Estonia is a country located in Northern Europe that borders the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland. It has a population of about 1.3 million people and its capital and largest city is Tallinn. Some of Estonia's most notable features include its blue, black, and white flag that represents the sky, soil and purity of the nation. The country also has a coat of arms displaying three blue lions. Popular tourist destinations in Estonia include the capital city of Tallinn, the summer capital of Pärnu, beaches along the coastline, and several islands located in the Baltic Sea. Estonia joined the EU and NATO in 2004.

1. Tiwan, Alexis Mendez. Sept.15,2015
TM2-01 A5
Estonia
(EE)
No. 67
World tourism Geography & Culture

2. Estonia
The Republic of Estonia

3. Estonian flag- blue symbolizing the blue sky
above the native land, black symbolizing the
attachment to Estonia’s black soil and
white, hard work and purity.
Estonia Flag

4. Coat of arms of Estonia
 Estonia's coat has
two forms: large and
small coat of arms.
A large coat of arms
have three blue
lions on a golden
shield and the tip-
looking lion.

5. General info
• Estonia, offically the
Republic of Estonia, is a
country in Northern Europe.
• The territory of
Estonia covers 45,227 km².
• The population is
about 1,3 million people.
• The capital of Estonia
is Tallinn, which is also the
largest city in Estonia.
• Estonia is divided into
15 counties.
• The official language
is Estonian, it is a Finno-
ugric language and closely
related to Finnish.

6. Estonia AREA:
total: 45,228 sq km
country comparison to the world:
133 land: 42,388 sq km
water: 2,840 sq km :includes
1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
slightly smaller than New
Hampshire and Vermont
combined

7. Facts
Heart of Estonia – Paide
Area - 45 227 km²
Capital – Tallinn
Summer Capital – Pärnu
Population – 1 ,5 million

8. Located in Eastern Europe and borders the Baltic
Sea and Gulf of Finland, in between Latvia and
Russia.
Capital: Tallinn

9. Estonia neighbours
Estonia neigbours
are :
• Swedes.
• Latvians.
• Russians.
• Finns.

10. Tallinn
Tallinn is a city on
the northern coast
of Estonia, Kopli
and Tallinn Bay.
Tallinn is the capital
of the Republic of
Estonia and Harju
county
administrative
center.

11. BACKGROUND
 History
• Previously ruled by Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian
governments, but finally free to govern itself in 1994
Religion
• Estonians are considered the most non-religious people in the 25-
member EU, according to the Eurobarometer Poll 2005
Demographics
• Population:1.3 million (July 2010)
67.5% of the population is between15-64 years
• Literacy Rate: 99.8%
• Urban Population: 73%
• Rising middle-class in the last five years- the number of Estonians
who have minimum purchasing power continues to fall

12. People and Society
Ethnic groups:
Estonian 68.7%, Russian 24.8%
LANGUAGES
Estonian (official) 68.5%, Russian 29.6%
RELIGION
54.1%, unspecified 16.7%
AGE
15-24 years: 11.2% (male 72,318/female 68,373)
25-54 years: 41.5% (male 250,244/female
271,450)
MONEY
Kroon (EEK) per US 0.7697 (2013 est.)
EUROS: YES
Pop. 1,257,921 (July 2014 est.)
Ranked: 158

13. Government
Estonia is a parliamentary
representative democratic
republic in which the Prime
Minister of Estonia is the
head of government and
which includes a multi-party
system. The political culture
is stable in Estonia, where
power is held between two to
three parties that have been
in politics for a long time.
This situation is similar to
other countries in Northern
Europe. The former Prime
Minister of Estonia, Andrus
Ansip, is also Europe's
longest-serving prime
minister .

