ESTONIA
Along with Latvia and Lithuania, Estonia is the smallest member of the Baltic States. It is located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe bordered by Finland in the north (across the Gulf of Finland), by Sweden in the west, by Latvia in the south and by the Russian Federation in the east.
Tallinn is the largest city and the capital of the Republic of Estonia.
Kroon meaning, “crown’, is the Estonian monetary unit, which is divided into 100 cent.
When the glacial ice melted, about 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, human habitation in the region became possible.
In the 1st Century A.D, the people called ‘Ests’ lived in the region and it is from these people that Estonia derives its name.
One of the most sparsely populated countries of Europe; Estonia converted to Christianity only in the 13th Century.
The Prime Minister of the country is the head of the government and of the multi-party system as the country is a Parliamentary Representative Democratic Republic. The 15 counties of Estonia are its administrative sub-divisions.
Estonia pursues a policy of close cooperation with its Western European partners and the two most important policy objectives in this regard have been taking the membership of NATO and the European Union.
From the beginning of May to the end of July, it never goes completely dark in the country.
GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Estonia has a vast coastline, which is marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. There are about 1500 islets in all, and two out of these, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, are large enough to have been constituted into counties.
The land of the country is indented with the largest number of meteorite craters in the world and most possibly the impact must have been witnessed by the Iron Age inhabitants.
Forests of various kinds cover almost half of Estonia’s territory, making it one of the richest countries in forests. The natural reserve area of the country is about 10%.
Characterized by warm summers and fairly severe winters, the Estonian climate is of the temperate kind. Owing to its proximity to the Baltic Sea, the weather conditions in the country are often breezy and humid.
On an average, the hottest month, July sees a maximum temperature of 20 degree C and the winter months witness the lowest temperature of -8 degree C. However, the temperature may occasionally rise to 30°C and above in summer or sink below - 23°C in winter.
BRIEF HISTORY
Since about 2500 BC the country of Estonia has been inhabited by people called ‘Ests’, making them the longest settled of the European peoples. The country has, throughout its history been highly in demand through the ages by greedy kings and conquerors due to its strategic location, which serves as a link between East and West.
First Estonia was subjugated by the Teutonic knights, at the beginning of the 13th century and the countryside is still dotted with the castles of the Teutonic Knights.
From 1228 to 1560s Estonia became a principality of the Holy Roman Empire. Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, became part of the Hanseatic League, which was an alliance of trading cities and their guilds that established and maintained a trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe. The Germans dominated the trading activities in the region and German merchant families and their successive generations moved and settled in, building their manor houses throughout the country.
Successive waves of conquerors, like the Danes, Swedes, Poles and Russians, followed the Germans and all swept across Estonia, setting up successive regimes, fortifying their towns and castles, and shipping their goods through Estonian ports.
It was only in the 19th century that for the first time, the country saw the rise of a powerful nationalist movement, which eventually resulted in Estonia gaining its independence on 14th Feb 1918.
However, this did not prove the end of the period of subjugation for this little country, as the Russians forcibly annexed Estonia in 1940. Only 50 years later, in 1991, was Estonia finally able to re-assert its independence and broke away from the Soviet Union.
PEOPLE CULTURE AND LANGUAGES
Estonia is the most sparsely populated country of Europe wit a population of only 1.4 million. The country is truly multinational and multilingual in nature. A little less than 70% of the population is Estonian in origin and a little more than 25% is Russian and a small minority consists of Ukrainian, Belarusian and Finnish. A total of 109 languages are spoken in the country, though for 84% of the population Estonian is their mother tongue. The secondary language is Russian, which is widely spoken by the 30 to 70 year old ethnic Estonians.
The religion of the majority of the population is Lutheran but a large number follow the Orthodox Church of Russia as well.
The Estonian people love to read and the country has the 3rd highest literacy rate in the world. Technology and its use is one of the most favorite things with the Estonians; the first ever online cabinet meeting in the world was held by the Estonian government, saving a staggering 1.4 million sheets of paper! 80% of the country’s banking is done online. The people of Estonia are famous for their enterprising spirit, which prompted Ernest Hemingway to write of them that in every port in the world at lest one Estonian CA be found.
For centuries Estonia has stood on the cultural dividing line of the Eastern and Western Europe, which has had a marked impact on the folk culture of the country, making it very rich.
HOLIDAYING IN ESTONIA
The Estonian counties, some of which are also its major cities, offer a lot to the tourist by way of their traditional cultures and a host of fun activities to engage in.
Tallinn, the capital city has magical medieval cobble stone streets to wander in and explore the city.
Estonia’s second-largest city Tartu is worth visiting for its old university, the Vyshgorod Cathedral, the 18th century Town Hall and ancient architecture.
The oldest town of the country, Narva has an old architectural marvel- the Herman Castle and an interesting museum.
At Saaremaa, the largest island in Estonia, you can see old windmills, stone churches, fishing villages and a 3,000 year-old meteorite crater.
If you are a keen bird watcher and are also looking for some tranquility, head to Hiiumaa., Estonia's second-largest island- a true oasis of tranquility and biodiversity.
There are stretches of white sandy beaches where you can sun-bathe and just throw your hair down.
If you are looking for action, go cross-country skiing is in the resort town of Otepää, home of the cross-country skiing world cup.
In case you are a wild life enthusiast, Estonia is just the country for you to visit. A variety of wildlife, such as lynx, bears, wolves and elk, eagles, storks and a variety of wetland birds can be viewed at Käina Bay Bird Reserve and Matsalu Nature Reserve. Another alternative would be to see the un-spoilt forest and bogs, picturesque old fishing villages and historic manor houses in one of Estonia's three national parks – Lahemaa, Soomaa and Vilsandi.
An ancient and most unusual Baltic tradition revived in the 1990s tradition, is the Wife-Carrying World Championships, it sure deserves a try.
TRAVELLING THE COUNTRY
Although domestic charter flights are run by Airest, domestic air travel is an expensive affair.
Water travel is a cheaper alternative and connecting the mainland with the larger islands, ferry and boat services are available.
The capital city of Tallinn is linked by rail to several towns and domestic rail service is provided by Edelarautee.
The country does not have any highway but there is a dense network of roads. Travelling by bus is perhaps the most inexpensive and comfortable way to get around in Estonia as almost all towns and cities are linked by efficient bus services.
Taxis are also available for hire.
ACCOMMODATION
Tallinn has an extraordinary range of hotels available. Other than that there, outside Tallinn, is available an adequate range of acceptable accommodation, left over from the pre-independence days or built by Estonian entrepreneurs, including large hotels and smaller pension-type establishments.
If you are a budget traveler there are plenty of options for you to choose from- farm stay, self catering, youth hostels, camping and caravanning, are a plenty.
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