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Estonia

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Estonia is a country located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It sits by the water on several sides. To the north, the Gulf of Finland lies across from Finland. To the west, the Baltic Sea sits across from Sweden. The country is bordered by Latvia to the south and Russia to the east.

Old Estonian counties
Old Estonian counties

Much of the land is made of a large mainland. There are also two big islands called Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. In fact, there are over 2,300 other small islands and islets near the coast.

Medieval Livonia 1260
Medieval Livonia 1260

Life in Estonia is shaped by its many waters and islands. People live in several urban areas, with Tallinn being the capital city. Tartu is the other largest city in the country. Most of the nearly 1.4 million people speak the Estonian language. This language belongs to the Finnic family. Estonia is a developed country with a high-income economy. It is also a member of the Eurozone.

Tallinn asv2022-04 img16 Vanasadam Tallink
Tallinn asv2022-04 img16 Vanasadam Tallink

People have lived on this land for a very long time. The oldest known settlement is called Pulli. It is at least 11,000 years old. In the very early days, people were hunters and gatherers. They lived near bodies of water and used materials like amber and flint.

StoneCistGraves
StoneCistGraves

Later, groups like the Corded Ware culture began farming and raising animals around 2800 BC. By the Iron Age, people were making their own iron. The coastal area of Virumaa became a busy place for trade.

View of Kiviõli
View of Kiviõli

Estonia has a long and complex history of being ruled by others. In the 13th century, the Northern Crusades brought Christianity to the region. After that, many different powers held control over the land. These included the Teutonic Order, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, and the Russian Empire. During the Swedish era, some important reforms happened. For example, King Gustavus Adolphus helped start schools in Tartu and Tallinn.

Academia Gustaviana
Academia Gustaviana

Even during hard times, the idea of a national identity grew stronger.

In the 20th century, Estonia went through many changes. It declared independence in 1918, but was later occupied by the Soviet Union. After a period called the Singing Revolution, full independence was restored on 20 August 1991.

Balti kett 22
Balti kett 22

Today, Estonia is a democratic republic with 79 local municipalities. It joined both NATO and the European Union in 2004. The country is now famous for its technology and great education. It is also known for having very little corruption.

Riigikogu hoone, Kaupo Kalda foto, 2016
Riigikogu hoone, Kaupo Kalda foto, 2016
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🖼️ Images & Media (35)
US Navy band - National anthem of Estonia.ogg
File:StoneCistGraves.jpg
StoneCistGraves.jpg
File:Old Estonian counties.png
Old Estonian counties.png
File:Medieval Livonia 1260.svg
Medieval Livonia 1260.svg
File:1282 Lübeck Law codex for Tallinn.jpg
1282 Lübeck Law codex for Tallinn.jpg
File:Academia Gustaviana.jpg
Academia Gustaviana.jpg
File:Kreutzwald-köler.jpg
Kreutzwald-köler.jpg
File:Soomusrong nr 2 Valgas 1919.jpg
Soomusrong nr 2 Valgas 1919.jpg
File:EstConstAssmb.jpg
EstConstAssmb.jpg
File:PlaqueMemorizingEstonianGovernment.jpg
PlaqueMemorizingEstonianGovernment.jpg
File:Tallinn Old Town after being bombed by the Soviet Air Forces in 1944.jpg
Tallinn Old Town after being bombed by...
File:Estonian forest brothers relaxing and cleaning their guns after a shooting exercise in Veskiaru, Järva County, Estonia, 1953. (47953893422).jpg
Estonian forest brothers relaxing and...

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