Hello, welcome to Estonia, a Baltic gem known for its high-tech innovation, ancient forests, and thousands of islands. There are around 1.4 million people living here, and the capital is Tallinn, which boasts one of the best-preserved medieval Old Towns in all of Europe. The official language is Estonian, a unique and melodic language that is closely related to Finnish.
Estonia covers about 45,339 square kilometers (17,505 square miles). That’s roughly the same size as the states of Vermont and New Hampshire combined in the U.S., or about the same size as Denmark. About half of the country is covered in lush forests, and it has over 2,000 islands scattered along its coast.
The most popular sports are Basketball, Football, and Ice Hockey, but Estonia is also famous for Kiiking—a sport where people swing on massive steel swings until they go 360 degrees over the top bar! Their national animal is the Wolf, a symbol of the wild, untouched nature that Estonians hold very dear.
The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of blue, black, and white, where the blue represents the sky and loyalty, the black symbolizes the soil and the dark past of the nation, and the white stands for hope, purity, and the bright future.
The food is simple, seasonal, and rooted in the land. You must try Leib (black rye bread), which is so central to their culture that instead of saying “enjoy your meal,” Estonians often say “may your bread last!” Another traditional favorite is Verivorst (blood sausage), especially during the winter months, often served with lingonberry jam.
Estonia is a global leader in technology and is often called “e-Estonia” because almost everything can be done online—from voting in national elections to signing legal documents and even becoming an “e-resident” from anywhere in the world. It is the birthplace of Skype! The country is also home to the Meteorite Craters of Kaali, a group of nine craters on Saaremaa Island formed by a massive meteorite strike about 3,500 years ago. If you visit in the winter, you might get to drive on an official ice road, where cars travel across the frozen Baltic Sea to reach the islands. Estonia is also famous for its Singing Revolution, where hundreds of thousands of people gathered to sing national songs as a peaceful way to regain their independence.
From the high-tech hubs of the city to the silent, misty bogs of the countryside, Estonia is a land where the future meets the ancient past. Aitäh! That means “Thank you!”