14. Government
Chief of State: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9
October 2006)
Head of Government: Taavi ROIVAS (since 26 March
2014)
Cabinet: Ministers appointed by the prime minister,
approved by Parliament
(Elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year
term (eligible for a second 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 councils) elects the
president, choosing between the two candidates with the
highest number of votes; election last held on 29 August 2011
(next to be held in the fall of 2016); prime minister nominated
by the president and approved by Parliament
Election Results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES reelected
President; parliamentary vote - Toomas Hendrik ILVES 73,
Indrek TARAND 25
Chief of State
Head of Gov’t

15. Leader of the Country
• Estonia is a
democratic
parliamentary republic.
• Estonian president
is Toomas Hendrik Ilves,
his term as a president
began in 2006.
• The prime minister
of Estonia is Andrus
Ansip.
• Estonia has been a
member of the United
Nations since 1991, of
the European Union
since 2004 and of NATO
since 2004.

16. LAND FORCES
MAP OF
MILTARY
BASES
Colonel Artur Tiganik
Deputy Chief of Defense
The Estonian Land Forces (
Estonian: Maavägi), unofficially
referred to as the Estonian Army, is
the name of the unified ground forces
among the Estonian Defence Forces
where it has an offensive military
formation role. It is currently also the
largest military branch with the
average size during the peacetime with
around 6,000 soldiers, conscripts and
officers.
Captain Igor Schvede
Chief of Defense
( (Acting)

17. LAND FORCES

18. AIR FORCE
MAP OF
MILTARY
BASES
The Estonian Air Force is the name
of the unified aviation forces of
Estonia. The Õhuvägi is the main arm
of the Estonian aviation forces. The
average size of the military formation
in peacetime is about 210 men. The
Estonian Air Force is tasked with
dealing with political, military,
economical, social, environmental and
psychological threats.
Commander of the
Estonian Air Force
Colonel Jaak Tarien

19. Air Force

20. NAVY
The Merevägi is the navy of
Republic of Estonia and is
part of the unified Kaitsevägi
(Estonian Defence Force).
In total, there are about four
commissioned ships in the
Estonian Navy, including
three auxiliary ships; the
displacement of the navy is
under 10,000 tonnes making
it one of the smallest navies
in the world
Commander-in-
chief
CAPT. Sten
Sepper
(See Notes)

21. Defence League
The Estonian Defense
League is the name of the
unified paramilitary
armed
forces of the Republic of
Estonia. The Defense
League is a paramilitary
defense organization
whose aim is to guarantee
the preservation of the
independence and
sovereignty of the state,
the integrity of its land
area and its constitutional
order.Commander
BG Meelis Kiili
Chief of Staff
COL Ilmar
Tamm

22. International Disputes
& Crime

23. International
Disputes & Crime
The number of asylum
seekers in Estonia has
been quite low compared
to other EU countries.
That might be the reason
why studies show that the
general public is not
aware of this issue and
unfortunately this topic
has not been a priority on
the governmental level
either.
Estonia has the smallest amount of
refugees among EU states

24. Money and Currency
Estonia joined the EURO-zone in the
beginning of 2011 - and now, EURO
is the official currency.
The value of the Estonian Kroon
(eek) was fixed to the €. The smaller
unit was called the Cent, 1 kroon =
100 cents. 1 EUR = 15,65
kroons(EEK).

25. Economy and
Culture of Estonia

26. About Estonia in general
• 1918 the independence of Estonia has been proclaimed
• From 1939 to 1991 Estonia was under Russia’s
domination
• Except for the years 1941 to 1944, Estonia came under
the rule of Germany
• 1991 Estonia became again independent
• Estonia has joined the EU in 2004
• Each year since 1999 the gross domestic product has
been increased at least 5%
• Gross domestic product (2005): 10,5 Mrd. €, that is
7‘800 € per inhabitant

27. Economy

28. Economy: Employment Market
• Unemployment:
▫ It has been decreased from 10.7% to 4.1% (April 2008) within the
last three years
▫ Regional differences:
 in the north (with Tallinn, the economic centre of Estonia): 4%
unemployment, it has even a lack of qualified employers
 in the north-east of Estonia (Russian speaking part): 8.5% of
unemployment
• Increase of workplaces in the service and building sector
▫ Service sector: transport, warehousing and communication
• Decrease of workplaces in the agriculture
• Forecast: In the next three years, there will be an increase of
workplaces in the branches tourism, trading, building sector, wood
and metal

