![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Estonia-on-the-Globe-300x252.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 9,000 BC. Ancient Estonians<\/a> became some of the last European pagans to adopt Christianity \u2013 following the Livonian Crusade<\/a> in the 13th century. After centuries of successive rule by Germans<\/a>, Danes<\/a>, Swedes<\/a>, Poles<\/a> and Russians<\/a>, a distinct Estonian national identity<\/a> began to emerge in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This culminated in independence from Russia in 1920 after a brief War of Independence<\/a> at the end of World War I<\/a>. Initially democratic prior to the Great Depression<\/a>, Estonia experienced authoritarian rule from 1934 during the Era of Silence<\/a>. During World War II (1939\u20131945), Estonia was repeatedly contested and occupied by the Soviet Union and Germany<\/a>, ultimately being incorporated into the former. After the loss of its de facto independence, Estonia’s de jure state continuity was preserved by diplomatic representatives and the government-in-exile. In 1987 the peaceful Singing Revolution<\/a> began against Soviet rule, resulting in the restoration of de facto independence on 20 August 1991<\/a>.<\/p>\n The sovereign state of Estonia is a democratic unitary parliamentary republic divided into fifteen counties. Its capital and largest city is Tallinn<\/a>. With a population of 1.3 million Estonia is one of the least populous members of the European Union<\/a>, the Eurozone<\/a>, the OECD<\/a>, the Schengen Area<\/a>, NATO<\/a>, and from 2020, the United Nations Security Council<\/a>.<\/p>\n Estonia, a developed country with an advanced, high-income economy that has been among the fastest-growing in the EU. The country ranks very high in the Human Development Index<\/a>, and compares well in measures of economic freedom, civil liberties, education, and press freedom. Estonian citizens receive universal health care, free education, and the longest paid maternity leave in the OECD. One of the world’s most digitally-advanced societies, in 2005 Estonia became the first state to hold elections over the Internet, and in 2014, the first state to provide e-residency.<\/p>\n The name Estonia has been connected to Aesti<\/a>, first mentioned by Roman historian Tacitus<\/a> around 98 AD.<\/p>\n Some historians believe he was directly referring to Balts<\/a> (i.e. not Finnic-speaking<\/a> Estonians), while others have proposed that the name applied to the whole Eastern Baltic region. The Scandinavian sagas referring to Eistland were the earliest sources to use the name in its modern meaning. The toponym Estland\/Eistland has been linked to Old Scandinavian eist, austr meaning “the east”.<\/p>\n Human settlement in Estonia became possible 13,000 to 11,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement<\/a>, which was on the banks of the river P\u00e4rnu<\/a>, near the town of Sindi<\/a>, in south-western Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating it was settled around 11,000 years ago.<\/p>\n The earliest human habitation during the Mesolithic<\/a> period is connected to the Kunda culture<\/a>, named after the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. At that time the country was covered with forests, and people lived in semi-nomadic communities near bodies of water. Subsistence activities consisted of hunting, gathering and fishing. Around 4900 BC ceramics appear of the neolithic period, known as Narva culture<\/a>. Starting from around 3200 BC the Corded Ware culture<\/a> appeared; this included new activities like primitive agriculture and animal husbandry.<\/p>\n The Bronze Age<\/a> started around 1800 BC, and saw the establishment of the first hill fort settlements. A transition from hunting-fishing-gathering subsistence to single-farm-based settlement started around 1000 BC, and was complete by the beginning of the Iron Age around 500 BC. The large amount of bronze objects indicate the existence of active communication with Scandinavian and Germanic tribes.<\/p>\n The middle Iron Age produced threats appearing from different directions. Several Scandinavian sagas referred to major confrontations with Estonians, notably when “Estonian Vikings” defeated and killed the Swedish king Ingvar<\/a>. Similar threats appeared in the east, where Russian principalities were expanding westward. In 1030 Yaroslav the Wise<\/a> defeated Estonians and established a fort in modern-day Tartu<\/a>; this foothold lasted until an Estonian tribe, the Sosols, destroyed it in 1061, followed by their raid on Pskov<\/a>. Around the 11th century, the Scandinavian Viking era around the Baltic Sea was succeeded by the Baltic Viking era, with seaborne raids by Curonians<\/a> and by Estonians from the island of Saaremaa<\/a>, known as Oeselians<\/a>. In 1187 Estonians (Oeselians), Curonians or\/and Karelians<\/a> sacked Sigtuna<\/a>, which was a major city of Sweden at the time.<\/p>\n Estonia could be divided into two main cultural areas, the coastal areas of Northern and Western Estonia had close overseas contacts with Scandinavia and Finland, while inland Southern Estonia had more contacts with Balts and Pskov. The landscape of Ancient Estonia featured numerous hillforts. Prehistoric or medieval harbor sites have been found on the coast of Saaremaa. Estonia also has a number of graves from the Viking Age, both individual and collective, with weapons and jewelry including types found commonly throughout Northern Europe and Scandinavia.