The closest major city to Tallinn is the Finnish capital Helsinki, located at a distance of 85 km on the opposite shore of the Gulf of Finland. Riga is only one day's drive away (307 km). It's also a relatively short trip to St. Petersburg (395 km) and Stockholm (405 km). 2. Do polar bears live in Estonia?Although Estonia is situated in Northern Europe, the nearest polar bears live more than 2000 km further north. Estonia, on the coast of the Baltic Sea, is at the same latitude in Europe as central Sweden and the northern tip of Scotland. In North America, the middle latitude of Estonia passes through the Labrador peninsula and southern coast of Alaska. 
| | | As in other northern countries, seasons vary widely in Estonia. The length of the longest day in summer is over 19 hours, while the shortest winter day lasts only six hours. It is not completely dark at night from the beginning of May until the end of July.
Due to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf Stream, the weather in Estonia is considerably milder than the continental climate characteristic of the same latitude. The temperature in the summer months (June - September) is typically 15 - 18°: C; in winter, -4 - -5°: C . |  |  | | 5 p.m. in June | 5 p.m. in February |
| | During the winter, many of Estonia's islands are surrounded by ice; they are made accessible by temporary roads constructed on the ice, passing over the same straits in which many enjoy a refreshing summer swim. Estonian weather offers many surprises. Temperatures may fluctuate by 20°: C; in the early morning the thermometer might read -12°: C and by afternoon it may already be 10°: C. Although it doesn't always snow in winter, there tends to be about 10 cm of snow on the ground consistently from late December through to the beginning of March. |
3. Does the sun ever shine in Estonia?
The sky over Estonia is cloudy for about half the year, and the hilly southeast region experiences up to 750 mm of precipitation due to Estonia's maritime climate. While seven thousand rivers and streams carry rainwater to the sea, bogs and wooded swamplands of different types cover over one fifth of the country - a world index topped only by the northern neighbour, Finland. Various kinds of forests comprise slightly under half of Estonia's territory. Wetlands, together with primeval forests, represent preserved communities which have for the most part been destroyed in Europe. Estonia lies on the southern border of the northern European coniferous forest zone and on the northern border of the deciduous forests typical of central Europe. Scots pine, spruce, birch, aspen and alder are the most numerous species, although there are also oak, linden, ash, elm, rowan etc. Many plant and animal species live in Estonia which are rare or no longer found elsewhere in Europe. The elk, roe deer and wild boar are amongst Estonia's common large mammals. There are also wolves, brown bears, ringed seals and grey seals. Among the 333 bird species recorded in Estonia, are 222 nesting species, including several types of eagle, capercaillie and black stork quite rare in Europe. 4. Does Estonia have a king?| Estonia has, in fact, been a part of kingdoms: the Danish realm from the 13th to the 14th centuries, the Swedish from the 16th to the 18th centuries and the Russian from 18th to the early 20th. Although Estonians have never actually had their own king, the Estonian state coat of arms is of royal origin. The motif of the three lions dates back to the 13th century, when the Danish King Waldemar II presented the arms to the city of Tallinn as a gift; it became the Republic of Estonia's coat of arms in 1925. Estonia's blue, black and white national flag descends from the 19th century. These colours, which the Estonian students of Tartu University chose for their association's flag, developed into a national symbol at the beginning of this century. In 1922, blue, black and white were confirmed as the colours of the national flag. |  |  |  |  |  |  | | Some of Estonian's kings: | Valdemar II | Sigismund II | Gustav II Adolf | Peter I | Nicholas II | | Period of their rule: | 1219-1241 | 1561-1572 | 1611-1632 | 1710-1725 | 1894-1919 |
| | With the proclamation of Estonia's national independence in 1918, a parliamentary republic was formed. The constitution of 1920 was clearly one of the most democratic for that time. The Parliament elected a Riigivanem (president) who acted as the leader of the government and head of state. In 1991 the Republic of Estonia was restored on the basis of continuity with the constitution prior to 1938. |
5. Why are Estonians called a 'singing nation'?| If you ask an Estonian to sing, you'll meet with an embarrassed refusal. Yet Estonians, with their long tradition of song festivals dating from the time of the National Awakening in the mid-19th century, have earned themselves the title of a singing nation. The typical Estonian willingly sings in a choir; choral music is considered by many to be a symbol of the country at large. |  | | It is hard to find an Estonian who has never attended the national song festival. | The Estonian Literature Museum contains more than 1 300 000 pages of folk songs. As for the size of its folklore collection, Estonia comes second only to Ireland. At the song festivals, people don colourful folk costumes and head in their thousands for the Song Festival Field in Tallinn.
