva). raplamaa (rapla). saaremaa (kuressaare). tartumaa (tartu). valgamaa (valga). viljandimaa (viljandi). vorumaa (voru) note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses independence: 20 august 1991 (from soviet union) national holiday: independence day. 24 february (1918); note - 24 february 1918 is the date estonia declared its independence from soviet russia; 20 august 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the soviet union constitution: adopted 28 june 1992 legal system: based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts suffrage: 18 years of age; universal for all estonian citizens executive branch: chief of state: president arnold ruutel (since 8 october 2001) head of government: prime minister andrus ansip (since 12 april 2005) cabinet: council of ministers appointed by the prime minister. approved by parliament elections: president elected by parliament for a five-year term; if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the parliament. then an electoral assembly (made up of parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president. choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 21 september 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by parliament election results: arnold ruutel elected president on 21 september 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following parliament's failure in august to elect then-president meri's successor; on the second ballot of voting. ruutel received 186 votes to parliament speaker toomas savi's 155; the remaining 26 ballots were either left blank or invalid legislative branch: unicameral parliament or riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 2 march 2003 (next to be held na march 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - center party 25.4%. res publica 24.6%. reform party 17.7%. estonian people's union 13%. pro patria union (fatherland league) 7.3% people's party moodukad 7%; seats by party - res publica 26. center party 20. reform party 19. estonian people's union 13. pro patria union 7. social democrats 6. non-affiliated (social liberals and independents) 10 judicial branch: national court (chairman appointed by parliament for life) political parties and leaders: center party of estonia (keskerakond) [edgar savisaar. chairman]; estonian people's union (rahvaliit) [villu reiljan. chairman]; estonian reform party (reformierakond) [andrus ansip]; estonian united russian people's party or euvrp [yevgeniy tomberg. chairman]; pro patria union (isamaaliit) [tonis lukas. chairman]; res publica [taavi veskimagi. chairman]; social democratic party (formerly people's party moodukad or moderates) [ivari padar. chairman]; social liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians. former center party members) [peeter kreitzberg] political pressure groups and leaders: na international organization participation: australia group. bis. cbss. ce. eapc. ebrd. eib. eu (new member). fao. iaea. ibrd. icao. icct. icftu. icrm. ifc. ifrcs. iho. ilo. imf. imo. interpol. ioc. iom. iso (correspondent). itu. miga. nato. nib. nsg. oas (observer). opcw. osce. pca. un. unctad. unesco. untso. upu. wco. weu (associate partner). who. wipo. wmo. wto diplomatic representation in the us: chief of mission: ambassador juri luik chancery: 2131 massachusetts ave. nw. washington. dc 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 fax: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: new york diplomatic representation from the us: chief of mission: ambassador aldona zofia wos embassy: kentmanni 20. 15099 tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 fax: [372] 668-8134 flag description: pre-1940 flag restored by supreme soviet in may 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top). black. and white economy - overview: 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. gdp (purchasing power parity): $21.81 billion (2005 est.) gdp (official exchange rate): $12.56 billion (2005 est.) gdp - real growth rate: 7.1% (2005 est.) gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16.400 (2005 est.) gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 4.1% industry: 29.1% services: 66.8% (2005 est.) labor force: 670.000 (2005 est.) labor force - by occupation: agriculture 11%. industry 20%. services 69% (1999 est.) unemployment rate: 9.2% (2005 est.) population below poverty line: na (2000) household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 29.8% (1998) distribution of family income - gini index: 37.2 (2000) inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2005 est.) investment (gross fixed): 27.6% of gdp (2005 est.) budget: revenues: $5.126 billion expenditures: $5.017 billion. including capital expenditures of na (2005 est.) public debt: 3.8% of gdp (2005 est.) agriculture - products: potatoes. vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish industries: engineering. electronics. wood and wood products. textile; information technology. telecommunications industrial production growth rate: 7.3% (2004 est.) electricity - production: 9.017 billion kwh (2003) electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001) electricity - consumption: 7.024 billion kwh (2003) electricity - exports: 1.562 billion kwh (2003) electricity - imports: 200 million kwh (2003) oil - production: 6.100 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - consumption: 25.000 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - exports: na (2001) oil - imports: na (2001) natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - consumption: 1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - imports: 1.27 billion cu m (2001 est.) current account balance: $-1.403 billion (2005 est.) exports: $7.439 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) exports - partners: finland 23.1%. sweden 15.3%. germany 8.4%. latvia 7.9%. russia 5.7%. lithuania 4.4% (2004) imports: $9.189 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) imports - partners: finland 22.1%. germany 12.9%. sweden 9.7%. russia 9.2%. lithuania 5.3%. latvia 4.7% (2004) reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $1.852 billion (2005 est.) debt - external: $10.09 billion (30 june 2005 est.) economic aid - recipient: $108 million (2000) currency (code): estonian kroon (eek) currency code: eek exchange rates: krooni per us dollar - 12.45 (2005). 12.596 (2004). 13.856 (2003). 16.612 (2002). 17.478 (2001) fiscal year: calendar year telephones - main lines in use: 475.000 (2002) telephones - mobile cellular: 881.000 (2002) telephone system: general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone. tv. and radio traffic in the digital mode; internet services are available throughout most of the country - only about 11.000 subscriber requests were unfilled by september 2000 domestic: a wide range of high quality voice. data. and internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to finland. sweden. latvia. and russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in tallinn (2001) radio broadcast stations: am 0. fm 98. shortwave 0 (2001) radios: 1.01 million (1997) television broadcast stations: 3 (2001) televisions: 605.000 (1997) internet country code: .ee internet hosts: 82.142 (2004) internet service providers (isps): 38 (2001) internet users: 444.000 (2002) airports: 29 (2004 est.) airports - with paved runways: total: 12 over 3.047 m: 1 2.438 to 3.047 m: 7 1.524 to 2.437 m: 1 914 to 1.523 m: 3 (2005 est.) airports - with unpaved runways: total: 14 over 3.047 m: 1 2.438 to 3.047 m: 1 1.524 to 2.437 m: 2 914 to 1.523 m: 4 under 914 m: 6 (2005 est.) heliports: 1 (2005 est.) pipelines: gas 859 km (2004) railways: total: 958 km broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified) (2004) roadways: total: 56.849 km paved: 13.303 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 45.546 km (2003) waterways: 500 km (2003) merchant marine: total: 43 ships (1.000 grt or over) 212.998 grt/177.488 dwt by type: cargo 17. passenger/cargo 20. petroleum tanker 2. roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 6 (norway 6) registered in other countries: 51 (2005) ports and terminals: kopli. kuivastu. muuga. tallinn. virtsu military branches: estonian defense forces: ground forces. navy. air force and air defense staff. republic security forces (internal and border troops). volunteer defense league (kaitseliit). maritime border guard. coast guard note: border guards and ministry of internal affairs become part of the estonian defense forces in wartime; the coast guard is subordinate to the ministry of defense in peacetime and the estonian navy in wartime military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service for all male citizens. with 8-month service obligation for conscripts and 11 months for sergeants and reserve officers; estonia has committed to retaining conscription for men and women up to 2010 and. unlike latvia and lithuania. has no plan to transition to a contract armed forces; 17 years of age for volunteers; reserve commitment up to the age of 60 (2005) manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 291.696 (2005 est.) manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 200.382 (2005 est.) : note - in 2004. 51% of the young men called up for service were determined to be unfit; main obstacles to conscription were psychiatric and behavioral manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 11.146 (2005 est.) military expenditures - dollar figure: $155 million (2002 est.) military expenditures - percent of gdp: 2% (2002 est.) disputes - international: in 1996. the estonia-russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it. with russia asserting that estonia needs to better assimilate russian-speakers and estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely on the 1920 tartu peace treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic setu people and parts of the narva region within estonia; as a member state that forms part of the eu's external border. estonia must implement the strict schengen border rules illicit drugs: transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from southwest asia and the caucasus via russia. cocaine from latin america to western europe and scandinavia. and synthetic drugs from western europe to scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds
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