III.

Population

Estonia, with a population of 1,307,605 (2008 estimate), is the smallest republic of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Population density is 30 people per sq km (78 per sq mi). Life expectancy in 2008 was 73 years. About 64 per cent of the people are Estonians. They are ethnically and linguistically close to the Finns. Russians form the largest minority grouping, comprising about 30 per cent of the total population. Other minorities include Ukrainians, Belorussians, Finns, Jews, and Latvians. Before Soviet annexation in 1940, Russians comprised only 8.5 per cent of the total population. They arrived in Estonia during the Stalinist period of large-scale industrialization and resettlement after World War II. Russian employment is confined largely to the industrial sector in Estonia.

In 1992 laws were passed that greatly restricted Estonian citizenship. According to the laws, which are based on a 1939 law, all residents who lived in Estonia before 1940, and their descendants, are automatically granted citizenship, regardless of ethnicity. Other inhabitants are required to meet a two-year residency requirement and pass a proficiency exam in Estonian, although language restrictions can be waived for the aged and handicapped. Under a subsequent amendment to these laws, immigrants after April 1, 1995, have to meet a five-year residency requirement before being eligible for citizenship. Former members of the Soviet security apparatus are ineligible for citizenship and therefore unable to vote in parliamentary elections. After the language law was passed, the Russian government complained about human-rights abuses against Russians in Estonia, but a mission sponsored by the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (now the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) rejected the claims of discrimination after visiting the republic in 1993. In early 2002 President Arnold Rüütel ended the language laws that forbade public office to those who were not proficient in Estonian.

Estonia is highly urbanized. About 70 per cent of the population lives in urban areas, with nearly one third residing in Tallinn, which has a population of 391,000 (2003 estimate). Other important cities include Tartu, population 101,190 (2003 estimate) and Pärnu, 44,781 (2003 estimate). Russians reside in urban areas, especially in the east. Narva, a city of 67,752 (2003 estimate) in the north-eastern corner of the country, is inhabited almost exclusively by Russians. Relations between Estonia and Russia remain tense over unsettled borders along the eastern frontier.

A.

Religion

Lutheranism is the traditional Estonian religion. Other forms of Christianity are also practised in the country.

B.

Language

Estonian is the official language, from the Finno-Ugric language family. It is spoken by the majority of the population. Russian is spoken by almost half of all Estonians, and other languages such as Ukrainian, Finnish, Belorussian, and Latvian are heard.