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Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002) - Estonia (2001)

Compare Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002) z Estonia (2001)

 Congo, Democratic Republic of the (2002)Estonia (2001)
 Congo, Democratic Republic of theEstonia
Administrative divisions 10 provinces (provinces, singular - province) and one city* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Congo, Equateur, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Katanga, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Orientale, Sud-Kivu 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuessaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)

note:
counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Age structure 0-14 years: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174)


15-64 years: 49.3% (male 13,343,303; female 13,860,996)


65 years and over: 2.5% (male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)
0-14 years:
17.08% (male 123,997; female 119,166)

15-64 years:
68.14% (male 466,823; female 503,032)

65 years and over:
14.78% (male 68,802; female 141,496) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Airports 232 (2001) 32 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 24


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 16


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2002)
total:
8

2,438 to 3,047 m:
7

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 205


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 95


under 914 m: 91 (2002)
total:
24

over 3,047 m:
1

2,438 to 3,047 m:
5

1,524 to 2,437 m:
7

914 to 1,523 m:
5

under 914 m:
6 (2000 est.)
Area total: 2,345,410 sq km


land: 2,267,600 sq km


water: 77,810 sq km
total:
45,226 sq km

land:
43,211 sq km

water:
2,015 sq km

note:
includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea
Area - comparative slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Background Since 1997 the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow in 1994 of refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999 by the DROC, Zimbabwe, Angola, Uganda, Namibia, Rwanda, and Congolese armed rebel groups, but sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated on 16 January 2001 and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state ten days later. In October 2002, the new president was successful in getting occupying Rwandan forces to withdraw from eastern Congo; two months later, an agreement was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and set up a government of national unity. After centuries of Swedish and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, 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.
Birth rate 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 8.7 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget revenues: $269 million


expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million
revenues:
$1.37 billion

expenditures:
$1.37 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Capital Kinshasa Tallinn
Climate tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Coastline 37 km 3,794 km
Constitution 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April 1990; transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994; in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA but it was not ratified by a national referendum; one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is to be a new constitution adopted 28 June 1992
Country name conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo


conventional short form: none


local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo


local short form: none


former: Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Congo/Leopoldville, Congo/Kinshasa, Zaire


abbreviation: DROC
conventional long form:
Republic of Estonia

conventional short form:
Estonia

local long form:
Eesti Vabariik

local short form:
Eesti

former:
Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency Congolese franc (CDF) Estonian kroon (EEK)
Death rate 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 13.48 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external $12.9 billion (2000 est.) $1.6 billion (2000 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Aubrey HOOKS


embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa


mailing address: Unit 31550, APO AE 09828


telephone: [243] (88) 43608


FAX: [243] (88) 43467
chief of mission:
Ambassador Melissa WELLS

embassy:
Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[372] 668-8100

FAX:
[372] 668-8134
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Faida MITIFU


chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691


FAX: [1] (202) 234-2609
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sven JURGENSON

chancery:
2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 588-0101

FAX:
[1] (202) 588-0108

consulate(s) general:
New York
Disputes - international Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of a civil war that has drawn in military forces from neighboring states, with Uganda and Rwanda supporting the rebel movements that occupy much of the eastern portion of the state; Tutsi, Hutu, and other conflicting ethnic groups, political rebels, and various government forces continue fighting in Great Lakes region, transcending the boundaries of Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda; most of the Congo River boundary with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite (no agreement has been reached on the division of the river or its islands, except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area) Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996 which has not been signed nor ratified by Russia as of February 2001
Economic aid - recipient $195.3 million (1995) (1995) $137.3 million (1995)
Economy - overview The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and has increased external debt. Foreign businesses have curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, raging inflation, and lack of openness in government economic policy and financial operations. A number of IMF and World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. In 2000, Estonia rebounded from the Russian financial crisis by scaling back its budget and reorienting trade away from Russian markets into EU member states. After GDP shrank 1.1% in 1999, the economy made a strong recovery in 2000, with growth estimated at 6.4% - the highest in Central and Eastern Europe. Estonia joined the World Trade Organization in November 1999 - the second Baltic state to join - and continues its EU accession talks. For 2001, Estonians predict GDP to grow around 6%, inflation of between 4.2%-5.3%, and a balanced budget. Substantial gains were made in completing privatization of Estonia's few remaining large, state-owned companies in 2000, and this momentum is expected to continue in 2001. Estonia hopes to join the EU during the next round of enlargement tentatively set for 2004.
Electricity - consumption 4.55 billion kWh (1999) 6.807 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports 404 million kWh (1999) 530 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports 55 million kWh (1999) 100 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production 5.268 billion kWh (1999) 7.782 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 2%


hydro: 98%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
fossil fuel:
99.72%

hydro:
0.09%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0.19% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m

highest point:
Suur Munamagi 318 m
Environment - current issues poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors, diamonds, and gold) causing environmental damage 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; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas are heavily affected by organic waste; coastal sea water is polluted in many locations
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population Estonian 65.1%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Byelorussian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.8% (1998)
Exchange rates Congolese francs per US dollar - 305 (January 2002), 21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998), 1.31 (1997)