<\/p>\n In the early centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (Estonian: kihelkond) and the county (Estonian: maakond), which consisted of multiple parishes. A parish was led by elders and centred around a hill fort; in some rare cases a parish had multiple forts. By the 13th century Estonia consisted of eight major counties: Harjumaa, J\u00e4rvamaa<\/a>, L\u00e4\u00e4nemaa<\/a>, Revala<\/a>, Saaremaa<\/a>, Sakala<\/a>, Ugandi<\/a>, and Virumaa<\/a>; and six minor, single-parish counties: Alempois<\/a>, Jogentagana<\/a>, M\u00f5hu<\/a>, Nurmekund<\/a>, Soopoolitse<\/a>, and Vaiga<\/a>. Counties were independent entities and engaged only in a loose co-operation against foreign threats.<\/p>\n There is little known of early Estonian pagan religious practices. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia<\/a> mentions Tharapita<\/a> as the superior god of the Oeselians. Spiritual practices were guided by shamans, with sacred groves, especially oak groves, serving as places of worship.<\/p>\n In 1199 Pope Innocent III<\/a> declared a crusade to “defend the Christians of Livonia”. Fighting reached Estonia in 1206, when Danish king Valdemar II<\/a> unsuccessfully invaded Saaremaa. The German Livonian Brothers of the Sword<\/a>, who had previously subjugated Livonians<\/a>, Latgalians<\/a>, and Selonians<\/a>, started campaigning against the Estonians in 1208, and over next few years both sides made numerous raids and counter-raids. A major leader of the Estonian resistance was Lembitu,<\/a> an elder of Sakala County, but in 1217 the Estonians suffered a significant defeat in the Battle of St. Matthew’s Day<\/a>, where Lembitu was killed. In 1219, Valdemar II landed at Lindanise, defeated the Estonians in battle, and started conquering Northern Estonia. The next year, Sweden invaded Western Estonia, but were repelled by the Oeselians<\/a>. In 1223, a major revolt ejected the Germans and Danes from the whole of Estonia, except Reval, but the crusaders soon resumed their offensive, and in 1227, Saaremaa was the last county to surrender.<\/p>\n After the crusade, the territory of present-day Southern Estonia and Latvia was named Terra Mariana<\/a>, but later it became known simply as Livonia<\/a>. Northern-Estonia became the Danish Duchy of Estonia<\/a>, while the rest was divided between the Sword Brothers and prince-bishoprics of Dorpat<\/a> and \u00d6sel\u2013Wiek<\/a>. In 1236, after suffering a major defeat<\/a>, the Sword Brothers merged into the Teutonic Order becoming the Livonian Order<\/a>. In the next decades there were several uprisings against foreign rulers on Saaremaa. In 1343, a major rebellion started, known as the St. George’s Night Uprising<\/a>, encompassing the whole area of Northern-Estonia and Saaremaa. The Teutonic Order finished suppressing the rebellion in 1345, and the next year the Danish king sold his possessions in Estonia to the Order. The unsuccessful rebellion led to a consolidation of power for the Baltic German minority<\/a>. For the subsequent centuries they remained the ruling elite in both cities and the countryside.<\/p>\n During the crusade, Reval (Tallinn) was founded, as the capital of Danish Estonia, on the site of Lindanise. In 1248 Reval received full town rights and adopted the L\u00fcbeck law<\/a>. The Hanseatic League<\/a> controlled trade on the Baltic Sea, and overall the four largest towns in Estonia became members: Reval, Dorpat (Tartu)<\/a>, Pernau (P\u00e4rnu)<\/a>, and Fellin (Viljandi)<\/a>. Reval acted as a trade intermediary between Novgorod<\/a> and Western Hanseatic cities, while Dorpat filled the same role with Pskov. Many guilds were formed during that period, but only a very few allowed the participation of native Estonians.<\/p>\n Protected by their stone walls and alliance with the Hansa, prosperous cities like Reval and Dorpat repeatedly defied other rulers of Livonia. After the decline of the Teutonic Order after its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald<\/a> in 1410, and the defeat of the Livonian Order in the Battle of Swienta<\/a> on 1 September 1435, the Livonian Confederation Agreement<\/a> was signed on 4 December 1435.<\/p>\n The Reformation in Europe began in 1517, and soon spread to Livonia despite opposition by the Livonian Order. Towns were the first to embrace Protestantism in the 1520s, and by the 1530s the majority of the gentry had adopted Lutheranism for themselves and their peasant serfs. Church services were now conducted in vernacular language, which initially meant German, but in the 1530s the first religious services in Estonian also took place.<\/p>\n During the 16th century, the expansionist monarchies of Muscowy<\/a>, Sweden, and Poland\u2013Lithuania<\/a> consolidated power, posing a growing threat to de-centralised Livonia weakened by disputes between cities, nobility, bishops, and the Order.