A report on Estonia

Iron Age artefacts of a hoard from Kumna

Independent counties of Ancient Estonia in the beginning of the 13th century

Medieval Estonia and Livonia after the crusade

Kuressaare Castle in Saaremaa dates back to the 1380s

"Academia Dorpatensis" (now University of Tartu) was founded in 1632 by King Gustavus as the second university in the kingdom of Sweden. After the king's death it became known as "Academia Gustaviana".

Carl Robert Jakobson played a key role in the Estonian national awakening.

Declaration of Independence in Pärnu on 23 February 1918. One of the first images of the Republic.

Estonian armoured train during the Estonian War of Independence

According to the 23 August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact "the Baltic States (Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)" were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (German copy)

The Red Army troops crossing Soviet-Estonian border in October 1939 after Estonia had been forced to sign the Bases Treaty

The capital Tallinn after bombing by the Soviet Air Force during the war on the Eastern Front in March 1944

Estonian Swedes fleeing the Soviet occupation to Sweden (1944)

The blue-black-white flag of Estonia was raised again on the top of the Pikk Hermann tower on February 24, 1989.

The barn swallow (H. r. rustica) is the national bird of Estonia.

Haanja Nature reserve where violations of Natura 2000 area logging is taking place.

The seat of the Parliament of Estonia in Toompea Castle

Building of the Supreme Court of Estonia in Tartu

US President Barack Obama giving a speech at the Nordea Concert Hall in Tallinn

Foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries in Riga, 2016

Estonian soldiers during a NATO exercise in 2015

KAPO (Kaitsepolitsei) headquarters in Kassisaba, Kesklinn, Tallinn

An Estonian Patria Pasi XA-180 in Afghanistan

A proportional representation of Estonia exports, 2019

The central business district of Tallinn

Real GPD per capita development of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania

Estonia's GDP growth from 2000 till 2012

The oil shale industry in Estonia is one of the most developed in the world. In 2012, oil shale supplied 70% of Estonia's total primary energy and accounted for 4% of Estonia's gross domestic product.

Graphical depiction of Estonia's product exports in 28 colour-coded categories

Population of Estonia 1960–2019. The changes are largely attributed to Soviet immigration and emigration.

A Russian Old Believer village with a church on Piirissaar island

Ruhnu stave church, built in 1644, is the oldest surviving wooden building in Estonia

Distribution of Finnic languages in Northern Europe

The University of Tartu is one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe and the highest-ranked university in Estonia. According to the Top Universities website, the University of Tartu ranks 285th in the QS Global World Ranking.

Building of the Estonian Students' Society in Tartu. It is considered to be the first example of Estonian national architecture. The Treaty of Tartu between Finland and Soviet Russia was signed in the building in 1920.

ESTCube-1 is the first Estonian satellite.

The Estonian Song Festival is UNESCO's Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Arvo Pärt was the world's most performed living composer from 2010 to 2018.

Jaan Kross is the most translated Estonian writer.

A traditional farmhouse built in the Estonian vernacular style

Mulgipuder, a national dish of Estonia made with potatoes, groats, and meat. It is very traditional food in the southern part of Estonia.

Country in Northern Europe.

- Estonia

331 related topics with Alpha

Latvia

53 links

Country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.

Turaida Castle near Sigulda, built in 1214 under Albert of Riga

The Swedish Empire (1560–1815).
Riga became the capital of Swedish Livonia and the largest city in the Swedish Empire.

Latvians national rally in Dundaga in 1905

Jānis Čakste (1859–1927), was the first president of Latvia

Red Army soldiers in front of the Freedom Monument in Riga in 1944

Reconstruction of a Gulag shack in the Museum of the Occupation of Latvia, Riga

Barricade in Riga to prevent the Soviet Army from reaching the Latvian Parliament in July 1991

Latvia became a member of the European Union in 2004 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

Latvia lies in Northern Europe, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.

Latvia has the fifth highest proportion of land covered by forests in the European Union.

The white wagtail is the national bird of Latvia.

The building of the Saeima, the parliament of Latvia, in Riga

Historical regions: orange Courland, green Semigallia, yellow Vidzeme, blue Latgale, brown Selonia.

The building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riga

Foreign ministers of the Nordic and Baltic countries in Helsinki, 2011

Latvia is part of the EU single market (light blue), Eurozone (dark blue) and Schengen Area (not shown).

A proportional representation of Latvia exports, 2019

An airBaltic Boeing 757−200WL takes off at Riga International Airport (RIX)

The Port of Ventspils is one of the busiest ports in the Baltic states.

