Part 231

Description: pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white

Geography ---------

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 59 00 N, 26 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total area: 45,100 sq km land area: 43,200 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than New Hampshire and Vermont combined note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea

Land boundaries: total: 557 km border countries: Latvia 267 km, Russia 290 km

Coastline: 1,393 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: limits to be fixed in coordination with neighboring states territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: claims over 2,000 sq km of Russian territory in the Narva and Pechora regions - based on boundary established under the 1921 Peace Treaty of Tartu; disputes maritime border with Latvia - primary concern is fishing rights around Ruhne Island in the Gulf of Riga

Climate: maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers

Terrain: marshy, lowlands lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m

Natural resources: shale oil, peat, phosphorite, amber

Land use: arable land: 22% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 11% forest and woodland: 31% other: 36%

Irrigated land: 110 sq km (1990)

Environment: current issues: air heavily polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products, chemicals at former Soviet military bases natural hazards: flooding occurs frequently in the spring international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

People ------

Population: 1,459,428 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 148,683; female 143,563) 15-64 years: 66% (male 467,759; female 501,519) 65 years and over: 14% (male 63,976; female 133,928) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: -1.13% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 10.74 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 14.12 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female all ages: 0.87 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 17.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.13 years male: 62.5 years female: 74.05 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.55 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Estonian(s) adjective: Estonian