<\/p>\n In 1558, Tsar Ivan the Terrible<\/a> of Russia invaded Livonia, starting the Livonian War<\/a>. The Livonian Order was decisively defeated<\/a> in 1560, prompting Livonian factions to seek foreign protection. The majority of Livonia accepted Polish rule, while Reval and the nobles of Northern Estonia swore loyalty to the Swedish king, and the Bishop of \u00d6sel-Wiek sold his lands to the Danish king. Russian forces gradually conquered the majority of Livonia, but in the late 1570s the Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish armies started their own offensives and the bloody war finally ended in 1583 with Russian defeat. As result of the war, Northern Estonia became Swedish Duchy of Estonia<\/a>, Southern Estonia became Polish Duchy of Livonia<\/a>, and Saaremaa remained under Danish control.<\/p>\n In 1600, the Polish-Swedish War<\/a> broke out, causing further devastation. The protracted war ended in 1629 with Sweden gaining Livonia<\/a>, including the regions of Southern Estonia and Northern Latvia. Danish Saaremaa was transferred<\/a> to Sweden in 1645. The wars had halved the Estonian population from about 250\u2013270,000 people in the mid 16th century to 115\u2013120,000 in the 1630s.<\/p>\n While serfdom was retained under Swedish rule, legal reforms took place which strengthened peasants’ land usage and inheritance rights, resulting this period’s reputation of the “Good Old Swedish Time” in people’s historical memory. Swedish king Gustaf II Adolf<\/a> established gymnasiums in Reval and Dorpat; the latter was upgraded to Tartu University<\/a> in 1632. Printing presses were also established in both towns. In the 1680s the beginnings of Estonian elementary education appeared, largely due to efforts of Bengt Gottfried Forselius<\/a>, who also introduced orthographical reforms to written Estonian. The population of Estonia grew rapidly for a 60\u201370-year period, until the Great Famine<\/a> of 1695\u201397 in which some 70,000\u201375,000 people perished \u2013 about 20% of the population.<\/p>\n In 1700, the Great Northern War<\/a> started, and by 1710 the whole of Estonia was conquered by the Russian Empire<\/a>. The war again devastated the population of Estonia, with the 1712 population estimated at only 150,000\u2013170,000. Russian administration restored all the political and landholding rights of Baltic Germans. The rights of Estonian peasants reached their lowest point, as serfdom completely dominated agricultural relations during the 18th century. Serfdom was formally abolished in 1816\u20131819, but this initially had very little practical effect; major improvements in rights of the peasantry started with reforms in the mid-19th century.<\/p>\n The Estonian national awakening<\/a> began in the 1850s as the leading figures started promoting an Estonian national identity among the general populace. Its economic basis was formed by widespread farm buyouts by peasants, forming a class of Estonian landowners. In 1857 Johann Voldemar Jannsen<\/a> started publishing the first Estonian language newspaper and began popularizing the denomination of oneself as eestlane (Estonian).<\/p>\n Schoolmaster Carl Robert Jakobson<\/a> and clergyman Jakob Hurt<\/a> became leading figures in a national movement, encouraging Estonian peasants to take pride in themselves and in their ethnic identity. The first nationwide movements formed, such as a campaign to establish the Estonian language Alexander School, the founding of the Society of Estonian Literati<\/a> and the Estonian Students’ Society<\/a>, and the first national song festival<\/a>, held in 1869 in Tartu. Linguistic reforms helped to develop the Estonian language. The national epic Kalevipoeg<\/a> was published in 1862, and 1870 saw the first performances of Estonian theatre<\/a>. In 1878 a major split happened in the national movement. The moderate wing led by Hurt focused on development of culture and Estonian education, while the radical wing led by Jacobson started demanding increased political and economical rights.<\/p>\n In the late 19th century the Russification period started, as the central government initiated various administrative and cultural measures to tie Baltic governorates more closely to the empire. The Russian language was used throughout the education system and many Estonian social and cultural activities were suppressed. Still, some administrative changes aimed at reducing power of Baltic German institutions did prove useful to Estonians. In the late 1890s there was a new surge of nationalism with the rise of prominent figures like Jaan T\u00f5nisson<\/a> and Konstantin P\u00e4ts.<\/a> In the early 20th century Estonians started taking over control of local governments in towns from Germans.<\/p>\n During the 1905 Revolution<\/a> the first legal Estonian political parties were founded. An Estonian national congress was convened and demanded the unification of Estonian areas into a single autonomous territory and an end to Russification. During the unrest peasants and workers attacked manor houses. The Tsarist government responded with a brutal crackdown; some 500 people were executed and hundreds more were jailed or deported to Siberia.