resources:
oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite,
arable land, sea mud

Land use:
arable land: 12.05%
permanent crops: 0.35%
other: 87.6% (2005)

Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
sometimes flooding occurs in the spring

Environment - current issues:
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

Geography - note:
the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore
lie more than 1,500 islands

People Estonia

Population:
1,324,333 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 103,367/female 97,587)
15-64 years: 67.6% (male 427,043/female 468,671)
65 years and over: 17.2% (male 75,347/female 152,318) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 39.3 years
male: 35.8 years
female: 42.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.64% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
10.04 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
13.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
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: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.84 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.91 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.04 years
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