57 Exceptional Estonia Facts That Are Definitely Delightful

The beautiful city of Tallinn is the capital of Estonia which is a Baltic state in northern Europe.

The state of Tallinn is a cozy and safe area in Europe, and this capital city is famed for the medieval architecture and the history that surrounds the city. Once part of Luther's Protestantism, the country has become the least religious country in Europe with more religious countries including Spain, Ireland, and Croatia.

The major trading partners of Estonia are its neighboring countries like Finland, Sweden, Germany, Russia, and Latvia. There are a lot of goods that are exported like machinery, equipment, timber, textiles, and metals. It is a small country in Europe that lies towards the northeastern side.

Until 1991, Estonia was part of Soviet Russia. Evidence suggests that this country has been inhabited since 9000 BC.

The Estonian economy is very much influenced by the economy of Finland and Sweden. As the World Bank states, the country falls in the bracket of countries with high incomes in the world. The largest sector in Estonia is the tertiary sector.

The name of the country originates from the Aesti people who are mentioned in Norse literature as those living in Estonia. They celebrate occasions like Christmas with other neighboring countries in Europe by decorating a Christmas tree.

In 2015, the oak tree was voted the best European Tree of The Year and Estonia is home to Tamme-Lauri oak, the country's largest oak tree.

Estonia's National Bread

Estonians are very fond of their bread, and the bread is called rye. But what is rye and what's so special about rye bread?

Actually, rye is something that Estonians can't refuse at any time. Rye has been made and eaten by Estonians for more than thousands of years. This bread is served on special occasions to show their gratitude and make it special. As a national bread, Estonians keep it for special things and special occasions, it's kind of a tradition.

The bread is known as 'Sepik' which is made of barley, flour, and rye. It is found in every house in Estonia. Buyers these days are greeted by pieces of bread in Estonian supermarkets. Commercial rye bread often contains wheat flour in the aggregate, which offers the loaf a fluffier texture as compared to the density of natural rye.

You can find this bread in your neighborhood anywhere in Estonia. You can also find restaurants or bakery shops with this particular type of bread.

Just remember that you should not eat this bread too much as it will fill your stomach very easily, so you will not able to eat your main course. This rye bread can be made at home as well. To enjoy a loaf of Estonian bread, patience is necessary as it takes around 12 hours to make!

Biodiversity In Estonia

You can find a number of islands and islets like Saaremaa and Hiiumaa off the coast of Estonia. These are the largest islands in Estonia, which is a low-lying, Baltic coastal country.

Estonia has a terrestrial area cover of 17374.6 sq mi (45,000 sq km). This country is surrounded by three other countries; Latvia, Russia, and Finland, which are neighbors of Estonia on the eastern shores.

Tallinn is an Estonian capital state. Suur Munamägi is known as the highest point of the Baltic sea, and it has a height of 1043.3 ft (318 m) above sea level. Estonia has a population of 1.3 million.

There are more than 28,000 different types of living species found in Estonia itself. Although the overall landmass of Estonia is small, there is a lot of wildlife in Estonia that has withstood changes. Due to the low human population density, the overall biodiversity is not affected much.

Also, more than 60 species of mammals are present on the land of this country. Elk is the largest animal found in Estonia and roe deers, brown bears, and wild pigs are very commonly found in Estonia.

Oaktree, maple, and elm trees are quite rarely found here. In the forest towards the northeast, foxes, rabbits, and hares are seen very frequently. Bears and lynx are also found in this region,

Here, 39.87% land and 18.39% water is considered as protected area. Lahemaa, Väinamere, Luitemaa, Kahtla-Kübassaare, Soomaa, Endla, Siiksaare-Oessaare, Nõva-Osmussaare, and Alam-Pedja are some biologically diverse places.

Prehistory And Viking Age

The Viking Age in the country was from between 793 AD-1066 AD.

The Vikings were actually the local raiders, pirates, traders, explorers, and colonizers who traveled everywhere by following the routes of the sea from Scandinavia to the European Union. In Estonia, the country was loosely divided into the allied religion. The changes occurred during the early Iron Age from the bronze period of time.

The actual migration period started during 450-550 AD. This era was specifically the era of rapid change. The Vikings originated from the vicinity that has become present-day Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.

Not much is known about the Vikings and the kind of society that was seen in Estonia at the time due to the paucity of credible sources. Whatever information is pieced together comes from sources here and there. Material remaining from this time period informs the understanding of the region.

Education And Science

To compete with the world, the country of Estonia follows three patterns of education; general, vocational, and hobby integrated education.

The education level is divided into four different levels which are pre-school, basic, secondary, and higher education, and following these, a number of new schools and educational institutions have been introduced in Estonia. There are a total of 15 public universities in Estonia and nine private universities which are very well known and widely accepted by the people nearby.

Estonia is a country, that besides speaking the Estonian language, also speaks many other languages and has Finnish, Russian, and English speakers. The widely spoken language in Estonia is English and the universities and colleges follow English teaching programs.

Tallinn University of Technology (TUT) holds the 30th position in the ranking of EECA.

Tallinn University was established in 1918 and is the most well-established university in the Tallinn educational institution's list. The official currency of Tallinn, or more appropriately of Estonia, is the Euro like other European countries in the European Union.

Everyday Life In Estonia

In Estonia, you are never away from any lake or forest as they are all within a 30-minute drive.

The country of Estonia is very relaxed due to forests and lakes everywhere which give fresh air. The roads and surroundings are clean and it's safe too. The environment of Estonia, or more specifically the air quality, is the best in the world, as stated by the WHO (World Health Organisation).

According to the 'Internationals of 2019', Estonia is a digital hub, and it was also the first country to allow its citizens to vote online. Overall, everyday life in Estonia is quite good.

Today, Estonia is highly socialized, and very urbanized, with 68% of the population living in the cities. Estonia is a country full of industrial factories where engineering, wood, articles, electronics, textiles, telecommunications, and information technology are predominant. Due to this, the economy of Estonia is an advanced economy.

There are two World Heritage sites to visit in Estonia, namely the Old Town of Tallinn and the Struve Geodetic Arc in remembrance of German scientist, Struve.