29. Culture

30. Culture: Population
• Population of Estonia (2007): 1‘342‘000 inhabitants,
this is 30 inhabitants per km2
• Almost one third of the population lives in Tallinn
• 68.6% are of Estonian origin
• 25.7% have a Russian origin
• Small groups are from Belarus, Ukraine and Finland
• In Tallinn 45% of the inhabitants are not from Estonia
• The integration of Russian and other foreign people has
not been successful
 Estonian people are more often in a leading position,
Russian people are more often in service sector and
branch of production

31. Culture: Influences on the culture
• The culture has been shaped by its regimes from
Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Russia
• From 1850, there has been a Russification under
the regime of the tsar
• This day, Estonian culture orients itself to
Finland (affinity of the two languages)

32. Culture: Religions
• Religion is important only for a minority of Estonia's
population.
• The majority of the Estonian people are non-denominational
• Only 30% of the population are members of a Christian
church (evangelic, orthodox, baptism or roman-catholic)
• The ten most important Christian church of Estonia have joint
forces to the council of Christian churches of Estonia.
• A particularity are the 5‘000 old-orthodox people who
escaped to the Russian borderland in the 18th century.
• Besides, there are some small Jewish and Islamic
communities

33. Highlights of History
In the area that now forms present-day Estonia, the first settlements occurred some
11,000 years ago, after the ice cap retreated.
13th century, first half.
During the 12th century the Baltic region had been in the hands of the Teutonic
Knights. Estonia was incorporated into Christendom at the beginning of the 13th
century, under the pressure of crusaders from Germany and Denmark.
14th century.
In the Baltic region, power was now in the hands of the Hanseatic League. Several
Estonian towns and cities belonged to the League, including Tallinn (Reval), which
had received its city charter as early as 1248.
16th century, first half.
The Reformation reaches Estonia, which from then on remained a part of the
Lutheran cultural space.
16th century, second half - 17th century.
From 1558 onwards, Estonia became the battleground for a war involving Denmark,
Sweden, Russia and Poland. Sweden came out as winner, and Estonia remained
under her sphere of influence until the beginning of the 18th century. During
Swedish rule, the first university in Estonia was founded at Tartu in 1632.

34. University of Tartu, founded in 1632
18th century.
The Great Northern War left Estonia under Russian rule (1721). Estonia became a
window through which Peter the Great wished to gain access to Europe.
19th century.
The winds of numerous national movements blow through the whole of Europe. In
Estonia, the period of national awakening commences. In 1862, a national epic
"Kalevipoeg" was published. A high point of the Estonian national movement was the
first nation-wide Song Festival organised by Johann Voldemar Jannsen and the
“Vanemuine” society in Tartu in June 1869.

35. 1918.
On the 24th of February the Estonian Republic was proclaimed. At first
this was merely a decision made on paper. True independence was fought
for over the period 1918 to 1920, during the War of Liberation. The struggle
was crowned with success, and a treaty was finally signed with Soviet Russia,
which revoked in perpetuity all claims over Estonia.
1918-1939.
This was the period of the first sovereign republic. During independence,
Estonia established diplomatic relations and made its existence felt
throughout Europe. Independence was curtailed by the signing of the Pact
between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939.

36. 1940-1991.
Following the Soviet occupation
in 1940, Estonia was occupied by
Nazi Germany from 1941 until
1944. The Soviet Union
incorporates Estonia in the fall of
1944. A large proportion of the
population fled abroad. Many
others were arrested and
deported to Siberia. Those who
remained, had to adjust to a new
way of life.
The end of the 20th century.
Estonia succeeded in regaining
independence by way of
theSinging Revolution of
1988. She has been fully
independent once more since
1991.
Accession Ceremony for the Seven New
NATO Members on 2 April 2004 - Raising
of the Estonian Flag. Photo: NATO
2004.
Estonia became a NATO member state on 29 March 2004
and a European Union member state on 1 May 2004.
2011.
From 1 January 2011 Estonia is member of eurozone and the
currency in Estonia is euro.

