POPULATION

Estonia: 1,439,000
Density: 32 inhabitants/km2
Ethnic Composition: 65% Estonians, 28% Russians, 3% Ukrainians, 2% Byelorussians, 1% Finns, 2% other.
Tallinn: 408,329
Density: 2600 inhabitants/km2

GEOGRAPHY

Territory: 45,227 km2, of which 2833 km2 is covered by inland bodies of water.
Islands: 1521 total. The three largest are Saaremaa (2922 km2), Hiiumaa (1023 km2) and Muhu (206 km2).
Rivers: Estonia longest rivers are the Parnu (144 km), Kasari (112 km) and Emajogi (101 km).
Lakes: Lake Peipsi, on the Russian border, covers an area of 3555 km2, of which 1520 km2 is in Estonia. It also holds the title as the 4th largest lake in Europe. The second largest lake, Vortsjarv, covers 266 km2.
Elevation: The highest point in Estonia – and the Baltics – is Suur Munamagi (318m) in Voru County.

LOCAL TIME

Estonia is in the Eastern European Time Zone: GMT + 2 hours. But to make matters complicated, Estonia has no Daylight Savings Time. When Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia, and most of the rest Europe set their clicks forward this March, Estonia didn’t.
So when it’s 12:00 in Tallinn, it’s 11:00 in London, 12:00 in Berlin and Stockholm, 13:00 in Riga and Helsinki, and 14:00 in Moscow.
For correct time in English, phone 14 413.

CLIMATE

In 1999: there were 2026 hours of sunshine
Total precipitation: 666 mm
Avg. humidity: 79%

NATIONAL HOLIDAYS

January 1 New Year’s Day
February 24 Independence Day
April Good Friday
April Easter
May 1 May Day
June 23 Victory Day
June 24 Midsummer celebrations
August 20 Day of Restoration of Independence
December 25 Christmas
December 26 Boxing Day

ELECTRICITY

The electrical current is 220 volts AC, 50 Hz. European plugs work in most sockets, but some still require the thinner – pinned Russian version. Few outages occur in Estonia, however in old neighborhoods and rural areas, voltage levels can be irregular.

MONEY

Exchange offices will use the international currency code EEK to refer to the kroon, while shops commonly use the abbreviation ‘kr’. Paper bills come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500kr, though the 1kr notes have been mostly phased out. Some lockers take 5kr coins, which are rare and have to be requested. 1kr coins are in common use, and the annoying 10, 20 and 50 senti coins are unavoidable.

VISAS

Citizens of all EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Latvia, Lithuania, USA, Australia and New Zealand can enter Estonia without a visa.
Canadians, South Africans, Israelis, Russians, Byelorussians and Ukrainians do need a visa to come to Estonia, but citizens of Canada, South Africa and Israel may enter Estonia if they hold a visa for Latvia or Lithuania. Visas are not issued at the border.
For all the details, your safety bet is to try the consular department of the Foreign Ministry, tel +372 6317440, or check their website www.vm.ee.