Estonia
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Tallinn
- Population
- 1,340,478 (2025 est.)
- Area
- 45,228 sq km
- Government
- parliamentary republic
- Languages
- Estonian (official) 67.2%, Russian 28.5%, other 3.7%, unspecified 0.6% (2021est.)
- Religions
- Orthodox 16.5%, Protestant 9.2% (Lutheran 7.7%, other Protestant 1.5%), other 3% (includes Roman Catholic, Muslim, Jehovah's Witness, Pentecostal, Buddhist, and Taara Believer), none 58.4%, unspecified 12.9% (2021 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Estonian 69.1%, Russian 23.7%, Ukrainian 2.1%, other 4.6%, unspecified 0.5% (2021 est.)
- Currency
- euros (EUR)
- Life Expectancy
- 78.4 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .ee
- Climate
- maritime; wet, moderate winters, cool summers
- Terrain
- marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
- Natural Resources
- oil shale, peat, rare earth elements, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
- Major Exports
- cars, wood, broadcasting equipment, refined petroleum, prefabricated buildings (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918.