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→Demography of Estonia
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==Demography of Estonia== | ==Demography of Estonia== | ||
'''The People''' | |||
*Ethnic groups | |||
Compared with other European countries, Estonia has a large percentage of foreign-born residents and their children. Only about two-thirds of the population are ethnic Estonians. Russians are the most significant minority, comprising about one-fourth of the citizenry. Prominent among other ethnic minorities are Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Finns. There are some regional linguistic and cultural differences among the ethnic Estonians; notably, the Seto people in southeastern Estonia speak a distinct dialect of Estonian and are part of an Eastern Orthodox religious tradition, while the islanders of the Muhu archipelago in the west also have their own dialect and share a number of cultural affinities with the people of Scandinavia. | |||
*Language | |||
Estonian, the official language of the country, is a member of the Finno-Ugric branch of the Uralic language family. More than two-thirds of the populace speak Estonian as a first language; about an additional one-fourth speak Russian as their first language (mostly in the northeast), though few Estonians over age 60 or under age 20 speak the language. | |||
*Religion | |||
There is no state religion in Estonia, and many of the people are either nonreligious or atheist. The Christian majority includes a large slice of unaffiliated Christians, along with significant Evangelical Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox communities, as well as lesser numbers of Baptists, Methodists, and Roman Catholics. | |||
*Settlement patterns | |||
As in the other Baltic states, Estonia’s population is predominantly urban (more than two-thirds). Ethnic Estonians make up the vast majority of the rural population, while the urban population has a preponderance of non-Estonians. Tallinn and Tartu are the two largest cities, though Helsinki, across the Gulf of Finland, is closer to Tallinn than Tartu is. Other cities of significance are Narva, Kohtla-Järve, and Pärnu. | |||
*Demographic trends | |||
During the last half of the 20th century, Estonia experienced both considerable internal migration and, following Soviet annexation in 1940, extensive immigration from the other republics of the Soviet Union, especially Russia. In the process, the population in the industrially advanced northern part of the country increased appreciably at the expense of the southern and western regions, which remained primarily agrarian. Following independence, immigration slowed greatly, and many Russians left the country. Moreover, as the birth rate slowed dramatically at the end of the 20th century and life expectancy increased, Estonia’s overall population began to age. | |||
==Economy of Estonia== | ==Economy of Estonia== | ||
==Government and Society of Estonia== | ==Government and Society of Estonia== | ||