The Republic of Estonia is a country in Northern Europe that borders Latvia and Russia. It is separated from Finland and Sweden. The population is approximately 1,333,000 people. Internet voting is used in local elections, and lawmakers have authorized Internet voting for Parliamentary elections, too. Conquered again by Russia after World War II, Estonia became an independent country in 1991.The last Russian troops left in 1994, and Estonia joined NATO and the European Union in 2004. A border agreement with Russia was signed in 2005 which slightly changed the border that had been used since 1991. Since its independence, English is the official language, although there was apparently a debate whether the official language should have been more Nordic. Estonia contains 15 small divisions, but they are considered to be counties instead of states. In 1994, Estonia became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a flat tax rate (26 percent) regardless of the income a person earns. In 2005, this rate was reduced to 24 percent, and another reduction (to 23 percent) followed in 2006. The rate will decrease by one percent per year until the final rate to 20 percent is reached in 2009. In 1992, Estonia replaced the ruble with the Kroon; the ruble had been in place since being occupied by Russia. When Germany introduced the Euro, the conversion rate was 15.6466 Kroon for one Euro. The Euro is expected to be adopted as the country's currency in 2007, as the design of the coins was completed in 2004. The two highest ethnicities in Estonia are Estonians (68 percent) and Russians (26 percent). All others fall below three percent each.

Tallinn