note: on 30 June 1998 the Congolese franc was introduced, replacing the new zaire
krooni per US dollar - 16.663 (January 2001), 16.969 (2000), 14.678 (1999), 14.075 (1998), 13.882 (1997), 12.034 (1996); note - krooni are tied to the German deutsche mark at a fixed rate of 8 to 1
Executive branch chief of state: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Joseph KABILA (since 26 January 2001); note - following the assassination of his father, Laurent Desire KABILA, on 16 January 2001, Joseph KABILA succeeded to the presidency; the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: National Executive Council, appointed by the president


elections: before Laurent Desire KABILA seized power on 16 May 1997, the president was elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 29 July 1984 (next was scheduled to be held in May 1997); formerly, there was also a prime minister who was elected by the High Council of the Republic; note - elections were not held in 1991 as called for by the constitution


election results: results of the last election were: MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga reelected president in 1984 without opposition


note: Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga was president from 24 November 1965 until forced into exile on 16 May 1997 when his government was overthrown militarily by Laurent Desire KABILA; KABILA immediately assumed governing authority and pledged to hold elections by April 1999, but, in December 1998, announced that elections would be postponed until all foreign military forces attempting to topple the government had withdrawn from the country; KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and was succeeded by his son Joseph KABILA
chief of state:
President Lennart MERI (since 5 October 1992)

head of government:
Prime Minister Mart LAAR (since 29 March 1999)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament

elections:
president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held August-September 1996 (next to be held in the fall of 2001); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament

election results:
Lennart MERI reelected president by an electoral assembly after Parliament was unable to break a deadlock between MERI and RUUTEL; percent of electoral assembly vote - Lennart MERI 61%, Arnold RUUTEL 39%
Exports $750 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) $3.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Exports - commodities diamonds, copper, coffee, cobalt, crude oil machinery and equipment 24%, wood products 20%, textiles 17%, food products 9%, metals, chemical products (1999)
Exports - partners Benelux 62%, US 18%, South Africa, Finland, Italy (1999) Finland 19.4%, Sweden 18.8%, Russia 9.2%, Latvia 8.7%, Germany 7.5%, US 2.5% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description light blue with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center and a columnar arrangement of six small yellow five-pointed stars along the hoist side pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
GDP purchasing power parity - $32 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $14.7 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 54%


industry: 9%


services: 37% (1999 est.)
agriculture:
3.6%

industry:
30.7%

services:
65.7% (1999)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $590 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $10,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate -4% (2001 est.) 6.4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 0 00 N, 25 00 E 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note straddles Equator; has very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands -
Heliports 1 (2002) -
Highways total: 157,000 km (including 30 km of expressways)(1996)


paved: NA km


unpaved: NA km
total:
30,300 km

paved:
29,200 km (including 75 km of expressways); note - these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather

unpaved:
1,100 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%:
3.2%

highest 10%:
28.5% (1996)
Illicit drugs illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leaves the banking system vulnerable to money laundering, the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; synthetic drug production growing, trafficked to Russia, Baltics, Finland
Imports $1.024 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) $4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels machinery and equipment 31%, chemical products 13%, foodstuffs 11%, metal products 8%, textiles 8% (1999)
Imports - partners South Africa 28%, Benelux 14%, Nigeria 9%, Kenya 7%, China (1999) Finland 22.8%, Russia 13.5%, Sweden 9.3%, Germany 9.3%, Japan 4.7% (1999)
Independence 30 June 1960 (from Belgium) 6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 5% (2000 est.)
Industries mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement oil shale, shipbuilding, phosphates, electric motors, excavators, cement, furniture, clothing, textiles, paper, shoes, apparel
Infant mortality rate 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) 12.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 358% (2001 est.) 4.1% (1999 est.)
International organization participation ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), PCA, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2001) 28 (2000)
Irrigated land 110 sq km (1998 est.) 110 sq km (1996 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Cour Supreme National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Labor force 14.51 million (1993 est.) 785,500 (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 65%, industry 16%, services 19% (1991 est.) industry 20%, agriculture 11%, services 69% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 10,730 km


border countries: Angola 2,511 km (of which 225 km is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province), Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Republic of the Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Tanzania 459 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
total:
633 km

border countries:
Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Land use arable land: 2.96%


permanent crops: 0.52%


other: 96.52% (1998 est.)
arable land:
25%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
11%

forests and woodland:
44%

other:
20% (1996 est.)
Languages French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, English, Finnish, other
Legal system based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Legislative branch a 300-member Transitional Constituent Assembly established in August 2000


elections: NA; members of the Transitional Constituent Assembly were appointed by former President Laurent Desire KABILA
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections:
last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2003)

election results:
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Union of Pro Patria (Fatherland League) 18, Reform Party 18, Moderates 17, Country People's Party (Agrarians) 7, Coalition Party 7, UPPE 6
Life expectancy at birth total population: 49.13 years


