Estland

**Estland** (Estian: *Eesto*), officially the **Republic of Estland** (Estian: *Eesto mabariik*), is a sovereign state in Northern Eurea, bordered by Lemuria to the south and Kasha to the east. Its capital and most-populous city is Otesalu, located on the northwestern coast of the country. Estland has a population of approximately 1.2 million people.

Organized settlement in modern-day Estland first began in the second century CE. For the following several centuries, Estland remained unorganized territory, and it is known as one of the last nations in Eurea to move towards civilized society. After making contact with the Kingdom of Medland in 1294, Estland was annexed and forcibly unified with Lemuria to create the Province of Lemuria, an overseas province of the Kingdom. Following the annexation, numerous Medes began settling in Estland, primarily on the island of Saarapuu off of the northwestern coast. After three centuries of Medish rule, the Province was traded to the Kashan Empire in 1592, where it became known as Kashan Lemuria, although the island of Saarapuu remained Medish territory. As Kashan territory, the Estians suffered from prejudice and legal discrimination, eventually leading to heightened national sentiments. In 1873, the territory was returned to Medland as Medish Estland, separated from Lemuria. Nationalist sentiment began to grow in Estland, until being granted its independence in 1920.

Since its independence in 1920, Estland has functioned as a unitary parliamentary republic. Its head of state is the President, who wields little actual powers. The President is elected by parliament for a five-year term that can be renewed once, and requires a two-thirds majority in order to be elected. The President's duties include signing passed legislation, with no veto power, formally appointing the Prime Minister, cabinet members, and ambassadors, and serving as a representative of the nation both at home and abroad. Unlike in most other countries, the President is not the commander-in-chief of the Estland Armed Forces. The Prime Minister is the head of government, and chief politician of the country. Their duties include leading a cabinet of ministers, implementing national policy, and overseeing day-to-day functions of the country. The Prime Minister is typically the leader of the governing coalition in parliament. The parliament of Estland is the 105-seat unicameral Saadikutemaja. Members are directly elected by Estian voters in six electoral constituencies using party list voting and proportional representation.

Of its population of 1.2 million, approximately 96.9% identifies as ethnically Estian. A further 2.4% identifies as Medish, primarily those residing on the island of Saarapuu. The remaining 0.7% identifies with other ethnic groups, often Rann, Kashan, Alachusian, or Lemurian. The sole national and official language of Estland is Estian, a Bilatic language that is closely related to Rann and distantly to Bagorian. Additionally, Medish holds official minority language status, with official status on the island of Saarapuu. On Saarapuu, all road signs are listed in Medish, while schools and government services are conducted in the language as well. Approximately 97.3% of the population speaks Estian natively, while 2.3% speaks Medish natively, and the remaining 0.4% speaks other languages. Over all, 98.9% of the population can communicate in Estian, while 65.5% can communicate in Medish. Estland is an incredibly irreligious nation, with 95.5% of the population identifying as atheist, agnostic, or irreligious. A further 4.3% identify as Christians, most of whom belonging to the Church of Medland, while the remaining 0.2% adhere with other religions. Additionally, 97.1% of the Estian population agree with the statement "there is no God."

## Politics

### Administrative divisions

*Main article: Administrative divisions of Estland*
Estland is divided into four counties and one autonomous region. As a unitary state, the counties do not have much individual power, although the autonomous region does possess a considerable amount of autonomy from the federal government.