Northern Europe.

GMT + 2. (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

45,226 sq km (17,462 sq miles).

1.33 million (UN, 2005).

29 per sq km.

Tallinn. Population: 401,694 (official estimate 2005).

Estonia is the most northerly of the three Baltic Republics and is bordered to the north and west by the Baltic Sea, to the east by the Russian Federation and to the south by Latvia. The country is one of great scenic beauty with many forests, more than 1400 lakes and 1500 islands. Smaller than Lithuania and Latvia, it has nevertheless the longest coastline of all the Baltic States.

A new constitution was accepted in a referendum in June 1992, under which a 101-seat National Assembly is elected by popular vote. The Assembly’s members elect a President and Council of Ministers who share executive responsibilities.

Republic since 1918. Regained independence in 1991. Head of State: President Arnold Rüütel since 2001. Head of Government: Prime Minister Andrus Ansip since 2005. Recent history: Former Economy Minister in the previous coalition Government of Juhan Parts, Andrus Ansip became Prime Minister in April 2005. He is leader of the centre-right Reform Party. Mr Parts resigned after two years in office when Parliament passed a vote of no confidence in his Justice Minister over proposed anti-corruption measures. It is Estonia's eighth administration in 12 years. Mr Ansip's main objective is to steer Estonia towards Euro membership in 2007.

Estonian is the official language. Most people also speak Russian, which is the mother tongue of around 30 per cent of the population. However, since independence, the indiscriminate use of Russian could on occasion cause offence. In addition to Russian, the most common foreign languages are English, Finnish and German.

Predominantly Protestant (Lutheran).

A hand shake is the customary greeting. Normal courtesies should be observed. The Estonians are proud of their culture and their national heritage, and visitors should take care to respect this.

220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style two-pin plugs are in use.