Everything you need to know about Estonia: news, reviews, in-depth analysis, opinion and more

Estonia: A small and heavily forested EU country

In 1346 the Danes sold Estonia to the Teutonic Knights of Germany. The Teutonic Knights makes the Estonia the land of slaves. In 1526, the Swedes took over that removed the power of Teutonic Knights. But in 1721 the Russia overtook Estonia from Sweden under the Peace Treaty of Nystad. During the World War I Estonia gained independence for short period. But soon Russia occupied it and incorporated as the 16th republic of the USSR in 1940. Germany occupied the nation from 1941 to 1944 but it was retaken by the Soviets. During 1990 the shift of global power balance favored Estonia in gaining independence from collapsing Soviet Republic. Finally on Sept. 6, 1991 Estonia became an independent nation. The newly independent nation Estonia embraced free-market economy soon after that resulted in foreign investments, economic advances continued in order to have presence near to another power block. In 2004, Estonia became a member of the European Union as well as of NATO.

Estonia Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures

National Name: Republic of Estonia

• Capital: Tallinn
• Total area : 45,227 sq km (17,462 sq km)
• Population: 1.3 million (UN, 2007)
• Currency: Kroon
• Languages: Estonian (official) 67.3%, Russian 29.7%, other 2.3%, unknown 0.7% (2000 census)
• Ethnicity/ Races: Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
• Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
• GDP (Per Capita): $21,800 (2007 est.)
• Life Expectancy: Male: 67.16 years, Female: 78.3 years (2008 est.)
• Literacy Rate: Male: 99.8%, Female: 99.8% (2000 census)

Geographical Information on Estonia :

Estonia is mainly a lowland country that is bordered by the Baltic Sea, Latvia, and Russia. It has numerous lakes and forests and many rivers. Lake Peipus is the largest lake of Estonia.

Estonia lies in the northern part of the temperate climate zone and in the transitional zone between maritime and continental climate. The Atlantic Ocean, the North-Atlantic Stream and the Icelandic Minimum also influence the climate of this country. Estonia is located in a humid zone that result greater amount of precipitation than evaporation.

Culture, Cuisine and Tradition Of Estonia:

Estonian culture as an identity is very strong. Oral traditions have played a key role in preserving traditions, stories and customs during Soviet administration. The exception of Estonia culture can be seen from the facts that it has one of the biggest collections of folk songs in the world, with written records of about 133,000 folk songs. It is fact that some influence of Russia, Spain and German can be seen in the vibrant life Estonian. But the preserved cultural legacy of Estonia is still in practice.

The cuisine of Estonia is a bit similar to Finnish. The national foods of Estonia are often thought to be black pudding, sauerkraut, mulgipuder, kanepitemp, Kama, jellied meat and rye bread. Estonians used to improve their foods and drinks with honey. The pattern of food on table varies from season to season for example in winter meat and fish dominates the menu while in summer lots of vegetables, root vegetables and fruits are consumed.

Tourist Attraction of Estonia:

Estonia is relatively small sized with its rich natural vegetation and the beautiful picturesque scenery makes it an amazing country. Estonia landmass is covered with lush green forests and wetlands. It has more than 1000 lakes, 7000 rivers and streams that attract tourists from all corners of the world to this place of breathtaking scenery.

Tallinn is a city where the aura and sensation of the 14th and 15th centuries still survives. It is as intact as it was in those ancient times. Tallinn's old town is a mixture of chivalric walls and towers and paved streets. It is also the capital city of Estonia. The city of today has become an important port on the Gulf of Finland and a preferred destination stoppage for cruise ships.

Pärnu is considered proudly as the Summer Capital of Estonia. It is a town that is specially designed for relaxation, for getting away all stress and for entertainment. It attracts the tourists by the beauty of its pristine beaches and extensive range of enjoyable activities.

Major Sight-seeing Places in Estonia include:

•  Tallinn

•  Pärnu

•  Kohtla-Jarve

•  Narva

•  Tartu