Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti
Vabariik), is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.
It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west
by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by
Lake Peipus and the Russian Federation. Across the Baltic
Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north. The
territory of Estonia covers 17,462 sq miles and is influenced
by a temperate seasonal climate. The Estonians are a Finnic
people, and the official language, Estonian, is closely related
to Finnish.
Estonia is a democratic parliamentary republic divided into
15 counties. The capital and largest city is Tallinn. With a
population of 1.29 million, it is one of the least-populous
members of the European Union, Eurozone and NATO.
Estonia has the highest GDP per person among the former
Soviet Republics. Estonia is listed as a "high-income economy"
by the World Bank and as an "advanced economy" by the
International Monetary Fund, and is subsequently a member
of the OECD. The United Nations classifies Estonia as a developed
country with a very high Human Development Index. The country
is also ranked highly for press freedom, economic freedom, political
freedom and education. - Wikipedia
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Estonia in World War II:
The fate of Estonia in World War II was decided by the German–Soviet Nonaggression Pact and its Secret Additional Protocol of August 1939.
World War II casualties of Estonia, estimated at around 25% of the population, were among the highest in Europe. War and occupation deaths have been estimated at 90,000. These include the Soviet deportations in 1941, the German deportations and Holocaust victims.
World War II began with the invasion and subsequent partition of an important regional ally of Estonia – Poland, by a joint operation of Nazi Germany and Soviet Union. - Wikipedia
Politics of Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic in which the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government and of a multi-party system. The political culture is very stable in Estonia, where the power is held between two to three parties, that have been in politics for a long time. This situation is similar to other countries in Northern Europe. The current prime minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip, is the second longest-serving prime minister in Europe. - Wikipedia
Estonia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, separation of church and state, and individual rights to privacy of belief and religion.
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Estonia is the second least religious country in the world, with 75.7% of the population claiming to be irreligious, after China with 93%.
The Eurobarometer Poll 2005 found that only 16% of Estonians profess a belief in a god, the lowest belief of all countries studied (EU study).
The largest religious faith in the country is Evangelical Lutheranism, adhered to by 152,000 Estonians (or 14.8%) of the population, principally ethnic Estonians.
143,000 inhabitants follow the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, practiced chiefly by the Russian minority.
According to the census of 2000, there were about 152,000 Lutherans, 143,000 Orthodox Christians, 5,000 Roman Catholics, 4,268 Jehovah's Witnesses, and 1,000 adherents of Taaraism or Maausk in Estonia.
There is a Jewish community, with an estimated population of about 1,900. In addition there were around 68,000 people who declared themselves to be atheists.
The country was Christianized by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. During the Reformation, Protestantism spread, and the Lutheran church was officially established in Estonia in 1686.
Still, many Estonians profess not to be particularly religious, because religion through the 19th century was associated with German feudal rule. Historically, there has been another minority religion, Russian Old-believers, near Lake Peipus area in Tartu County. - Wikipedia
Estonia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion, separation of church and state, and individual rights to privacy of belief and religion.
According to the Dentsu Communication Institute Inc, Estonia is the second least religious country in the world, with 75.7% of the population claiming to be irreligious, after China with 93%.
The Eurobarometer Poll 2005 found that only 16% of Estonians profess a belief in a god, the lowest belief of all countries studied (EU study).
The largest religious faith in the country is Evangelical Lutheranism, adhered to by 152,000 Estonians (or 14.8%) of the population, principally ethnic Estonians.
143,000 inhabitants follow the Eastern Orthodox Christianity, practiced chiefly by the Russian minority.
According to the census of 2000, there were about 152,000 Lutherans, 143,000 Orthodox Christians, 5,000 Roman Catholics, 4,268 Jehovah's Witnesses, and 1,000 adherents of Taaraism or Maausk in Estonia.
There is a Jewish community, with an estimated population of about 1,900. In addition there were around 68,000 people who declared themselves to be atheists.
The country was Christianized by the Teutonic Knights in the 13th century. During the Reformation, Protestantism spread, and the Lutheran church was officially established in Estonia in 1686.
Still, many Estonians profess not to be particularly religious, because religion through the 19th century was associated with German feudal rule. Historically, there has been another minority religion, Russian Old-believers, near Lake Peipus area in Tartu County. - Wikipedia
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