37. Tourist Destinations in Estonia

38. City Tour Destinations

56. Emajõgi
Emajõgi a peaceful
flow, since the fall
of the river is only
3.6 meters.
The length of the
river is 100 km.

57. Pärnu
Pärnu is the summer capital of estonia.

58. Highest point
The highest point of
Estonia is Suur
Munamägi.
Located Haanja
Heights.
It’s 308 meters
long.
There is a lookout
tower a top of the
mountain.

59. Islands of Estonia
Estonia’s 1500+ islands offer an enormous amount of
charm and ancient history. Most popular are
Saaremaa, Hiiumaa, Kihnu, Ruhnu and Vormsi.
Life moves at a slower pace on the islands and
Estonia’s traditional values are strong there. They are
a perfect place to see how Estonians used to live before
the modern age. The nature is essentially untouched
and many visitors find an inner peace on the islands.

72. Estonian Coastline
The coastline of Estonia is peppered with
hundreds of deserted beaches, attractive
fishing villages and holiday resorts.
From sleepy fishing villages, to unspoilt
beaches, spa resorts, yacht marinas and
larger ports there is something for everyone.
Of course, Estonia is much more than its
coastline and you will probably be pulled
inland now and then, away from its relaxed
atmosphere and natural beauty – or perhaps
attracted by one of over 1500 islands?

85. National Parks in Estonia
Over 18% of Estonia’s land and 30% of the Sea territory
is designated a protected areas which includes five
national parks, nature reserves, landscape reserves and
smaller areas.
Estonian National Parks offer a diverse range of flora
and fauna as well as manor house or nature farm
accommodation, also camping possibilities. If you are
lucky you might see moose, bear and eagles.
Parks are free and easy to access, unspoilt and offer
numerous active holiday options.

92. Estonian Cultural Treasures
Every country has their cultural treasures that they are immensely
proud of.
As Estonia has managed to preserve its traditional culture incredibly
well we actually can find culture treasures in almost every corner of
the country.
We have however selected a few that we know we Estonians, and
visiting tourists, seem to enjoy and respect in equal measure.

94. EDEN - Estonia's hidden treasures
Want to explore Estonia off the beaten track? Come and
tour in Estonia's untouched nature and take a look at the
many cultural treasures yet to be discovered. The following
sustainable nature holiday destinations and attractions
carry the EDEN label of approval.

100. ECONOMIC FREEDOM
Estonia is considered one of the most liberal economies in
the world
The Wall Street Journal and Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic
Freedom 2011 ranks Estonia 14th out of 183 countries.
Economic Freedom of the World 2010 ranks Estonia12th out of 141
countries
Heritage Foundation’s Economic Freedom Index ranks Estonia 16th
In the late1990s, Estonia's trade regime was so liberal that adoption of
EU and WTO standards actually forced Estonia to impose tariffs in
certain sectors which had previously been tariff-free (i.e. agriculture)

101. Estonian Holidays in 2015
Public Holidays
1 January - New Year's Day
24 February - Independence Day (1918), the 96th anniversary of the
declaration founding the Republic of Estonia. After this declaration Estonia
was forced to fight a war of independence against Soviet Russia in the east
and Baltic-German forces in the south. During this war Estonia secured its
borders and concluded the Tartu Peace Treaty with Soviet Russia on 2
February 1920.
3 April - Good Friday
5 April - Easter Sunday
1 May - Spring Day
24 May - Pentecost

102. 24 June - St John's Day or Midsummer Day (Jaanipäev) and
its important Midsummer Eve is a traditional celebration held on the
night of 23-24 June. This day marks a day closest to the longest day of
the year when twilight and dawn appear to merge. The evening of the
23rd and well into the morning of the 24th is celebrated with bonfires
and a traditional festive menu.
20 August - Day of Restoration of Independence. Dramatic
developments in the Soviet Union in August 1991 resulted in the three
Baltic countries finally regaining their independence. On 20 August
1991, Estonia issued a decision on the re-establishment of
independence on the basis of historical continuity of statehood.
24 December - Christmas Eve
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Boxing Day

103. National holidays
6 January - Epiphany
2 February - Anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty, which
was signed on 2 February 1920 in Tartu between Soviet Russia and
Estonia. With this treaty Soviet Russia finally recognised the
independence of Estonia.
14 March - Native Language Day
10 May - Mothers' Day
4 June - National Flag Day. The Estonian tricolour flag was first
consecrated as the flag of the Estonian Student Society on 4 June 1884
in Otepää.
14 June - Day of Mourning and Commemoration. On 14 June
1941 the first mass deportation from the Baltic States took place. Over
10,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia that day. Another largest
deportation took place in March 1949, when more than 20,000
Estonians were deported to Siberia. Altogether up to 60,000 Estonians
were killed or deported in the 1940s.

