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Republic of Estonia
Capitol: Tallinn
"We are establishing "The Shepherds Cove", a Member Care/Pastoral Care Center in the capitol city of Tallinn."
Population: 1,423,316
Land Area: 43,211 sq km
Highest Point: Suur Munamagi 318 meters
Languages: Estonian (official), Russian, Ukranian, English, Finnish, other
Ethnic Groups: Estonian 65.1%, Russian 28.1%, Ukranian 2.5%, Byelorussian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other l.8% (1998)
After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. Estonia received invitations to join NATO and the EU in 2002.
On March 29th 2004 under a bright sun on the White House South Lawn, Bush stood with the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and welcomed them into NATO. Hundreds of people cheered. Some waved flags of the new member nations, whose addition expands the alliance to 26 countries.
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