#Hiiu County

[unteriors]

Nurste, Hiiu County, Estonia.

[artisthomes]

Birthplace of Rudolf Tobias in Selja, Hiiu County, Estonia

[viewingstreets]

92111 Hiiu County, Estonia

[esttoyou]

My wild blueberries. #hiiumaa #forest #visitestonia #food #berry #blueberry #summertaste #goodfood #jam #nomnomnom (at Ojaküla, Hiiu County)

[kinnisvarakool]

Nordecon: Construction contract (Hiiu county national roads)

Nordecon: Construction contract (Hiiu county national roads)

Tariston AS, a Nordecon Group company entered into contract with Estonian Transport Administration and Hiiumaa rural municipality government for the reconstruction works of Hiiu county national roads. During the works, a total of 5.5 kilometres of roads will be reconstructed. The contract value is approximately 3.5 million euros plus VAT. The works will be completed in November 2021. Nordecon…

[krebu]

Lived in a tent in the middle of nowhere for a bit 🏕 And would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Who’s keen? 🐒 (at Hiiu County) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0x19pVJSq2/?igshid=vc1kdg91cwrj

[eluga]

Orjaku Birdwatching Tower, one of the largest of its kind in Estonia. Kassari island, Hiiu county, Estonia.

[streetviewsnaps]

“the spectrum of human suffering” Kärdla, Hiiu County (Jun 2011)

[gwendolynlerman]

Discovering the world

Estonia 🇪🇪

Basic facts

Official name: Eesti Vabariik (Republic of Estonia)

Capital city: Tallinn

Population: 1.3 million (2023)

Demonym: Estonian

Type of government: unitary parliamentary republic

Head of state: Alar Karis (President)

Head of government: Kaja Kallas (Prime Minister)

Gross domestic product (purchasing power parity): $61.59 billion (2024)

Gini coefficient of wealth inequality: 30.6% (medium) (2021)

Human Development Index: 0.899 (very high) (2022)

Currency: euro (EUR)

Fun fact: It is the only country in the world to have an online voting system.

Etymology

The country’s name comes from the Aesti, an ancient people.

Geography

Estonia is located in Northern Europe and borders the Baltic Sea to the north and west, Russia to the east, and Latvia to the south.

There is one main climate, warm-summer humid continental. Temperatures range from −6 °C (21.2 °F) in winter to 31 °C (87.8 °F) in summer. The average annual temperature is 6.8 °C (44.2 °F).

The country is divided into fifteen counties (maakonnad). The largest cities in Estonia are Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärny, and Kohtla-Järve.

History

8500-5000 BCE: Kunda culture

3000-2350 BCE: Corded Ware culture

1219-1237: Danish control

1237-1561: Livonian Order

1561-1721: Swedish Empire

1721-1918: Russian Empire

1918-1920: Estonian War of Independence

1920-1940: Republic of Estonia

1940-1991: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

1991-present: Republic of Estonia

Economy

Estonia mainly imports from Finland, Germany, and Lithuania and exports to Finland, Sweden, and Latvia. Its top exports are palm oil, coal tars, and radio transmission tools.

The IT industry is an important contributor to its economy. Services represent 68% of the GDP, followed by industry (29%) and agriculture (2.8%).

Estonia is a member of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Demographics

Ethnic Estonians represent 67.8% of the population, followed by Russians (21.5%) and Ukrainians (5%). 58.4% of Estonians do not have a religion, while 26.7% practice Christianity, 16.3% of which are Orthodox.

It has a positive net migration rate and a fertility rate of 1.3 children per woman. 69.6% of the population lives in urban areas. Life expectancy is 79 years and the median age is 41.9 years. The literacy rate is 99.8%.

Languages

The official language of the country is Estonian. German, spoken by 15% of the population, Polish, Russian (56%), Seto, Swedish, Ukrainian, and Võro are minority languages. English is spoken by 50% of Estonians.