male: 47.19 years


female: 51.13 years (2002 est.)
total population:
69.73 years

male:
63.72 years

female:
76.05 years (2001 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba


total population: 77.3%


male: 86.6%


female: 67.7% (1995 est.)
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
100%

male:
100%

female:
100% (1998 est.)
Location Central Africa, northeast of Angola Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors


territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone:
limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states

territorial sea:
12 NM
Merchant marine none (2002 est.) total:
44 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 253,460 GRT/219,727 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 2, cargo 19, combination bulk 1, container 5, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 10, short-sea passenger 6 (2000 est.)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Special Security Battalion Ground Forces, Navy/Coast Guard, Air and Air Defense Force (not officially sanctioned), Maritime Border Guard, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $250 million (FY97) $70 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.6% (FY97) 1.2% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 11,996,175 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
359,677 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 6,110,595 (2002 est.) males age 15-49:
282,418 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males:
11,164 (2001 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 30 June (1960) Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 6 September 1991 was the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Nationality noun: Congolese (singular and plural)


adjective: Congolese or Congo
noun:
Estonian(s)

adjective:
Estonian
Natural hazards periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); in the east, in the Great Rift Valley, there are active volcanoes flooding occurs frequently in the spring
Natural resources cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower, timber shale oil (kukersite), peat, phosphorite, amber, cambrian blue clay, limestone, dolomite, arable land
Net migration rate -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: one million refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; fighting in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused 875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997 and additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; fighting between the Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2002 est.)
-0.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Pipelines petroleum products 390 km natural gas 420 km (1992)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Social Christian Party or PDSC [Andre BO-BOLIKO]; Forces for Renovation for Union and Solidarity or FONUS [Joseph OLENGHANKOY]; National Congolese Lumumbist Movement or MNC [Francois LUMUMBA]; Popular Movement of the Revolution or MPR [three factions: MPR-Fait Prive (Catherine NZUZI wa Mbombo); MPR/Vunduawe (Felix VUNDUAWE); MPR/Mananga (MANANGA Dintoka Mpholo)]; Unified Lumumbast Party or PALU [Antoine GIZENGA]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba]; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans or UFERI [two factions: UFERI (Lokambo OMOKOKO); UFERI/OR (Adolph Kishwe MAYA)] Center Party or K [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Christian People's Party [Aldo VINKEL]; Coalition Party and Rural Union or KMU [Andrus OOBEL, chairman]; Estonian Democratic Party (formerly Estonian Blue Party) [Jaan LAAS]; Estonian Independence Party [leader NA]; Estonian National Democratic Party or ENDP [leader NA]; Estonian Pensioners and Families Party [Mai TREIAL]; Estonian Progressive Party [Andra VEIDEMANN]; Estonian Republican Party [leader NA]; Estonian Social-Democratic Labor Party [Tiit TOOMSALU]; Estonian Rural People's Union (1999 merger of Estonian Country People's Party and the Estonian Rural Union) [Arvo SIRENDI]; Party of Consolidation Today [leader NA]; People's Party Moderates (1999 merger of People's Party and Moderates) [Andres TARAND]; Reform Party or RE [Siim KALLAS, chairman]; Russian Party in Estonia [Nikolai MASPANOV]; Russian Unity Party [Igor SEDASHEV]; Union of Pro Patria or Fatherland League (Isamaaliit) [Mart LAAR, chairman]; United People's Party or UPPE [Viktor ANDREJEV, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 55,225,478


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
1,423,316 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 8.9% (1995 est.)
Population growth rate 2.79% (2002 est.) -0.55% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 11, shortwave 2 (2001) AM 3 (all AM stations inactive since July 1998), FM 82, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 18.03 million (1997) 1.01 million (1997)
Railways total: 5,138 km


narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge


note: severely reduced route-distance in use because of damage to facilities by civil strife (2000 est.)
total:
1,018 km common carrier lines only; does not include dedicated industrial lines

broad gauge:
1,018 km 1.520-m gauge (132 km electrified) (1995)
Religions Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10% Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish
Sex ratio at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
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:
0.49 male(s)/female

total population:
0.86 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Telephone system general assessment: poor


domestic: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment:
foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; Internet services available throughout most of the country; about 150,000 unfilled subscriber requests

domestic:
local - the Ministry of Transport and Communications is expanding cellular telephone services to form rural networks; intercity - highly developed fiber-optic backbone (double loop) system presently serving at least 16 major cities (1998)

international:
fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn
Telephones - main lines in use 20,000 (2000) 476,078 (yearend 1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular 15,000 (2000) 475,000 (yearend 2000)
Television broadcast stations 4 (2001) 31 (plus five repeaters) (September 1995)
Terrain vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east marshy, lowlands
Total fertility rate 6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.21 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 11.7% (1999 est.)
Waterways 15,000 km (including the Congo and its tributaries, and unconnected lakes) 320 km (perennially navigable)
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