104. 23 August - Day of Remembrance for Victims of Stalinism and
Nazism
22 September - Resistance Fighting Day. On 22 September 1944,
Soviet troops conquered Tallinn. The Estonian national tricolour was torn
from the flagstaff on Tallinn's Pikk Hermann Tower and was replaced by the
symbol of the new occupation, the Soviet banner.
17 October - Tribal Day. On the third Saturday of October, "Tribal Day"
is celebrated in Estonia. With this occasion, Estonia's place in the Finno-
Ugric family of nations is publicized. It is a day for cherishing Estonia's
unique linguistic and cultural identity as well as a day for thinking about
other Finno-Ugric peoples, introducing their languages and cultures.
2 November - All Souls' Day
8 November - Fathers' Day
16 November - Day of Declaration of Sovereignty. On 16 November
1988, the Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR adopted a declaration of
national sovereignty under which Estonian laws should have the precedence
over the Soviet Union ones.

105. Flag Days
On 1 January 2006, the new State Flag Act entered into force in
Estonia. The most important change introduced by the new law is
that all individuals have the right to use the state flag as a national
flag whenever they feel it fit to do so, but the use of the flag must be
appropriate and respectful of time-honoured traditions. State flags
are permanently flown over state institutions, local and city
governments, and also at border crossing points.
The new law reduces the number of official flag days from fifteen to
thirteen, including 9 May and Europe Day. Election days and
referendum days are also flag days. However, flags must be hoisted
on all buildings on only three of these days.
Another major change compared to the past situation is the
hoisting of state flags on school and university buildings on all
schooldays. This regulation entered into force on the 1 September
2005.

106. Flag days in 2015 are:
3 January - Day of Commemoration of the War of Independence fighters
2 February - Anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty
24 February - Independence Day; Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia
14 March - Native Language Day
9 May - Europe Day
10 May - Mothers' Day
4 June - National Flag Day
14 June - Day of Mourning and Commemoration
23 June - Victory Day (Võidupüha)
24 June - St John's Day or Midsummer Day (Jaanipäev)
20 August - Day of Restoration of Independence
1 September - Day of Knowledge
17 October - Tribal Day
8 November - Fathers' Day
- days when flags must be hoisted on all buildings

107. Dance Festival
• Estonia is also known for its dance festival, which takes place at
the same time as the song festival.
• Nowadays there are also held dance festivals for men only and for
younger dancers.
• Folk-dance groups gather from all over Estonia and dance
together, 7000 of them, to show their communion.

108. The Estonian song festival
• It is one of the most unique celebrations in Estonia and is also a part
of UNESCO World heritage!
• The first all-Estonian Song Festival took place in Tartu in 1869 and
since then the Song Festivals have become a national tradition, being held
every 4-5 years, when choirs from all over the country come to sing
together.
• This year the all Estonian song festival was visited by a record
number or people- about 100 000 singers and spectators at one concert .

109. Culture: Song and Dance Festival
• 1869 first singing festival as a jubilee for 50 years
without bondage
 for the former mastery this festival was not a political
event. In contrast, it was important for the cultural and
political self-determination for Estonian people.
• The singing festival has been consistently organised also
during the Russian regime under the pretext of a Russian
public holiday
• In 1988 the Estonian people have claimed for the first
time their independence during a singing demonstration
(singing revolution)
• Each 5th year a singing festival takes place

110. Culture: Way of communication
• 93% of the population has a mobile phone
(2004)
• The law guarantees an access to the internet free
of charge
▫ There are 700 public terminals in post offices, in
libraries and in small shops which assures that all
people can use internet even if they don’t have an
own computer
▫ Each school has internet access
 unique settlement in Europe

