When it comes to Northern Europe, the biggest countries of the region such as Sweden, Norway and Denmark will come to mind first. Estonia, on the other hand, is a country that people who are interested in the region hear more often. It is a normal situation because while other countries appear in unexpected places, both politically and culturally, Estonia lives a little more quietly and on its own.
Of course, do not think that Estonia is in a more backward situation than other countries because it is silent. Just like other Northern European countries, this baltic country in its own right actually has an ancient history of thousands of years. Let’s take a closer look at Estonia, which has also developed its own cultural characteristics due to the numerous wars it has survived, and let’s see interesting information about this country.
Extraordinary facts about Estonia, some of which you will hear for the first time:
- The Estonian plain is the home of the Vikings.
- If you are wondering what language Estonia speaks, you should look at their songs.
- There are more islands than the mainland in the region.
- An interesting sport is practiced in Estonia, which is a forest country.
- How about Estonia’s economy, we say transportation is free.
- There are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country for some reason.
- Estonia has a troublesome church.
- The air in Estonia is clean, very clean.
- We weren’t kidding when we said the Estonian plain.
Estonian plain, home of the Vikings:
It is estimated that the first human settlements in the Estonian region began 11,000 years ago. In addition to the mountainous area where human settlements from the Bronze Age period are located, it is known that the people here practiced agriculture during the Iron Age. It is thought that after the Iron Age, around 500 BC, the people of the region made war a way of life for themselves.
Estonians, the local people of Estonia, are one of the Finnish rights that we can generalize as Vikings. The Estonians, who have been under the domination of the Germans and Russians many times throughout their history, also suffered great losses in the First and Second World Wars. Estonia declared its independence on 20 August 1991 after being under the control of the Soviets for a long time.
If you are wondering what language Estonia speaks, you should look at his songs:
Estonian people speak Estonian and the official language of the country is Estonian. However, Estonian is not exactly a separate language. It is a kind of dialect among the languages of the region generalized as Finnish languages. This language is of great importance to the local people. Just like in Anatolian villages, when you go to Estonian mountain villages, you can listen to songs with heroic stories from old Estonian aunts who will welcome you. Moreover, since some of these songs are sung in choirs, efforts are made to transfer them to future generations.
There are more islands than the mainland in the region:
If we say that Estonia is an island country, it would be unfair to many countries in the Caribbean region, but if we make an island-mainland comparison compared to other countries, Estonia has astonishingly many islands. Estonia has more than 2200 islands in the Baltic Sea. Of course, these islands with names such as Hiiumaa, Kihnu, Saaremaa do not all have human settlements, but if you are a traveler who likes to travel to the unknown, you can go to one of these small islands and encounter an Estonian who still lives as if we were thousands of years ago.
There is an interesting sport in Estonia, which is a forest country:
Almost half of Estonia, one of the countries with the lowest population in Europe, consists of forests. Due to this feature, Estonia, which is considered one of the greenest countries in Europe, is a sport that we have not seen anywhere else in the world, thanks to the conditions brought by the geography; carry a spouse
We are at the top of the mountain, the forest is everywhere, and Estonian men, who thought that if they built a gym, they would not be able to build it, they shoulder their wives and compete. Wives take upside down position by wrapping their legs around men’s necks. Competitors try to come first by competing on a challenging track with two dry and one water obstacle. If you want to participate in this competition, which is also held in different countries of Northern Europe, but you are single, it is also possible to compete with your neighbor by asking his wife.
How about Estonia’s economy, we say transportation is free:
Although Estonia used rubles during its Soviet rule, it started to use krone after it became independent. When it joined the European Union in 2011, it also entered the Eurozone and started to use the Euro. Estonia, whose economy is mostly based on the service sector, is the 39th largest country in the world in terms of per capita income. Although it is a small detail, we must say that all kinds of public transport are free for Estonian citizens, as it is a detail that reveals the economic situation of a country. Of course, if you go as a tourist, you have to pay a fee.
For some reason, there are two UNESCO World Heritage sites in the country:
Ok, it has a culture of thousands of years and its geography is incredible, but when you look at Estonia, it is not possible to see much different from other Baltic countries. Of course, since it is unthinkable that a European Union country does not have a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Old Town in Tallinn, the country’s largest city, and the Struve Geodetic Arc, the first scientific meridian measuring instrument, have been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. One is a tool, and the other has traces of the 13th century. What UNESCO World Heritage Sites we have seen, hey go.
Estonia has a troublesome church:
One of the largest churches of its time, dating from the 17th century in the country, St. What has happened to the Madeleine Church is truly astounding. The church has been struck by lightning dozens of times throughout its history. Lightning struck in 1625, 1820 and 1931 caused such great fires that almost the entire city was destroyed.
Estonia’s air is clean, very clean:
As a country’s industrialization rate and human population increase, its air inevitably becomes polluted. Estonia has a small population, limited industrialization, and half of it consists of forests. As such, the country’s air is one of the cleanest in the world, according to the sustainable outdoor index. In other words, if you want to step into the country and take a deep breath, you may pass out due to too much oxygen.
We weren’t kidding when we said the Estonian plain:
Since we live in a country full of hills and hills due to its formation period, Estonia is very interesting to us because we are a nation that goes up and down even when going to the market, because the country is pretty flat. So much so that the highest point of Estonia is only 318 meters above sea level. Since we can’t watch the view from a height, they will have thought that we should get taller. The average height of Estonian women is 1.69 m, and the average height of men is 1.80 m.
We talked about the extraordinary information about Estonia, which is one of the most peaceful countries in Northern Europe, some of which you have heard for the first time. Hoping that one day we will live as prosperously as Estonia, which will not have a finger on the geography we have.