Culture

Saunas are an important part of Estonian culture, which is more Nordic than Baltic. Estonians are introverted and quiet.

Men traditionally wear a white shirt, a vest, and knee-length pants. Women wear a white embroidered blouse, a long skirt, an apron, and a headscarf.

Architecture

Traditional houses in Estonia are made of wood and have thatched roofs.

Cuisine

The Estonian diet is based on dairy products, meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Typical dishes include kohuke (a chocolate-glazed curd cheese bar), leivasupp (black bread soup with apples and sour cream), mulgipuder (a dish of groats, meat, and potatoes), rosolje (a salad of beetroot, herring, pickles, and potatoes), and tsebhi (a stew of meat and vegetables).

Holidays and festivals

Like other Christian countries, Estonia celebrates Good Friday, Easter, Whit Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Second Day of Christmas. It also commemorates New Year’s Day.

Specific Estonian holidays include Independence Day on February 24, Spring Day on May 1, Victory Day on June 23, Midsummer Day on June 24, and Independence Restoration Day on August 20.

Midsummer Day

Other celebrations include the Hiiu Folk Festival, the Leigo Lake Festival, a music festival that takes place in a lake, and the Walking Lights Festival, during which shimmering lights adorn buildings and the streets.

Walking Lights Festival

Landmarks

There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Historic Center of Tallinn and Struve Geodetic Arc.

Historic Center of Tallinn

Other landmarks include the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the Kuressaare Fortress, the Rakvere Castle, the Sagadi Manor, and the Jagala Waterfall.

Jagala Waterfall

Famous people

Arvo Pärt - composer

Carmen Kass - model

Edward von Lõngus - artist

Johann Urb - actor

Kelly Sildaru - skier

Kerli Kõiv - singer

Narda Onyx - actress

Ragnar Klavan - soccer player

Roberta Einer - fashion designer

Tommy Cash - singer

Arvo Pärt

You can find out more about life in Estonia in this article and this video.

[mattobserve]

We will miss you pretty spot. ❤️✌🏻 Since I can remember my family has been traveling Europe in all directions with VW busses. Sometimes alone, just the two of us or in groups of up to eight people, the memories are good ones, full of exploration, good food, music and friendship. From my mothers self made red curtains to the fancy magnetic ones of today this little but potent package has definitely left a deep impact in our lives. #milicamp #igersvienna #igersaustria #igersestonia #visitestonia #roadtrip #roadtrippin #camping #europe #visiteurope #travelphotography #vw #vwlove #californiabeach #vwcaliforniabeach #vanlife #theplacebeyondthepines #theplacetobe #island #hiiumaa #sony #sonya7riii #sonyalpha #photooftheday (at Hiiu County)

[unteriors]

Emmaste, Hiiu County, Estonia.

[viewingstreets]

92111 Hiiu County, Estonia

[krebu]

it will come when your heart is ready to carry it (at Hiiu County) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0LzJwRp0yL/?igshid=uglcnzrpvreh

[esttoyou]

Little bit spring- a cowslip. #cowslip #spring #spring2017 #springishere #flower #flowerpic #picofday #picoftheday #pictureoftheday #myshot #my_shot #mygarden #ig_flowers #springingarden (at Hiiu County)

[mattobserve]

Estonia is beautiful, nothing else to add 😊❤️✌🏻 #igersvienna #igersaustria #igersestonia #visitestonia #roadtrip #roadtrippin #camping #europe #visiteurope #travelphotography #blueberries #lighthouse #birch #island #hiiumaa #sony #sonya7riii #sonyalpha #photooftheday (at Hiiu County)

[esttoyou]

Red beets in my garden. #beets #beetroot #root #redbeet #garden #inmygardentoday #gardening #food #fresh #healthy #vegan #eesti #thisismylife #thisismyhiiumaa @imeloom_costumeshop (at Hiiu County)