<\/p>\n In 1917, after the February Revolution<\/a>, the governorate of Estonia was expanded to include Estonian speaking areas of Livonia and was granted autonomy, enabling formation of the Estonian Provincial Assembly<\/a>. Bolsheviks seized power during the October Revolution<\/a>, and disbanded the Provincial Assembly. However the Provincial Assembly established the Salvation Committee<\/a>, and during the short interlude between Russian retreat and German arrival<\/a>, the committee declared the independence of Estonia on 24 February 1918, and formed the Estonian Provisional Government<\/a>. German occupation<\/a> immediately followed, but after their defeat in World War I the Germans were forced to hand over power to the Provisional Government on 19 November.<\/p>\n On 28 November 1918 Soviet Russia invaded, starting the Estonian War of Independence<\/a>. The Red Army came within 30 km from Tallinn, but in January 1919, the Estonian Army<\/a>, led by Johan Laidoner<\/a>, went on a counter-offensive, ejecting Bolshevik forces from Estonia within a few months. Renewed Soviet attacks failed, and in spring, the Estonian army, in co-operation with White Russian<\/a> forces, advanced into Russia and Latvia. In June 1919, Estonia defeated<\/a> the German Landeswehr<\/a> which had attempted to dominate Latvia, restoring power to the government of K\u0101rlis Ulmanis<\/a> there. After the collapse of the White Russian forces, the Red Army launched a major offensive<\/a> against Narva in late 1919, but failed to achieve a breakthrough. On 2 February 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty<\/a> was signed between Estonia and Soviet Russia, with the latter pledging to permanently give up all sovereign claims to Estonia.<\/p>\n In April 1919, the Estonian Constituent Assembly<\/a> was elected. The Constituent Assembly passed a sweeping land reform<\/a> expropriating large estates, and adopted a new highly liberal constitution establishing Estonia as a parliamentary democracy. In 1924, the Soviet Union organised a communist coup attempt, which quickly failed. Estonia’s cultural autonomy law for ethnic minorities, adopted in 1925, is widely recognized as one of the most liberal in the world at that time. The Great Depression put heavy pressure on Estonia’s political system, and in 1933, the right-wing Vaps movement<\/a> spearheaded a constitutional reform establishing a strong presidency. On 12 March 1934 the acting head of state, Konstantin P\u00e4ts, declared a state of emergency, falsely claiming that the Vaps movement had been planning a coup. P\u00e4ts, together with general Johan Laidoner and Kaarel Eenpalu<\/a>, established an authoritarian regime, where the parliament was dissolved and the newly established Patriotic League<\/a> became the only legal political party. To legitimize the regime, a new constitution was adopted and elections were held in 1938. Opposition candidates were allowed to participate, but only as independents, while opposition parties remained banned. The P\u00e4ts regime was relatively benign compared to other authoritarian regimes in interwar Europe, and there was no systematic terror against political opponents.<\/p>\n Estonia joined the League of Nations<\/a> in 1921. Attempts to establish a larger alliance<\/a> together with Finland, Poland<\/a>, and Latvia failed, with only a mutual defense pact being signed with Latvia in 1923, and later was followed up with the Baltic Entente of 1934<\/a>. In the 1930s, Estonia also engaged in secret military co-operation with Finland<\/a>. Non-aggression pacts were signed with the Soviet Union<\/a> in 1932, and with Germany<\/a> in 1939. In 1938, Estonia declared neutrality, but this proved futile in World War II<\/a>.<\/p>\n On 23 August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov\u2013Ribbentrop Pact<\/a>. The pact’s secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with Estonia belonging to the Soviet sphere. On 24 September, the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum, demanding that Estonia sign a treaty of mutual assistance which would allow Soviet military bases into the country. The Estonian government felt that it had no choice but to comply, and the treaty was signed on 28 September. In May 1940, Red Army forces in bases were set in combat readiness and, on 14 June, the Soviet Union instituted a full naval and air blockade on Estonia. On the same day, the airliner Kaleva was shot down by the Soviet Air Force. On 16 June, Soviets presented an ultimatum demanding completely free passage of the Red Army into Estonia and the establishment of a pro-Soviet government. Feeling that resistance was hopeless, the Estonian government complied<\/a> and, on the next day, the whole country was occupied. On 6 August 1940, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union as the Estonian SSR.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Soviets established a regime of oppression; most of the high-ranking civil and military officials, intelligentsia and industrialists were arrested, and usually executed soon afterwards. Soviet repressions culminated on 14 June 1941 with mass deportation<\/a> of around 11,000 people to Siberia<\/a>, among whom more than half perished in inhumane conditions. When the German Operation Barbarossa<\/a> started against the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, around 34,000 young Estonian men were forcibly drafted into the Red Army, fewer than 30% of whom survived the war. Soviet destruction battalions initiated a scorched earth policy. Political prisoners who could not be evacuated were executed<\/a> by the NKVD<\/a>. Many Estonians went into the forest<\/a>, starting an anti-Soviet guerrilla campaign. In July, German Wehrmacht<\/a> reached south Estonia. Soviets evacuated Tallinn<\/a> in late August with massive losses, and capture of the Estonian islands was completed by German forces in October.