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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Estonia (2007)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Estonia (2007)

 Western Sahara (2008)Estonia (2007)
 Western SaharaEstonia
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
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.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish
Airports 9 (2007) 19 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
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)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
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)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 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 the size of Colorado slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. 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.
Birth rate NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $6.064 billion


expenditures: $5.445 billion (2006 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers
Coastline 1,110 km 3,794 km
Constitution - adopted 28 June 1992
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia


conventional short form: Estonia


local long form: Eesti Vabariik


local short form: Eesti


former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate NA 13.3 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $16.16 billion (2006 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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
Diplomatic representation in the US none 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
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria 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
Economic aid - recipient $NA $135.5 million (2004)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. 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.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 6.888 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 1.953 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 345 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 9.599 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m


highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land 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: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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
Ethnic groups Arab, Berber Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) 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
Executive branch none 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
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) 3,958 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001)
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) 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)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description - pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 3.2%


industry: 29.1%


services: 67.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 11.4% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 59 00 N, 26 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 27.6% (2003)
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 1,698 bbl/day (2004) 54,000 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001)
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) Finland 18.2%, Russia 13.1%, Germany 12.4%, Sweden 9%, Lithuania 6.4%, Latvia 5.7% (2006)
Independence - 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 8% (2006 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
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.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 4.4% (2006 est.)
International organization participation none 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
Irrigated land NA 40 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life)
Labor force 12,000 687,000 (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture: 11%


industry: 20%


services: 69% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 633 km


border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 12.05%


permanent crops: 0.35%


other: 87.6% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
Legal system - based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 72.3 years


male: 66.87 years


female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)
Literacy NA definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.8%


male: 99.8%


female: 99.8% (2000 census)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia
Map references Africa Europe
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
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)
Military branches - Estonian Defense Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit, KL) (2006)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2% (2005 est.)
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
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Estonian(s)


adjective: Estonian
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility sometimes flooding occurs in the spring
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud
Net migration rate - -3.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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]
Political pressure groups and leaders none NA
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
1,315,912 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 5% (2003)
Population growth rate NA -0.635% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001)
Railways - total: 968 km


broad gauge: 968 km 1.520 m/1.524-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim 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 NA 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.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
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)
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 541,900 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 1.659 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 3 (2001)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south
Total fertility rate NA 1.41 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 4.5% (2006 est.)
Waterways - 320 km (2006)
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