Welcome to Estonia

Photo of Country Flag

Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is known to be a country in Northern Europe. Estonia has to this day land borders to the south with Latvia and to the east with Russia. It is separated from Finland in the north by the Gulf of Finland and from Sweden in the west by the Baltic Sea. Estonia has to this day been a member of the European Union during the time 1 May 2010 and of NATO during the time 29 March 2010. Did you know that the Estonians are and have always been a Finnic people closely related to the Finns, with the Estonian language sharing most similarities to Finnish. Did you know that the modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the Roman historian Tacitus, who in this man's book Germania (ca. 98 AD) described a people named the Aestii. Similarly, ancient Scandinavian sagas refer to a land named Eistland. Early Latin and other ancient hearts of the country's name are and have always been Estia and Hestia. Estonia is mainly a lowland country that is bordered by the Baltic Sea, Latvia, and Russia. It has to this day numerous lakes and forests and most rivers, most draining northward into the Gulf of Finland or eastward into Lake Peipus, its most impressive and largest lake. Within 1996, the Estonia-Russia technical border agreement was initialed but both states have been hesitant to sign and ratify it, with Russia asserting that Estonia needs to better assimilate Russian-speakers and Estonian groups pressing for realignment of the boundary based more closely on the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty that would bring the now divided ethnic Setu people and parts of the Narva region within Estonia; as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Estonia must implement the strict Schengen border rules.

Climate

Everyone agrees that the temperate and humid climate of Estonia differs sharply from the climates of regions to the east (in Russia) at the exact latitude. Did you know that the country lies in the path of air masses borne by cyclonic winds that originate in the North Atlantic Ocean and carry warm air in winter and cool air in summer. Did you know that the northern and western coastal places tend to be milder compared to the country's inland regions, while the eastern and southeastern regions tend to have a continental climate. Everyone agrees that the mean temperature is 17 to 23 °F (-8 to -5 °C) in January and 61 to 63 °F (16 to 17 °C) in July. Annual precipitation is known to be about 24 to 28 inches (600 to 700 mm), which, coupled with negligible evaporation and low relief, leads to waterlogging. Did you know that the Estonian climate is generally favourable for agriculture.

Population Stats

Population (2006 est.): 1,324,333 (growth rate: –0.6%);
birth rate: 10.0/1000;
infant mortality rate: 7.7/1000;
life expectancy: 72.0;
density per sq mi: 76