<\/p>\n Initially many Estonians were hopeful that Germany would help to restore Estonia’s independence, but this soon proved to be in vain. Only a puppet collaborationist administration was established, and occupied Estonia was merged into Reichskommissariat Ostland, with its economy being fully subjugated to German military needs. About a thousand Estonian Jews who had not managed to leave were almost all quickly killed in 1941. Numerous forced labour camps were established where thousands of Estonians, foreign Jews, Romani, and Soviet prisoners of war perished. German occupation authorities started recruiting men into small volunteer units but, as these efforts provided meagre results and military situation worsened, a forced conscription was instituted in 1943, eventually leading to formation of the Estonian Waffen-SS division<\/a>. Thousands of Estonians who did not want to fight in German military secretly escaped to Finland, where many volunteered to fight together with Finns against Soviets.<\/p>\n The Red Army reached the Estonian borders again in early 1944, but its advance into Estonia was stopped in heavy fighting near Narva<\/a> for six months by German forces, including numerous Estonian units. In March, the Soviet Air Force carried out heavy bombing raids against Tallinn and other Estonian towns. In July, the Soviets started a major offensive from the south, forcing the Germans to abandon mainland Estonia in September, with the Estonian islands being abandoned in November. As German forces were retreating from Tallinn, the last pre-war prime minister J\u00fcri Uluots<\/a> appointed a government headed by Otto Tief<\/a> in an unsuccessful attempt restore Estonia’s independence. Tens of thousands of people, including most of the Estonian Swedes<\/a>, fled westwards to avoid the new Soviet occupation.<\/p>\n Overall, Estonia lost about 25% of its population through deaths, deportations and evacuations in World War II. Estonia also suffered some irrevocable territorial losses, as Soviet Union transferred border areas comprising about 5% of Estonian pre-war territory from the Estonian SSR to the Russian SFSR.<\/p>\n Thousands of Estonians opposing the second Soviet occupation joined a guerrilla movement known as Forest Brothers. The armed resistance was heaviest in the first few years after the war, but Soviet authorities gradually wore it down through attrition, and resistance effectively ceased to exist in the mid 1950s. The Soviets initiated a policy of collectivisation, but as peasants remained opposed to it a campaign of terror was unleashed. In March 1949 about 20,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia<\/a>. Collectivization was fully completed soon afterwards.<\/p>\n The Soviet Union began Russification, with hundreds of thousands of Russians and people of other Soviet nationalities being induced to settle in Estonia, which eventually threatened to turn Estonians into a minority in their own land. In 1945 Estonians formed 97% of the population, but by 1989 their share of the population had fallen to 62%. Economically, heavy industry was strongly prioritized, but this did not improve the well-being of the local population, and caused massive environmental damage through pollution. Living standards under the Soviet occupation kept falling further behind nearby independent Finland. The country was heavily militarized, with closed military areas covering 2% of territory. Islands and most of the coastal areas were turned into a restricted border zone which required a special permit for entry.<\/p>\n The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the majority of other Western countries considered the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union illegal. Legal continuity of the Estonian state was preserved through the government-in-exile and the Estonian diplomatic representatives which Western governments continued to recognize.<\/p>\n The introduction of Perestroika<\/a> in 1987 made political activity possible again, starting an independence restoration process known as the Singing Revolution<\/a>.<\/p>\n The environmental Phosphorite War<\/a> campaign became the first major protest movement against the central government. In 1988 new political movements appeared, such as the Popular Front of Estonia<\/a> which came to represent the moderate wing in the independence movement, and the more radical Estonian National Independence Party<\/a>, which was the first non-communist party in the Soviet Union and demanded full restoration of independence. Reformist Vaino V\u00e4ljas<\/a> became the first secretary of Estonian Communist Party, and under his leadership on 16 November 1988 Estonian Supreme Soviet issued Sovereignty Declaration asserting the primacy of Estonian laws over Union laws. Over the next two years almost all other Soviet Republics followed the Estonian lead issuing similar declarations. On 23 August 1989 about 2 million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians participated in a mass demonstration forming a Baltic Way<\/a> human chain across the three republics. In 1990 the Congress of Estonia was formed as representative body of Estonian citizens. In March 1991 a referendum was held where 77.7% of voters supported independence, and during the coup attempt<\/a> in Moscow Estonia declared restoration of independence on 20 August, which is now the Day of Restoration of Independence, a national holiday.