Estonia (2007) | Tonga (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | 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 (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses |
3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15% (male 101,430/female 95,658)
15-64 years: 67.5% (male 423,664/female 464,813) 65 years and over: 17.5% (male 76,344/female 154,003) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 21,085; female 20,265)
15-64 years: 57.6% (male 30,785; female 31,532) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 1,973; female 2,501) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish | squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish |
Airports | 19 (2007) | 6 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 7
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 3 (2007) |
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
Area | total: 45,226 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea |
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km water: 30 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined | four times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - 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. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. | The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It remains the only monarchy in the Pacific. |
Birth rate | 10.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 24.51 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $6.064 billion
expenditures: $5.445 billion (2006 est.) |
revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9 million (FY 99/00 est.) |
Capital | name: Tallinn
geographic coordinates: 59 26 N, 24 43 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
Nuku'alofa |
Climate | maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers | tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December) |
Coastline | 3,794 km | 419 km |
Constitution | adopted 28 June 1992 | 4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967 |
Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands |
Currency | - | pa'anga (TOP) |
Death rate | 13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $16.16 billion (2006 est.) | $57.5 million (June 2001) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Davis PHILLIPS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134 |
the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tonga |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Vaino REINART
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York |
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1136 FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco |
Disputes - international | Russia recalled its signature to the 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia in 2005, rather than concede to Estonia's appending prepared a unilateral declaration referencing Soviet occupation and territorial losses; Russia demands better accommodation of Russian-speaking population in Estonia; Estonian citizen groups continue to press for realignment of the boundary based on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules with Russia | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $135.5 million (2004) | Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02) |
Economy - overview | Estonia has a modern market-based economy with strong ties to the West. It is a WTO and EU member and pegs its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The current account deficit remains high; however, the state budget is essentially in balance, and public debt is low. | Tonga has a small, open economy with a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. |
Electricity - consumption | 6.888 billion kWh (2005) | 25.36 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 1.953 billion kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 345 million kWh (2005) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 9.599 billion kWh (2005) | 27.27 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m |
Environment - current issues | air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations | deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census) | Polynesian, Europeans about 300 |
Exchange rates | krooni per US dollar - 12.473 (2006), 12.584 (2005), 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002)
note: the krooni is pegged to the euro |
pa'anga per US dollar NA (2002), 2.12 (2001), 1.76 (2000), 1.6 (1999), 1.49 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state: President Toomas Hendrik ILVES (since 9 October 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Andrus ANSIP (since 12 April 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); if a candidate does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, 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 23 September 2006 (next to be held in the fall of 2011); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Toomas Hendrik ILVES elected president on 23 September 2006 by a 345-member electoral assembly; ILVES received 174 votes to incumbent Arnold RUUTEL's 162; remaining 9 ballots left blank or invalid |
chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister Tevita TOPOU (since NA January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch, the Cabinet, and two governors elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch |
Exports | 3,958 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) | squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops |
Exports - partners | Finland 18.4%, Sweden 12.4%, Latvia 8.9%, Russia 8.1%, US 5.5%, Germany 5.1%, Lithuania 4.8%, Gibraltar 4.7% (2006) | Japan 43.2%, US 41.2%, Greece 4% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white | red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 29.1% services: 67.8% (2006 est.) |
agriculture: 26%
industry: 12% services: 62% (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 11.4% (2006 est.) | 3% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 59 00 N, 26 00 E | 20 00 S, 175 00 W |
Geography - note | the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands | archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited) |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total: 680 km
paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 27.6% (2003) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | growing producer of synthetic drugs; increasingly important transshipment zone for cannabis, cocaine, opiates, and synthetic drugs since joining the European Union and the Schengen Accord; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern, as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds; major use of opiates and ecstasy | - |