111. Culture: Way of communication
• 93% of the population has a mobile phone
(2004)
• The law guarantees an access to the internet free
of charge
▫ There are 700 public terminals in post offices, in
libraries and in small shops which assures that all
people can use internet even if they don’t have an
own computer
▫ Each school has internet access
 unique settlement in Europe

112. Cultural dimensions of Estonia
A culture can be described by five dimensions:
• Power distance
• Individualism
• Masculinity
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Time
In the following, those dimensions will be described and defined
low high
low high
low high
low high
low high

113. Cultural dimensions: Power dimension
• Power dimension:
▫ Has a great income inequality in order that social
transfers with taxes are necessary
▫ High economic growth (GDP increases each year about
5%)
▫ Until 1991 any private ownership of land was illegal, all
industry, service and other business belonged to the
state
▫ The property real estate market in Estonia is growing
rapidly
▫ There are no limitation for foreign investors in the real
estate market
▫ In 2001 there are more than 90% of the dwellings in
private ownership
 medium to high degree of the power dimension

114. Cultural dimensions: Individualism
• Individualism
▫ Diversity in religions: 30% Christian, majority non-
denominational, some Jewish and Islamic
communities
▫ Diversity in ethnic: 68.8% are Estonians, 25.6%
Russians, a few people are from Byelorussia, Finland
▫ 90.9% of Estonians citizen are born in Estonia (year
2000)
▫ Diversity in language: most people speak Estonian
(83.4%), but there are also Russian speaking
inhabitants (15.3%)
▫ Power of the government: Parliament is elected by the
Estonian people. The government of Estonia is
approved by the Parliament
 Low degree of individualism

115. Cultural dimensions: Masculinity
• Masculinity
▫ 21% of the candidates in the Estonian Parliament are
women
▫ Lack of female managers (4% vs. 96% male)
▫ Women earn about 75% of the wages what their male
counterparts earn
▫ 2/3 of the women who are in the labour market,
perform all of the home chores. Only 22% of the
women share these chores equally with their partner
▫ Maternity benefit: Working mothers can compensate
100% of their wages during a period of 140 days
receive before and after childbirth
▫ Average working hours per week in Estonia 41.2
 Medium to high degree of masculinity

116. Cultural dimensions: Uncertainty avoidance
• Uncertainty avoidance
▫ Estonia tend to be a progressive country: E-Services
such as E-elections, paying by mobile phones (the two
largest banks of Estonia offers the possibility to make
payments by mobile phones. It is also possible to by
mobile phones in 2000 stores such as in motels,
beauty salons), M-parking (it is also possible to pay for
parking cars by mobile phones)
▫ Characteristics of Estonian’s people: Estonian’s want
to have proofed everything scientifically. Nevertheless
they are open for innovations. In every Estonian is a
battle between conservatism and a sense of adventure.
▫ The companies are required by law to pay social tax for
their employees (for pension and health insurance)
 Medium degree of uncertainty avoidance

117. Cultural dimensions: Time
• Time
▫ Estonia is a dependent country in the terms of energy
and energy production. In recent years many local and
foreign companies have been investing in renewable
energy sources.
▫ The importance of wind power increases continuously
▫ Narva Power Plants is a power generating complex
which generates about 95% of the total power
production of Estonia. It is one of the World biggest oil
shale-fired thermal power plants  release of
aggressive sulphur dioxide and other heavy metal
gases but the money for modernisation of the is
missing
 Medium degree of time

118. Tourist Arrivals

119. Money and Banking
Estonia adopted the Euro in January 2011,
which makes it especially easy for those
coming from the Euro area. You can pay
with debit or credit cards in most places,
even at kiosks and on trains. In order to
make everyday shopping easier, you may
want to consider opening an Estonian
banking account. Anyone can open a bank
account in Estonia, but many banks ask
for a minimum deposit. Photo
identification is also required as well as
some proof of address and employment.