<\/p>\n Soviet authorities recognized Estonian independence on 6 September, and on 17 September Estonia was admitted into the United Nations. The last units of the Russian army left Estonia in 1994.<\/p>\n In 1992 radical economic reforms were launched for switching over to a market economy, including privatisation and currency reform. Estonian foreign policy since independence has been oriented toward the West, and in 2004 Estonia joined both the European Union and NATO.<\/p>\n Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea<\/a> immediately across the Gulf of Finland, on the level northwestern part of the rising East European platform. Average elevation reaches only 50 metres (164 ft) and the country’s highest point is the Suur Munam\u00e4gi<\/a> in the southeast at 318 metres (1,043 ft). There is 3,794 kilometres (2,357 mi) of coastline marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. The number of islands and islets is estimated at some 2,355 (including those in lakes). Two of them are large enough to constitute separate counties: Saaremaa<\/a> and Hiiumaa<\/a>. A small, recent cluster of meteorite craters, the largest of which is called Kaali<\/a> is found on Saaremaa, Estonia.<\/p>\n Estonia has over 1,400 lakes. Most are very small, with the largest, Lake Peipus<\/a>, being 3,555 km2 (1,373 sq mi). There are many rivers in the country. The longest of them are V\u00f5handu (162 km or 101 mi), P\u00e4rnu (144 km or 89 mi), and P\u00f5ltsamaa (135 km or 84 mi). Estonia has numerous fens and bogs. Forest land covers 50% of Estonia. The most common tree species are pine, spruce and birch.<\/p>\n As a member of the European Union, Estonia is considered a high-income economy by the World Bank<\/a>. The GDP (PPP) per capita of the country was $29,312 in 2016 according to the International Monetary Fund<\/a>. Because of its rapid growth, Estonia has often been described as a Baltic Tiger<\/a> beside Lithuania<\/a> and Latvia<\/a>. Beginning 1 January 2011, Estonia adopted the euro and became the 17th eurozone member state.<\/p>\n Oil shale energy<\/a>, telecommunications, textiles, chemical products, banking, services, food and fishing, timber, shipbuilding, electronics, and transportation are key sectors of the economy. The ice-free port of Muuga, near Tallinn, is a modern facility featuring good transshipment capability, a high-capacity grain elevator, chill\/frozen storage, and new oil tanker off-loading capabilities. The railroad serves as a conduit between the West, Russia, and other points to the East.<\/p>\n Estonia’s economy continues to benefit from a transparent government and policies that sustain a high level of economic freedom, ranking 6th globally and 2nd in Europe. The rule of law remains strongly buttressed and enforced by an independent and efficient judicial system. A simplified tax system with flat rates and low indirect taxation, openness to foreign investment, and a liberal trade regime have supported the resilient and well-functioning economy. As of May 2018, the Ease of Doing Business Index by the World Bank Group places the country 16th in the world. The strong focus on the IT sector has led to much faster, simpler and efficient public services where for example filing a tax return takes less than five minutes and 98% of banking transactions are conducted through the internet. Estonia has the third lowest business bribery risk in the world, according to TRACE Matrix.<\/p>\n Transport in Estonia relies mainly on road and rail networks.<\/p>\n Estonia has over 57,000 km of roads, of which almost 13,000 are paved, some limited access expressways.<\/p>\n Estonia is the first country in the EU and in the world to introduce a nationwide, publicly serviced charging system for charging the batteries of electric vehicles. The 165 fast charging stations are equipped with connectors of the CHAdeMO standard<\/a>. They are located throughout the entire country, including the islands, and have a maximum distance of 40\u201360 km in between.<\/p>\n The charging stations can also be navigated via a smartphone app (currently only for Android). The relatively dense network and 30 minute quick charges are built to enable a country-wide electric vehicle network. The system offers a unitary booking service and several different tariffs, some of which appear attractively low priced. The charging station network puts Estonia at the forefront in Europe even though Norway actually has a higher penetration of electric vehicles. Estonia has a rate of 1 electric vehicle per 1000 capita, whereas Norway has 4 EVs per 1000 capita.