Estonia

For much of its history, Estonia has been dominated by larger neighboring nations. Toward the end of World War II, for instance, Estonia was unwillingly incorporated into the Soviet bloc but gained its independence in 1991 after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Since joining the European Union (EU) in 2004, Estonia has been on the road to economic recovery and is making significant environmental progress.

The topography of Estonia is varied, with marshes in the lowlands, plains in the north, and hills in the south. Bordering on the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland, Estonia has 2,464 miles (3,974 kilometers) of coastline and is home to more than 1,500 islands. The maritime climate produces wet, moderate winters and cool summers. Flooding is common in the spring of the year, increasing the potential for environmental damage.

Estonians enjoy the benefits of an economy based on strong electronics and telecommunications sectors and on strong economic ties to Finland, Sweden, and Germany. While nearly 70 percent of the population live in urban areas, 11 percent of the workforce are engaged in the agricultural sector. Estonia's rich natural resources include peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, and sea mud. Estonia also has the largest usable deposits of oil shale in the world. With a per capita income of $16,400, Estonians enjoy a comparably high quality of life, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Human Development [Page 607]Reports ranks Estonia 38th of 232 countries on overall quality-of-life issues.

Major environmental problems of the 21st century concern water polluted by untreated wastewater and air pollution resulting from the northeastern oil shale-burning power plants that release sulfur dioxide into the air. Progress is being made in both areas, and sulfur dioxide emissions have fallen 80 percent from 1980 levels. Likewise, water pollution has dropped to one-twentieth of 1980 levels in response to the erection of water purification plants. In addition to polluted seawater, the Estonian government is concerned about the potential for agricultural pollution of the country's 1,400 lakes. Because of heavy urbanization and a rate of 296 cars per 1,000 people, Estonia experiences carbon dioxide emissions of 11.7 metric tons per capita.