120. Estonia’s main banks are Swedpank, SEB,
and Sampo Bank (new name is Danske
bank), they are the most accessible for
foreigners as they make a policy of serving
tourists and less paperwork is required to
open an account.
Most banks are closed on weekends and
their office hours are Monday to Friday
from 9.00 am till 4 pm.
All major foreign currencies can be easily
exchanged at currency exchange offices.
These can be found at the port of Tallinn,
the airport, railway stations and on every
street corner in city centers. Estonians
don’t have any unwritten rules about
tipping, they tend to do it when the service
is especially good. Bargaining is not a deep-
rooted habit either.

121. Travel to Estonia

122. By Air

124. Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport
Estonia’s main international Airport is
located in the capital, Tallinn, and you
can fly here from many European cities.

125. By Sea
Visitor harbours
Estonia is an ideal
place to stop during
your sailing holiday.
The many visitor
harbours located on
Estonia's long
coastline welcome
visitors by sea for at
at least five months a
year.

126. AIRPORTS
18 (2013)
Over 3,586 ft (2)
TRANSPORTATION

127. TRANSPORTATION
RAILWAYS
total: 1,196 km
Broad Gauge: 1,196 km 1.520-m and
1.524-m gauge (133 km electrified)
(2011)

128. TRANSPORTATION
ROADWAYS
total: 58,412 km (includes
urban roads)
10,427 km
(includes 115 km of
expressways)
Unpaved: 47,985 km (2011)

129. TRANSPORTATION
WATERWAYS
335 km (320 km are navigable
year round) (2011)

130. Economy: Transport
Road
▫ Predominately, only roads which have a national
significance are asphalted, but each year there are
more and more roads which become asphalted
• Railway / Bus
▫ For journeys within Estonia, the railway is not very
significant since the failed privatisation of the railway
 a lot of lines have been put out of service
▫ Public transport takes almost completely place by
buses
• Navigation on the Baltic Sea
▫ There are three harbours for high-see navigation
▫ Ferry to Finland and Sweden

131. DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS
Estonia's open economy, excellent transportation links and central
location make it an ideal base for production and distribution
Its location is a crossroads of East and West.
•Estonia lies just south of Finland and across the Baltic Sea from Sweden,
both EU members and to the east are the huge potential markets of
northwest Russia.
Estonia possesses modern transportation and communication links:
•Captures a considerable share of the rapidly growing transit trade through
the Baltic Sea.
•Passenger and freight links provide fast sea crossings across the Baltic Sea
•Direct air connections to Tallinn give easy access to major European
capitals.
•Estonian railways use the same gauge that is used throughout Russia and
the CIS, making Estonia an attractive European hub for bulk shipment of
goods

132. Production
• Main branches of Industry (2002):
▫ Wood-, paper- and furniture Industry (25%)
▫ Food Industry (28%)
▫ High increase in the electronic industry and in the
machine as well as vehicle parts building industry
(18%)
 Example: one of the worldwide biggest companies
for safety belts is in Estonia (Norma in Tallinn)

133. ECONOMY
Unemployment rate
10.9% (2013 est.)
Population below poverty line
17.5% (2008 est.)
GDP per capita
$21,100 (2013 est.)
Labor Force by occupation
agriculture: 4.2%
industries: 20.2%
services: 75.6% (2013 est.)
Exchange rate
kroon (EEK) per US dollar -
0.7697 (2013 est.)
Imports (commodities)
machinery and electrical equipment, mineral
fuels, chemical products, foodstuffs, plastics,
textiles
Imports (partners)
Finland 15.1%, Germany 10.7%, Sweden 10.7%,
Latvia 10%, Lithuania 9%, Poland 6.6%, China
4.4%, Russia 4.1% (2012)

134. ECONOMY

135. SERVICES
Internet (Services)
The Internet in Estonia has one of the highest penetration rates in the
world. In the first quarter of 2010, 75% out of 1.34 million people in the
country used the Internet
.

136. AGRICULTURE

137. INDUSTRIES

138. ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
PPP-based GDP
•$24.53 billion; ranked 114 compared to other countries
Imports
• Primary commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, mineral
fuels, chemical products, foodstuffs 6%, plastics, and textiles
•Total Imports: $10 billion (2009)
 Fast-growing GDP
• 2000–2008: GDP grew at 7% per year
Placed Estonia among the three countries in the EU with the
fastest growing real GDP
Estonia took a big jump in the improvement of average standard
of living
•In 2010, the annual GDP grew by 3.1% compared to the previous
year.

