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Description Estonia by rbd.me
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After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - 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.
WebCam
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Location
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Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
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Area - comparative
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slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
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Natural resources Estonia
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oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
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Population Estonia
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1,291,170 (July 2010 est.)
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Religions Estonia
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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)
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Languages
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Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
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Education Estonia expenditures
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5.1% of GDP (2004)
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Government Estonia type
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parliamentary republic
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Independence
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20 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
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Estonia Economy - overview
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$24.36 billion (2009 est.)
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Investment Estonia
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7.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
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Industries Estonia
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-26.5% (2009 est.)
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Airports Estonia
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888,100 (2008)
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