Ever since the period of the National Awakening, Estonians have been eagerly attending concerts and theatre performances. The theatres in smaller cities can by no means be called provincial; they attract viewers from all over the country. It is quite possible to travel from one end of Estonia to the other in a single day. With such light summer nights, huge open air concerts have become all the rage in Estonia. | | Country: | Cinema: | Theatre: | | Estonia | 73 | 67 | | Hungary | 144 | 24 | | Norway | 260 | 30 | | Iceland | 483 | 55 |
| | Visits to theatre and cinema per 100 people. |
6. What are Estonians like?| The character of Estonians has inevitably been shaped by their country's history and its natural environment. It's the long, dark winters that have most likely fostered their self-absorbed and taciturn manner. At the same time, this dreary season has inspired an abundance of folktale and song that may well provide insights into the nature of the contemporary urbanised Estonian. The main character of an Estonian folk tale never actually becomes a king, nor charges into battle with monsters, a keen sword in his hand. He relies rather on his sharp mind and quick wits; he talks philosophy with Old Nick, and tries to double-cross him in the end. Estonians are third-generation city people at most, so almost all families have relatives living in the country. Childhood memories will undoubtedly include summers spent in the country. The somewhat grim and reserved Estonian of the winter months undergoes a significant change in summer: he will ask friends out for a picnic, meet new people, and rather than glaring at anyone causing a disturbance in the street, he will burst into merry laughter. | |
| | A foreigner is well advised to bear in mind that in human relations, Estonians try to avoid sentimentality. Much of what other nationalities voice without hesitation, Estonians may reveal only once they know a person quite well. |  | | Estonians are reputed to be quite stubborn and tend not to be impressed by someone's social standing alone. Any authority may be, indeed must be, ridiculed. Estonians' ironic jokes tend to be targeted primarily at themselves. |
7. Where does Estonia get its electricity?| Estonia is able to meet its own need for electricity, and even to export a surplus. Oil shale is excavated in the northeast and used in local power stations. Alternative energy sources like wind, water and peat have been thoroughly investigated in recent years. Peat is one of the most important natural resources in Estonia, and, moreover, is renewable. |  |  | | The Estonian energy industry is founded on thermal power plants. Over 90 per cent of the entire electrical energy is produced on the basis of oil shale, a locally mined mineral, which is quite unique in the world. | In 2002, the passenger terminals of the port of Tallinn serviced 6,2 million people. Most of Estonian export also goes through the ports. |
| | Since the country is not rich in mineral resources, its economy is primarily based on light industry and the service sector, i. e. tourism, trade and banking. Estonia is situated on a busy trading route between East and West and has always had excellent ports; foreign trade and transit are therefore ever increasingly important to the Estonian economy. After the restoration of independence, the share of the financial sector grew considerably and stablised. Today, foreign investors are involved in approximately 90 per cent of the Estonian Banking sector. In recent years, there has been a leap in information technology as well. |
Estonia exports various products: appliances of all kinds, electronic devices and components, and motor vehicle safety equipment. Small and medium-sized businesses predominate. 8. What does an Estonian do at weekends?| This largely depends on the time of year. An athletic Estonian goes skiing in winter: mostly on flat land, although he tries to make use of even the smallest hill (the highest peak in Estonia reaches 318 m); people have even taken to snowboarding. Cross-country skiing is the sporting event which draws the largest television audience in Estonia. Athletics (track and field) is also popular, and in recent years football (soccer) has been gaining ground over basketball - which at one time was considered many to be a 'national game'. | | | When the weather improves, many Estonians leave the city for the weekends. Almost every family has a cottage in the country, with a small garden and orchard, so that the fridge can be loaded with all sorts of jams and preserves in the autumn. A walk in the forest here is one of the most enjoyable pastimes: people go there to pick berries or mushrooms, to hunt, or just for a nice stroll. At every river or lake, or on the ice in winter you're sure to see a fisherman or two. |  | | Beautiful sandy beaches attract thousands every summer. | | An important weekend ritual is the Saturday sauna. Estonians dart from the hot steam room directly into the closest body of water, regardless of the weather. Summer activities naturally include a lot of sunbathing on the beach; Estonia boasts miles of beautiful sandy beaches, and water that may seem too chilly for a southerner is just right for any Estonian who wants to swim, play water polo or go windsurfing. |
Text by Estonian Institute 2007 |