Imports | 54,000 bbl/day (2004) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001) | foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals |
Imports - partners | Finland 18.2%, Russia 13.1%, Germany 12.4%, Sweden 9%, Lithuania 6.4%, Latvia 5.7% (2006) | New Zealand 30.8%, Fiji 20.7%, US 14.2%, Australia 13.2%, China 6.1% (2002) |
Independence | 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) | 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate) |
Industrial production growth rate | 8% (2006 est.) | 8.6% (FY 98/99) |
Industries | engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications | tourism, fishing |
Infant mortality rate | total: 7.59 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: 13.35 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.89 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.4% (2006 est.) | 8.4% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 40 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court) |
Labor force | 687,000 (2006 est.) | 33,908 (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 11%
industry: 20% services: 69% (1999 est.) |
agriculture 65% (1997 est.) |
Land boundaries | total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35% other: 87.6% (2005) |
arable land: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06% other: 33.33% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census) | Tongan, English |
Legal system | based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations | based on English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 4 March 2007 (next to be held in March 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - Estonian Reform Party 27.8%, Center Party of Estonia 26.1%, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 17.9%, Social Democratic Party 10.6%, Estonian Greens 7.1%, Estonian People's Union 7.1%, other 5%; seats by party - Reform Party 31, Center Party 29, Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica 19, Social Democrats 10, Estonian Greens 6, People's Union 6 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote - pro-democratic 70%; seats - pro-democratic 7, traditionalist 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 72.3 years
male: 66.87 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.) |
total population: 68.88 years
male: 66.43 years female: 71.44 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2000 census) |
definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.5% male: 98.4% female: 98.7% (1996 est.) |
Location | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia | Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states |
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 33 ships (1000 GRT or over) 393,655 GRT/93,245 DWT
by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 23, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 4 (Denmark 2, Norway 2) registered in other countries: 67 (Antigua and Barbuda 15, Belize 1, Cambodia 1, Cyprus 5, Dominica 8, Latvia 1, Liberia 1, Malta 7, Norway 1, Panama 3, Slovakia 2, St Kitts and Nevis 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 20, Vanuatu 1) (2007) |
total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 250,020 GRT/350,055 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 44, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquefied gas 5, livestock carrier 2, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Albania 1, Australia 4, Austria 1, Bolivia 1, Cyprus 1, Djibouti 1, Egypt 2, Greece 4, Lebanon 2, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 2, Morocco 1, Norway 1, Panama 1, Romania 3, Russia 1, Sao Tome and Principe 1, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 3, Syria 5, Ukraine 1, UAE 16, US 4 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006) | Tonga Defense Services (made up of three operational command components and two support elements, including the Royal Marines, Royal Guards, Maritime Force, a support/logistics group, and a training group), Police; note - a new air wing that will be subordinate to the Ministry of Defense is being developed |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 2% (2005 est.) | NA% |
National holiday | Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union | Independence Day, 4 June (1970) |
Nationality | noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian |
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan |
Natural hazards | sometimes flooding occurs in the spring | cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou |
Natural resources | oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud | fish, fertile soil |
Net migration rate | -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 859 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR]; Estonian Greens; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR]; Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica (Isamaa je Res Publica Liit) [Tonis LUKAS and Taavi VESKIMAGI] | there are no political parties |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Akilisi POHIVA, president] |
Population | 1,315,912 (July 2007 est.) | 108,141 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 5% (2003) | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.635% (2007 est.) | 1.9% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001) | AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001) |
Railways | total: 968 km
broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006) |
0 km |
Religions | Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census) | Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.496 male(s)/female total population: 0.842 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens | 21 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; Internet services are widely available; schools and libraries are connected to the internet, a large percentage of the population files income-tax returns online, and online voting was used for the first time in the 2005 local elections
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and Internet services is available throughout the country international: country code - 372; fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; 2 international switches are located in Tallinn (2001) |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 541,900 (2006) | 8,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.659 million (2006) | 302 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 3 (2001) | 2 (2001) |
Terrain | marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south | most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base |
Total fertility rate | 1.41 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 3 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.5% (2006 est.) | 13.3% (1996 est.) |
Waterways | 320 km (2006) | none |