<\/p>\n Estonia has a total of 900km of railroad, 1200km if you include dedicated industrial lines. There are rail links with both neighboring countries, Latvia and Russia, with a shared gauge so transfers at borders are not required.<\/p>\n There has been a growing tram network in Tallinn, Estonia since 1888, when traffic was started by horse-powered trams. The first line was electrified on October 28, 1925. The first electric trams were built by Dvigatel, Ltd., in Tallinn before World War II and for some years after that, the last one in 1954. As of 2018, there are four lines: 1 (Kopli-Kadriorg), 2 (Kopli-\u00dclemiste), 3 (Tondi-Kadriorg) and 4 (Tondi- Lennujaam (Airport)). There have also been lines 5 (Kopli-Vana-L\u00f5una, shut down in 2004 because of small usage) and 6 (Kopli-Tondi, temporarily used in time of repairs).<\/p>\n Estonia has 45 ports in the State Port Register. With a few exceptions, all of them are on the Baltic Sea. Largest ports are Muuga<\/a> (near Tallinn), Tallinn<\/a> (comprises several ports), Paldiski<\/a>, Kunda<\/a>, P\u00e4rnu<\/a> and Sillam\u00e4e<\/a>.<\/p>\n There are 13 airports with paved runways across Estonia but Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport<\/a> is the largest airport and receives all international traffic.<\/p>\n There are numerous water links to the Baltic Sea islands as well as international links to Sweden and Finland.<\/p>\n The national flag of Estonia is a tricolor featuring three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white. In Estonian it is colloquially called the “sinimustvalge” (lit.\u2009”blue-black-white”), after the colors of the bands.<\/p>\n First adopted on 21 November 1918 after its independence, it was used as a national flag until 1940 when the Soviet Union<\/a> occupied Estonia. After World War II, from 1944 to 1990, the Soviet Estonian flag<\/a> consisted first of a generic red Soviet flag with the name of the republic, then changed to the red flag with a band of blue water waves near the bottom. The Estonian flag, which was also used by the Estonian government-in-exile<\/a>, was officially re-adopted 7 August 1990 one year before its official restoration of independence.<\/p>\n The flag of Estonia fundamentally grew out of the flag of the German Order of the Cross, the black cross on a white field. This flag later resurfaced several other times, it was used as the flag of the United Baltic Duchy.<\/p>\n In the era of the crusades, the particular geographic domain of the contemporary Estonia’s location (the Eastern Baltic shores) was proclaimed to be “Land of Mary”, the Land of the Virgin Mary, “Terra Mariana” in Latin. (The region more to the South, the then-Prussia, was named the Land of St Peter). When creating its flag, the generic Teutonic banner was adapted so as to include the colors of the flag of St Mary. Mary being the “Virgin\/Queen of Heaven”, her flag consists of blue representing the heaven\/sky, and white, the color of purity.<\/p>\n The “Marian flag” itself, the flag of St Mary (St Maria), has two fields, white over blue. This original flag is still to be found in the flag of the Baltic Germans, and the flag of Pomerania (Province of Pomerania (1815\u20131945)). The Marian flag is still popular in Poland. It is also the flag of the Cathedral of St Mary in Luxembourg. This flag is also taken for the background in the San Marino (St Marinus) banner.<\/p>\n The merging of the Teutonic cross with the Marian colors resulted in the Terra mariana pattern. The pattern is today used in the coat of arms of the Jungingen family (Ulrich von Jungingen, notably, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order active in the Baltic domain). It is also used in the coat of arms of the German town of Jungingen.<\/p>\n In 1860 the students of the Baltic-Prussian extraction studying in Germany (in Danzig, in Karlsruhe) established a society, the Baltica-Borussia (Prussia) student organisation (“corporation”). The coat of arms of that corporation was based on the known pattern of colours and their arrangement associated with the region and its German past (the coat of arms also incorporated the German eagle). The corporation also adopted a flag. As the idea behind the French revolutionary tricolours demanded that flags be composed of three fields of equal width (representing the equality of the citizens), so was the old Terra Mariana flag transformed into a tricolor (technically, a triband).<\/p>\n In 1881 the Society of Estonian Students at the University of Tartu (Estonia) was formed, a similar tricolor was constructed. Yet by that time the selection of the particular colors was also attributed to the Finnish flag, and the colors were ascribed symbolic meanings.<\/p>\n The flag became associated with Estonian nationalism and was used as the national flag (riigilipp) when the Estonian Declaration of Independence<\/a> was issued on 24 February 1918. The flag was formally adopted on 21 November 1918. 12 December 1918 was the first time the flag was raised as the national symbol atop of the Pikk Hermann Tower in Tallinn.<\/p>\n The invasion by the Soviet Union in June 1940 led to the flag’s ban. It was taken down from the most symbolic location, the tower of Pikk Hermann<\/a> in Tallinn, on 21 June 1940, when Estonia was still formally independent. On the next day, 22 June, it was hoisted along with the red flag. The tricolour disappeared completely from the tower on 27 July 1940, and was replaced by the flag of the Estonian SSR.