Jersey (2001) | Estonia (2005) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | 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 |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667) 15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331) 65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 15.5% (male 106,300/female 100,446)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 429,843/female 472,034) 65 years and over: 16.8% (male 74,037/female 150,233) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 29 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.) |
Area | total:
116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 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 | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, 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. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. |
Birth rate | 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.91 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues: $4.622 billion
expenditures: $4.601 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
Capital | Saint Helier | Tallinn |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 70 km | 3,794 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | adopted 28 June 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey |
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 | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound | - |
Death rate | 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 13.21 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | none | $8.373 billion (2004 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission: Ambassador Aldona Zofia WOS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
chancery: 2131 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | in 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely 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 |
Economic aid - recipient | none | $108 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. | Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization and the European Union, has transitioned effectively to a modern market economy with strong ties to the West, including the pegging of 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 enjoyed a surplus of $130 million in 2003. |
Electricity - consumption | - | 6.358 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | - | 1.562 billion kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
200 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | - | 8.301 billion kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | 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 |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, 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 |
Ethnic groups | UK and Norman-French descent | Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census) |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound | krooni per US dollar - 12.596 (2004), 13.856 (2003), 16.612 (2002), 17.478 (2001), 16.969 (2000) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)
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; 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 21 September 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 186 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 26 ballots were either left blank or invalid |
Exports | $NA | NA |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) |
Exports - partners | UK | Finland 23.1%, Sweden 15.3%, Germany 8.4%, Latvia 7.9%, Russia 5.7%, Lithuania 4.4% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow | pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 28.9% services: 67% (2004 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $14,300 (2004 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 6% (2004 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 59 00 N, 26 00 E |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands |
Highways | total:
577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total: 55,944 km
paved: 13,874 km (including 99 km of expressways) unpaved: 42,070 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | - | 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; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking; potential money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking is a concern as is possible use of the gambling sector to launder funds |
Imports | $NA | NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001) |
Imports - partners | UK | Finland 22.1%, Germany 12.9%, Sweden 9.7%, Russia 9.2%, Lithuania 5.3%, Latvia 4.7% (2004) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 5% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications |
Infant mortality rate | 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 7.87 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.06 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.7% (1998) | 3% (2004 est.) |
International organization participation | - | Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (member affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 40 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life) |
Labor force | 57,050 (1996) | 660,000 (2004 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 11%, industry 20%, services 69% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km |
Land use | arable land:
66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34% |
arable land: 16.04%
permanent crops: 0.45% other: 83.51% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census) |
Legal system | English law and local statute | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.63 years male: 76.21 years female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 71.77 years
male: 66.28 years female: 77.6 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia |
Map references | Europe | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 43 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 212,998 GRT/177,488 DWT
by type: cargo 17, passenger/cargo 20, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 4 foreign-owned: 6 (Norway 6) registered in other countries: 51 (2005) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Estonian Defense Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force and Air Defense Staff, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard
note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian Navy in wartime |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $155 million (2002 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2% (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 is the date Estonia declared its independence from Soviet Russia; 20 August 1991 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union |
Nationality | noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian |
Natural hazards | NA | sometimes flooding occurs in the spring |
Natural resources | arable land | oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud |
Net migration rate | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -3.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 859 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN, chairman]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Andrus ANSIP]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [Yevgeniy TOMBERG, chairman]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS, chairman]; Social Democratic Party (formerly People's Party Moodukad or Moderates) [Ivari PADAR, chairman]; Social Liberals (group of 8 parliamentarians, former Center Party members) [Peeter Kreitzberg] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 89,361 (July 2001 est.) | 1,332,893 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA (2000) |
Population growth rate | 0.48% (2001 est.) | -0.65% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | Kopli, Kuivastu, Muuga, Tallinn, Virtsu |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Radios | NA | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 958 km
broad gauge: 958 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified) (2004) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | 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) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | NA years of age; universal adult | 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
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 available throughout most of the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by September 2000
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; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 65,500 (1997) | 475,000 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,400 (1997) | 881,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 3 (2001) |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south |
Total fertility rate | 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.39 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.7% (1998 est.) | 9.6% (2004 est.) |
Waterways | none | 500 km (2003) |