Estonia - some facts, comments and resources

• Estonia (17,413 sq.miles) is about the same size as New Hampshire (9279 sq.mi.) and Vermont (9,614 sq.mi.) combined. Estonia is also larger than Switzerland (15,941 sq.mi.), Netherlands (15,770 sq.mi.), Denmark (16,633 sq.mi.) and Israel (7,847 sq.mi.). (Source: The World Almanac, 1992) The population of Estonia (capital city, Tallinn) was estimated in 1992 at 1,595,000. Its population density is 35 people per square kilometre (89 per square mile). Approximately 62% of the population are Estonians. They are closely related in ethnic terms to the neighbouring Finns, speaking a language that is not unlike Finnish. The traditional religion of the country is Lutheranism. Before the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union in 1940, Russians made up only 8.5% of the total population. During the period of large-scale industrialization that occurred after World War II, significant numbers of Russians and other ethnic groups were settled in Estonia. The Russian in-migrants to the country, and their descendants, now constitute some 30% of its population.
• There is still much about Estonia that is unfamiliar to the world at large. The Russian attempt to subdue the country and its people, and to weaken or even destroy Estonian national identity, was never successful, but Russian attempts to pretend to the outside world that it was did have some success. For a long time there prevailed a general impression that Estonia had irreversibly become some kind of province or 'Bezirk' of the Soviet Empire, in which Russian had replaced the native language as the means of everyday discourse. An example of such misunderstanding may be seen in the novel Smiley's People by John le Carre, in which Estonian emigres are described conversing together in Russian -- in spite of the plot, an improbable state of affairs.
• The following article concerns the restoration of Estonia's independence, a process that began in the late 1980s with the collapse of the Soviet Union. The account that it gives has been read and checked for veracity by many of the people who were active during the period it covers. It's called The Restoration of Estonian Independence.

  
  

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• If you are interested in the subject of Estonia's national minorities, you may like to read this Open Letter from the Chairman of the Estonian Islamic Community, which describes the situation of the Estonian Tatar community in a context that is applicable to the whole of contemporary Estonian society. The letter has been translated from the original Estonian by Leopoldo J. Niilus.
• I'm also including here an article about Jews in Estonia.
• One of the best Internet sites devoted to Estonian culture is the Estonia Country Guide, while the Website maintained by Professor Kazuto Matsumura of Tokyo University has a thoroughly-researched bibliography of journalistic and scholarly articles from a variety of sources dealing with language and nationalities issues in Estonia. At this site you will also find an Estonian-English, English-Estonian Dictionary.
• Articles about Estonia in the Washington Post and the wires of the Associated Press are to be found in the Estonian section of the Web site washingtonpost.com.
• Here are some more English-language resources devoted to Estonia:

Government

• MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF ESTONIA (OFFICIAL) The web site of the Foreign Ministry offers nearly all the information released by the Ministry's Press and Information Department. Weekly news summaries, information sheets, press releases are available, as well as a coming events calendar. The site is perfect for research as material from 1991 and onward is publicly available on the site. Also included is information about Estonia's diplomatic representation around the world.
  

• OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF ESTONIA (OFFICIAL) This is the official site for the Office of the President of Estonia. Information concerning the Presidency, such as press releases, statements, schedule and speeches can be found here. A biography of the President and family can also be found, as well as the history of the office and the residence of the President at Kadriorg.
• OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER (OFFICIAL) This site contains the Prime Minster's speeches, articles, interviews and visits abroad as well as press releases and information on the office of the Prime Minister.
• THE SUPREME COURT OF ESTONIA (OFFICIAL)
  This is the site for the highest court of Estonia, the Supreme Court. Decisions of the court on Constitutional matters can be found here, as well as other legal resources.
• RIIGIKOGU (The Estonian Parliament, OFFICIAL) Contains information on the Riigikogu members, factions, committees and Chancellery, as well as legal acts regulating activities of the parliament.
• CUSTOMS BOARD (OFFICIAL) This is the site for the Customs Board. Customs procedures, laws and other information can be found here. Useful for travellers prior to travelling to Estonia.
• BORDERGUARD DEPARTMENT (OFFICIAL)
  Legal bases and information on borderguard activities can be found here.
• EMBASSY OF ESTONIA IN WASHINGTON, D.C. (OFFICIAL) This is the site of Estonia's Embassy to the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. This site features information on visa regulations, trade and investment information, consular hours and other useful data on Estonia, and provides many useful links.
• EMBASSY OF ESTONIA IN LONDON, U.K. (OFFICIAL) Information on visa regulations, business and investment opportunities, consular hours, diplomatic staff and other useful data.

Information and discussion

• THE BALTICS WORLDWIDE Tallinn-based online journal and discussion centre, run by the critically-acclaimed Tallinn City Paper.

Economy

• BANK OF ESTONIA (OFFICIAL) The web site for Estonia's central bank contains all their publications in English, released earlier than the printed versions. All economic data and indicators, as well as other studies and projections of Estonia's economy, can be found at this site.
• ESTONIAN INVESTMENT AGENCY This is the location for the Estonian Investment Agency. At this site you can find information on investing in Estonia, conditions for investing, regulations and other pertinent information.
• CHYDENNET ECONOMIC REPORT ON ESTONIA This site contains the report "Estonia: Business Climate and Economic Prospects", a comprehensive overview of Estonia's economy, by Charles Evans. Useful statistics and references.

Travel

• ESTONIAN TOURISM BOARD (OFFICIAL) This is the site for the Estonian Tourism Board. At this location you can find tourism information on all regions of Estonia, including the islands.
• TALLINN AIRPORT (OFFICIAL) This is the site for Tallinn Airport. Here you can find flight schedules, arrival information and other travel services the Airport provides.
• ESTRAVEL This is the site for the travel agency Estravel. This site has information on air and sea travel timetables, visa information, car rental information and other travel information.
• TALLINN IN YOUR POCKET Extensive guide to the city, links to other Baltic capitals.

Theatre

• ESTONIA TEATER (Estonian National Theatre)

Academia and Research

• TARTU UNIVERSITY This is the site of Tartu University, the largest university in Estonia. Information on courses, programs and other academic information can be found here. You can also access the vast catalogue of Tartu University's Library (http://kilu.utlib.ee).
• ESTONIAN INSTITUTE This is the site of the Estonian Institute (Eesti Instituut), a research institute which produces information material on Estonia, its culture and traditions.
• NATIONAL LIBRARY This is the site of the National Library. You can find information on schedules, catalogue, resources and assistance in research here.
• OPEN ESTONIA FOUNDATION This is the site for the non-governmental charitable organisation, with information on past and current projects as well as funding opportunities for future projects.
• CIESIN This is the location for the Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network, which features a wide variety of resources on Estonia. The site also provides exhaustive sets of links for Internet locations in Estonia. Excellent site to begin research.
• UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) This is the location for the UNDP office in Estonia. There are useful information pages at this location, as well as other valuable research information.

General Information

• EKSPRESS HOTLINE This is a site by the commercial Ekspress Hotline, which offers information on many topics, such as train schedules, telephone numbers for businesses and others. There is also a links page to all online Estonian newspapers and magazines.
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