<\/p>\n During the German occupation from 1941 until 1944, the flag was accepted as the ethnic flag of Estonians but not the national flag. After the German retreat from Tallinn in September 1944, the Estonian flag was hoisted once again.<\/p>\n When the Red Army arrived on 22 September 1944, the red flag was just added at first. Soon afterwards, however, the blue-black-white flag disappeared. In its place from February 1953, the Estonian SSR flag was redesigned to include the six blue spiked waves on the bottom with the hammer and sickle with the red star on top.<\/p>\n The flag remained illegal until the days of perestroika in the late 1980s. 21 October 1987 was the first time when Soviet forces did not take down the flag at a public event. 24 February 1989 the blue-black-white flag was again flown from the Pikk Hermann tower in Tallinn. It was formally re-declared as the national flag on 7 August 1990, little over a year before Estonia regained full independence.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Baltic-Way-Human-Chain-in-Singing-Revolution-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Etymology:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Tacitus-227x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>History:<\/h2>\n
Prehistory and Viking Age:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Bronze-Age-Stone-Cist-Graves-300x201.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Iron-Age-Artifacts-of-a-Hoard-from-Kumna-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Independent-Counties-of-Ancient-Estonia-300x206.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Middle Ages:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Terra-Mariana-Map-277x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Kuressaare-Castle-in-Saaremaa-1380s.-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Poland-Lithuania-1635-300x239.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Swedish Era:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Memorial-Stone-for-Bengt-Gottfried-Forselius-300x225.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Russian Era and National Awakening:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/The-Front-Page-of-Perno-Postimees-the-First-Estonian-Language-Newspaper-216x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Carl-Robert-Jakobson-210x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Jaan-T\u00f5nisson-210x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Independence:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/February-Revolution-in-Petrograd-300x190.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Estonian-War-of-Independence-300x256.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Kaarel-Eenpalu-214x300.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Second World War:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Red-Army-Enters-Estonia-in-1939-300x208.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Tallinn-After-Bombing-in-WWII-300x202.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Estonian-Swedes-Fleeing-300x155.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Soviet Period:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Estonian-Deportees-in-Siberia-300x285.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Restoration of Independence:<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Perestroika-Postage-Stamp-1988-300x148.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Baltic-Way-214x300.jpeg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Geography:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Topographic-Map-of-Estonia.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Economy:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Business-District-in-Tallinn-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Transportation:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Estonian-Highway-Map-300x212.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/EV-Charging-Station-in-Estonia-300x188.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Rail-Routes-in-Estonia-300x186.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Tallinn-Airport-300x200.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>Flag of Estonia:<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-Estonia-300x191.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-the-German-Order-of-the-Cross-and-United-Baltic-Duchy-300x183.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/The-Marian-Flag-300x225.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Terra-Mariana-300x167.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-the-Estonian-Soviet-Socialist-Republic-within-the-Soviet-Union-1940\u20131941-1944-1953-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-the-Estonian-Soviet-Socialist-Republic-within-the-Soviet-Union-1953\u20131990-300x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.smoketreemanor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2020\/05\/Flag-of-the-Estonian-Governate-in-Russian-Empire-1791-1917-300x200.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a>