PEOPLE
Estonians belong to the Balto-Finnic group of the Finno-Ugric peoples, as do the Finns and the Hungarians. Archaeological research confirms the existence of human activity in the region as early as 8,000 BC, but by 3,500 BC the principal ancestors of the Estonians had arrived from the east.
Estonians have strong ties to the Nordic countries today stemming from deep cultural and religious influences gained over centuries during Scandinavian colonization and settlement. This highly literate society places great emphasis upon education, which is free and compulsory until age 16. About 20% of the population belongs to the following churches registered in Estonia: Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Estonian Orthodox Church subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate, Baptist Church, Roman Catholic Church, and others.
As of March 2, 2008, 83.8% of Estonia's population held Estonian citizenship, 8% were citizens of other countries (primarily Russia), and 8.2% were of undetermined citizenship.
Written
with the Latin alphabet, Estonian is the language of the Estonian
people and the official language of the country. One-third of
the standard vocabulary is derived from adding suffixes to root
words. The oldest known examples of written Estonian originate
in 13th century chronicles. During the Soviet era, the Russian
language was imposed for official use.
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Estonian(s).
Population (2007): 1.342 million.
Annual growth rate (2006): -1.82%. Birth rate (2006)--11.07/1,000. Death rate (2006)--12.89/1,000. Net migration (2006)--3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population. Density--31/sq. km. Urban dwellers--70%.
Ethnic groups: Estonians 68.6%, Russians 25.6%, Ukrainians 2.1%, Belarusians 1.2%, Finns 0.8%, other 1.7%.
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran; the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox, subordinated to Constantinople; the Estonian Orthodox, subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate; Baptist.
Languages (2000 census): Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7%.
Education: Years compulsory--9. Attendance--218,600 students at 550 schools, plus 50,800 university students. Literacy--99.8%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--4.4 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--67.3 yrs. men, 78 yrs. women.
Work force: 659,600.
