Estonia History, Government and Politics, Estonia Currency, Estonia at the Olympics.

Estonia or the republic of Estonia is located in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. The country covers the total area of 45,227 km square and enjoys a temperate climate.

History:

Estonia is supposed to be settled around 11,000 years ago when 9th Millennium BC began. There are proofs of fishing and hunting communities which existed here in 6500 BC. During the Middle Age Period it was under the possession of Germany and Denmark. In 1625 it came under the rule of Sweden and its administration divided into two provinces. Later in 17th Century, Russia conquered Estonia.

Neighboring countries:

The country is bordered by the following countries.

Independence:

It was on 24 February 1918 that the country was declared independent and officially recognized on 2nd February 1920. In 1940-41 it was under Soviet occupation and then since 1941 to 1944 Estonia was occupied by Germans. In 1944 Soviet forces re-conquered it and occupied it till 1991.It was on August 20th 1991 that Estonia restored its freedom.

Geographical Settings:

To the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, the country of Estonia is situated. The average high land area is only about 50 meters. Suur Munamägi at 318 meters is the highest point of Estonia. The country has many lakes though mostly small ones. The largest lake with 3,555 km square is named as Lake Peipus. The largest river is Võhandu and others include Pärnu and Põltsamaa.

Government and Policies

The country of Estonia has parliamentary democratic republic and based on multi-party system. The Prime Minister is the head of government. The Parliament of Estonia is elected by its people for a term of four years. Its duties include electing and appointing the higher officials like The President, The Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Estonia the Legal Chancellor, etc.

The country has further progressed in the field of e- government and internet voting has now come into practice.

Economy:

The country has the free market based economy. The World Bank has rated the economy of Estonia as high income. It has also been named as the Baltic Tiger. Until the World War II, the economy was mainly based on agriculture only which came to a halting during the war.

After restoring the independence, the country has labored hard to reform its economy. In 1994 it adopted the flat tax, with 26% as a uniform rate for all including the personal income.

Infrastructure:

Since the medieval times, Estonia has been a nexus with the kind of infrastructure it offers for all transport and other supply based activities. The road transport system is very strong in Estonia. It also has five major ports with all the access to navigate in all conditions. It boasts with 12 airports and one heliport. Not only this, Estonia has a strong IT sector also.

Demographics:

Throughout the European Union, Estonia is one of those countries which are scantily populated. The rate of fertility is 1.41 children per mother. Tallinn being the capital has a good population. Due to property reforms in 1990s, the people are now growing in number.

The official language of Estonia is Estonian which is very close to Finnish, a neighboring country’s language. Estonians aged between 30to 70 widely speak Russian as the second language. English, German, Swedish are some other languages learnt here.

Culture:

The culture of Estonia is greatly influenced by its neighboring countries and their cultural developments. It grew largely in the 19th Century period of awakening when songs and folktales were brought together. Theatre was promoted while writers and poets expressed their feelings through their works. Late in 19th Century, the culture took a back seat and people got involved more in politics. Now again it is looking forward to get some hold in cultural developments.

Education:

Estonia has a high standard of education. The Education Act works in accordance with the UNESCO which has the following levels:

Population:

According to the estimate in July 2008 the total population is 1,307,605. The rate of population is now reduced to -0.632%

Capital city:

Tallinn is the capital and the largest city of Estonia. It is also the most populous city here with 400,200 people as registered in May 2007.

Estonia