139. External trade
• Trading partners: Finland, Sweden, Latvia and
Lithuania, Russia, Germany
• Export products: 27% of all export products are
machines and machine parts, 13% are wood
and wooden products, 9% are textiles, 8%
metals and metal products, 7% food
• Balance of trade is negative as Estonia has
more imports (6.7 bn €) than exports (4.7 bn
€)

140. COMMERCIAL
INFRASTRUCTURE Estonia is noted for its advanced use of information technology, which
demonstrates its commitment to global competitiveness- 76% of the
population are Internet users
Estonia considered to be the leader in Eastern Europe for broadband DSL
access. In terms of DSL penetration per telephone line, Estonia presently
ranks among the top ten in the world

141. BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

142. FEW BARRIERS TO ENTRYFew political, policy or economic risks or barriers exist
 Estonia began to adopt free-market policies even before it declared
independence
 Government sets privatization as a priority
An integral part of Estonia's transition to a market economy during the early
1990s involved reorienting foreign trade to the West and attracting FDI
in order to improve the country's industry and commerce.
 Today foreign companies dominate in several sectors of the Estonian
economy. Banking and telecommunications are dominated by the Nordic
players, but the food and electronics industries also rely heavily on
foreign capital.
In 1999, Estonia joined the World Trade Organization
In 2004, Estonia became a NATO member state as well as an EU member
state
•Encourages fair trade, broadens market scope, and eliminates some
possibility of protectionism

143. Electrical voltage

144. Electrical Plug

145. Sport
▫ Estonia first competed as a
nation at the 1920 Summer Olympics.
▫ Estonia has won most of its
Olympic medals in weightlifting,
wrestling and cross-country skiing.
▫ In 2008 summer games
estonia won one gold medal (Kanter-
discus) and one silver medal (rowing
two-boat).
▫ In the last winter olympics
Estonia won three gold medals (skiing-
Kristiina šmigun and Andrus Veerpalu).
In 1980 the sailing regatta of Moscow
Olympics was held in Estonia.
▫ This year European Figure
Skating Championshipos also took place
in Estonia.
▫ Every year one FIS world
cup stage takes also place in Estonia,
Otepää.

146. Sport
Estonia is good in
sports.
Estonians play a lot
of football.
There are many
football leagues.

147. Did you know that...?
• Skype was designed by
Estonian developers, and millions
of internet users in Estonia use it
to make free calls over the
internet.
• Estonia has the highest number
of meteorite craters per land area
in the world.
• The lowest temperature
measured in Estonia is -43,5
celsius and the highest is +35,6
degrees celsius. This winter has
also been really cold and snowy.
The lowest temperature mesured
this winter is -32,1 degrees, in
Jõgeva.
• Tallinn was chosen to be the
Culture Capital of Europe during
the year 2011.

148. US Estonia
148
The Skype software
was
created by Estonian

149. Estonia Top spot in East European
Estonia has the highest spot among
East European states. The report
points out Estonia's good education
system, well-functioning and
developed financial and goods
markets and constant aspiration
for raising technological abilities, a
relatively well managed state and
flexible labor market – in the latter
Estonia is on the 12th position
among 148 states

150. Mobile
There are 3 main mobile providers in Estonia
Elisa is the recommend
services to use while in Estonia

151. Estonian Rail System
Like most European
countries Estonia has
well developed ail system

152. Safety
Estonia is a relatively safe country. Violent
crime occurs, but foreigners are not usually
targeted. Petty crime (e.g. pickpocketing,
purse snatching and mugging) also occurs,
particularly in Tallinn’s Old Town during
the summer tourist season. Thieves often
work in small groups and target tourists in
airports, train stations and other public
areas. Avoid parks, poorly lit streets and
certain areas of Tallinn after dark,
including Kopli and Lasnamäe.
Theft of vehicles or their contents is
common. Keep vehicles locked and in
guarded parking lots overnight.

153. Misc Information