Estonia lies in the northern part of the temperate climate zone and in the transition zone between maritime and continental climate. Because Estonia (and all of Northern Europe) is continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream it has a milder climate despite its northern latitude. The Baltic Sea causes differences between the climate of coastal and inland areas. The average annual temperature in Estonia is 5 °C. The average temperature in February, the coldest month of the year, is -5.2 °C. The average temperature in July, which is considered the warmest month of the year, is 18 °C. The climate is also influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the North-Atlantic Stream and the Icelandic Minimum, which is an area known for the formation of cyclones and where the average air pressure is lower than in neighbouring areas. Estonia is located in a humid zone in which the amount of precipitation is greater than total evaporation. There are about 160 to 190 rainy days a year, and average precipitation is most plentiful on the western slopes of the Sakala and Haanja Uplands. Snow cover, which is deepest in the south-eastern part of Estonia, usually lasts from mid-December to late March.
The kroon (ISO 4217 code: EEK) is the currency of Estonia. It is subdivided into 100 senti (singular sent).
Estonia is a low, flat country covering 45,226 square kilometers. It is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Estonia has a long, shallow coastline (1,393 kilometers) along the Baltic Sea, with 1,520 islands dotting the shore. The two largest islands are Saaremaa (literally, island land), at 2,673 square kilometers, and Hiiumaa, at 989 square kilometers. The two islands are favorite Estonian vacation spots. The country's highest point, Suur Munamägi (Egg Mountain), is in the hilly southeast and reaches 318 meters above sea level. Estonia is covered by about 1.8 million hectares of forest. Arable land amounts to about 926,000 hectares. Meadows cover about 252,000 hectares, and pastureland covers about 181,000 hectares. There are more than 1,400 natural and artificial lakes in Estonia. The largest of them, Lake Peipsi (3,555 square kilometers), forms much of the border between Estonia and Russia. Located in central Estonia, Võrtsjärv is the second-largest lake (270 square kilometers). The Narva and Emajõgi are among the most important of the country's many rivers.
Estonia has a temperate climate, with four seasons of near-equal length. Average temperatures range from 16.3°C on the Baltic islands to 17.1°C inland in July, the warmest month, and from -3.5°C on the Baltic islands to -7.6°C inland in February, the coldest month. Precipitation averages 568 millimeters per year and is heaviest in late summer.
Estonia's land border with Latvia runs 267 kilometers; the Russian border runs 290 kilometers. From 1920 to 1945, Estonia's border with Russia, set by the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty, extended beyond the Narva River in the northeast and beyond the town of Pechory (Petseri) in the southeast. This territory, amounting to some 2,300 square kilometers, was incorporated into Russia by Stalin at the end of World War II. Estonia is now disputing that territorial loss.
The shores of the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Finland have been home to the Estonians for thousands of years. However, throughout much of their history, they have been subjugated by foreign occupying powers. Estonians stubbornly preserved their identity through foreign dominations and finally were victorious in their War for Independence in 1918-1920, fighting both Soviet Russia and the German Landeswehr colonizers.
During its independence 1918-1940, Estonia was a model society in the community of nations, a member of the League of Nations. Estonia guaranteed cultural autonomy to all minorities, including its Jewish population.
In 1939, the Nazi Soviet Pact divided Europe into spheres of influence, 'assigning' Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the Soviets. In 1940, breaking all agreements Moscow had with Estonia, the Soviet Army occupied Estonia, forced a pro-Moscow puppet government on the country and illegally annexed it into the Soviet Union. The United States and most other Western countries never recognized the annexation.
A reign of terror ensued, in which Estonia's top political, military and other leaders were arrested and shot, and thousands deported in cattlecars to Siberia, where few survived. Nazi Germany occupied Estonia until 1944. With the return of the Soviets, 80 000 Estonians fled to the West. The renewed Soviet occupation brought another reign of terror, with more deportations to Siberia. In a conscious effort to impart Russian culture in Estonia, the Soviets brought in tens of thousands of Russians and others to colonize the country. The large Russian ethnic population currently in Estonia is the consequence of that deliberate policy of genocide.
Estonia's drive to regain its freedom began in the mid-eighties with protests against Moscow's exploitation of Estonia's natural resources and destruction of its cultural heritage. Huge anti-Moscow demonstrations took place, culminating in independence after the unsuccessful coup in Moscow in August 1991.
Since regaining control over their own country, the Estonians have labored to rebuild their democratic institutions that were destroyed by Soviet occupation. A strong, convertible currency, the croon, is the basis for the country's economic success. The United States stopped giving Estonia aid in 1996, declaring that Estonia is now able to stand on its own. Estonia is also a member of a multitude of Western economic, financial, political and other organizations, including the United Nations.
In 1998, Estonia began talks with the European Union for eventual membership. The Estonian government and legislature have begun extensive preparations to meet EU requirements.
Estonia also takes part in the Partnership for Peace, the NATO sponsored security organization for those who may aspire to join NATO in the future. In its declared quest to rejoin the West, from whom it was once forcibly torn, Estonia has stated its intent to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Republic of Estionia, after regaining its freedom and independence for Soviet occupation in 1991, is rapidly re-building democratic institutions and a free market economy. Its success has been crowned by invitation from the European union for accession talks. Estonia's fledgling Defense Force is helping to preserve peace in Bosnia and elsewhere. Estonian Americans are actively providing Estonia scholorships and technical, economic, political and humanitarian assistance.
The population of Estonia in 2003 was estimated by the United Nations at 1,323,000, which placed it as number 147 in population among the 193 nations of the world. In that year approximately 15% of the population was over 65 years of age, with another 18% of the population under 15 years of age. There were 85 males for every 100 females in the country in 2003. According to the UN, the annual population growth rate for 2000–2005 is -1.10%, with the projected population for the year 2015 at 1,159,000. The population density in 2002 was 30 per sq km (78 per sq mi). The northern portion of the country is the most densely populated.
It was estimated by the Population Reference Bureau that 69% of the population lived in urban areas in 2001. The capital city, Tallinn, had a population of 397,000 in that year. Other large cities and their populations were Tartu, 109,133; Narva, 80,491; Kohtla-Järve, 56,141; and Pärnu, 52,085. According to the United Nations, the urban population growth rate for 2000–2005 was -1.0%.
National Holiday and a day off:
February 24 - Independence Day, Anniversary of the Republic of Estonia
Public Holidays
Public Holidays are days off and are:
1) January 1 - New Year's Day
2) - Good Friday
3) - Easter Sunday
4) May 1 - Spring Day
5) - Whitsunday
6) June 23 - Victory Day
7) June 24 - St.John's Day or Midsummer Day
8) August 20 - Day of Restoration of Independence
9) December 24 - Christmas Eve
10) December 25 - Christmas Day
11) December 26 - Boxing Day
National Holidays
National Holidays are:
1) January 6 - the Epiphany
2) February 2 - Anniversary of the Tartu Peace Treaty
2¹) March 14 - Native Language Day
3) The second Sunday in May - Mothers' Day
3¹) June 4 - National Flag Day
4) June 14 - Day of Mourning and Commemoration
5) November 2 - All Souls' Day
6) The second Sunday in November - Fathers' Day
7) November 16 - Day of Declaration of Sovereignty
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