Fun Facts About Estonia

For some reasons, this time I would like to share an interesting facts and information about Estonia. You may be wondering why I choose Estonia for this blog. I live in Asia far away from Europe and honestly I don't know much about this country, because mostly people just talk about France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland or England. Accidentaly I found a lot of interesting things about Estonia.....it's awesome!! If I had an opportunity travel to Europe, I'll say Estonia will be in top 5 of my destinations. 

Estonia officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia covers 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi) and is influenced by a humid continental climate. Bellow you'll find fun facts and figure it out why I say Estonia is awesome.

Okay, let’s get started with "tere" which means Hello in Estonian ^_^

1. Estonia is small, but it isn’t the smallest country in Europe. It’s bigger than Slovenia, Holland, Denmark, and Switzerland. Estonia have 1520 islands.
2. Despite its small size, it feels big because only 1.3 million folks live here. It makes Estonia one of the leasdense countries in Europe, with just 32 Estonians per square kilometer. (Only 46 percent of the population is male).
3. Capital city of Estonia is Tallinn. But this country is unique because it has more than one recognized capital. In fact, it has several capitals that change throughout the year. Tartu is established as the “cultural capital of Estonia”, while Parnu is known as the “summer capital”.
4. Estonia was the first country in the world to use online political voting. While many countries are still debating the concept of online voting due to security concerns, Estonia has already been at it since 2005. Estonia is a very tech-savvy country, with most classrooms and homes having an Internet connection. For the sake of convenience, then, Estonians decided to automate voting.
5. Estonia has two Independence Days. It first achieved independence from the Soviet Union on February 24, 1918 and again on August 20, 1991 after 51 years of occupation. The second date is known as the “Restoration of Independence Day.”
6. Estonian is the official language. Russian is also widely spoken.
7. The Estonian currency was the Kroon, but they have joined the Euro-zone and Euro is their official currency now. Estonia adopted the euro on January 1, 2011 with its government finances in better shape than all the other countries in the euro zone!
8. Estonia is the least religious country in the world with only 14% of the population claiming any religious beliefs.
9. Almost 50% of Estonia is covered by forest. Estonia’s forests keep getting bigger, perhaps due to the declining population.
10. Estonia has a population of 1.3 million and one of the most sparsely populated countries in Europe. With 15 provinces and biggest one is Pärnumaa.
11. Estonia is the homeland of Skype, Hotmail and KaZaA.
12. All Estonian schools are connected to the Internet. Estonia is known for being one of the most linked-up countries, when it comes to Internet connections. Most of the population has access to the Internet at home, and if not, they probably use it at school. Estonians are usually ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and part of that is due to their enterprising spirit. Estonians believe that creating a better relationship with technology at a younger age will help people interact with it better.
13. Out of the nearly 200 countries in the world, Estonia ranks in the second place with a literacy rate of 99.8%.
14. In 1994, Estonia became the first country to institute the flat income tax. The Estonian government was the first in Europe to put a flat tax system into practice. For a long time, certain economists have touted flat tax as the perfect system, but it was only recently that we got to see how it would turn out in reality. While Estonia is a fairly small sample, the results  have been pretty good so far.
15. They have the biggest collection of folk songs in the world with written records of 133,000 folk songs.
16. "The Estonians invented Kiiking, which is considered a sport. It involves fastening yourself to an enormous standing steal swing (kiik means swing in Estonian) which has a full 360 degrees of rotation to it. To swing a kiiker the contestant must pump by squatting and standing up on the swing. The swing gains momentum taking the person in full circle by his skillful pumping.
17. Estonia produces quality vodka and boasts Viru Valge and Saaremaa as its most popular brands.
18. And, in case you are thinking of relocating, Estonia doesn’t accept dual citizenship.
19. Safety Reflectors. Estonia is pretty concerned with keeping their roads safe. While Estonians drink, just like anywhere else in the world they won’t allow you to drive with any alcohol in your system. However, due to Estonia spending a lot of time in darkness, the authorities are often worried about pedestrians getting hit by vehicles. To avoid this, it is actually the law in Estonia that—whether you are biking or just walking—you must have safety reflectors attached, to make sure that people can see you.
20. Munamagi 318m high (Egg Mountain) is the highest point in Estonia.
21. In Estonia there's a big Beach Party festival, (usually in the beginning of June). It calls Puhajarve Beach Party. The Puhajarve Beach Party is a festival, where several shows and games take place.
22. Estonia has the highest number of meteorite craters per land area in the world.
23. Free Public Transportation. In Estonia’s capital city of Tallinn, the local political leadership came up with a genius idea that would make everyone happy. Just like in any city in the world, some of the citizens are poor. Also, removing cars from the roads is generally seen as good for the environment. The mayor of Tallinn figured he could kill two birds with one stone, and offeredfree public transportation to anyone who is a registered resident of his city.

The most extraordinary thing about Estonia is its grasp of technology. When it comes to Internet access, Estonia is one of the most connected countries in the world, and its education is also top-notch.

Täname, et lugemine. Loodan, et te naudite seda. (Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy it)

Source :

http://academicexchange.wordpress.com

http://www.funtrivia.com

http://listverse.com