Population of Latvia (in millions) from 1920 to 2014

Historic Centre of Riga was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997

Participants of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in 2018

Arena Riga during the 2006 IIHF World Championship

Historical regions: Courland Semigallia Vidzeme Latgale Selonia

It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west.

Tallinn

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The Danish flag falling from the sky during the Battle of Lindanise (Tallinn), 15 June 1219. Painted by C. A. Lorentzen in 1809.

The lesser coat of arms of Tallinn depicts the Dannebrog cross.

Harju Street in Tallinn old town after the Soviet aerial bombing in March 1944

Port of Reval in 1853. Painting by Alexey Bogolyubov

The SEB Pank building in Tornimäe district

The Fahle House accommodates many corporate headquarters

The buildings of Tallinn University of Technology

Danse Macabre by Bernt Notke on display at St. Nicholas' Church

The Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (Lauluväljak)

World's largest kiluvõileib, some 20 m in length, created at Tallinn Town Hall Square on 15 May 2014

A Christmas market at the Town Hall square

Stenbock House on Toompea hill is the official seat of the Government of Estonia

A CAF tram in Tallinn (Pärnu maantee street) in 2018.

The port of Tallinn is one of the busiest cruise and passenger harbours in Northern Europe with over 10 million people passing through in 2016.

Railway platform at the Tallinn Baltic Station

Old Thomas is one of the symbols and guardians of Tallinn

Night view of Tallinn's city center in August 2012

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral built in 1894–1900

Viru Gate, entrance to the Old Town. Two remaining towers that were once part of a larger fourteenth-century gate system

The Raeapteek, built in 1422, is one of the oldest continuously running pharmacies in Europe

City wall with temporary garden exhibition

A Nordica aircraft landing at Tallinn Airport

Tallinn is the most populous, primate, and capital city of Estonia.

Finland

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Nordic country in Northern Europe.

Finland on a medieval map, which is part of the Carta marina (1539)

Reconstruction of Stone Age dwelling from Kierikki, Oulu

Stone Age bear head gavel found in Paltamo, Kainuu.

An ancient Finnish man's outfit according to the findings of the Tuukkala Cemetery in Mikkeli, interpretation of 1889. The cemetery dates from the late 13th century to the early 15th century.

The Swedish Empire following the Treaty of Roskilde of 1658.
Dark green: Sweden proper, as represented in the Riksdag of the Estates. Other greens: Swedish dominions and possessions

Now lying within Helsinki, Suomenlinna is a UNESCO World Heritage Site consisting of an inhabited 18th-century sea fortress built on six islands. It is one of Finland's most popular tourist attractions.

Pioneers in Karelia (1900) by Pekka Halonen

White firing squad executing Red soldiers after the Battle of Länkipohja (1918)

Finnish military leader and statesman C. G. E. Mannerheim as general officer leading the White Victory Parade at the end of the Finnish Civil War in Helsinki, 1918

J. K. Paasikivi and P. E. Svinhufvud, both at the time future presidents of the Republic of Finland, discuss the Finnish monarchy project in 1918.

Finnish troops raise a flag on the cairn in April 1945 at the close of the World War II in Finland

Areas ceded by Finland to the Soviet Union after World War II. The Porkkala land lease was returned to Finland in 1956.

Urho Kekkonen, the eighth president of Finland (1956–1982)

Finland joined the European Union in 1995 and signed the Lisbon Treaty in 2007.

There are some 187,888 lakes in Finland larger than 500 square metres and 75,818 islands of over 0,5 km2 area, leading to the denomination "the land of a thousand lakes". Picture of Lake Pielinen in North Karelia.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is Finland's national animal. It is also the largest carnivore in Finland.

Köppen climate classification types of Finland

The Parliament of Finland's main building along Mannerheimintie in Töölö, Helsinki

The Session Hall of the Parliament of Finland

Martti Ahtisaari receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 2008

Finnish Leopard 2A4 tank Ps 273–106 in a combat demonstration at Comprehensive security exhibition 2015 in Tampere.

Sisu Nasu NA-110 tracked transport vehicle of the Finnish Army. Most conscripts receive training for warfare in winter, and transport vehicles such as this give mobility in heavy snow.

People gathering at the Senate Square, Helsinki, right before the 2011 Helsinki Pride parade started.

Angry Birds Land, a theme park in the Särkänniemi amusement park, in Tampere, Pirkanmaa; the mobile phone game Angry Birds, developed in Finland, has become a commercial hit both domestically and internationally.

A treemap representing the exports of Finland in 2017

The two existing units of the Olkiluoto Nuclear Power Plant. On the far left is a visualization of a third unit, which, when completed, will become Finland's fifth commercial nuclear reactor.

The Oasis of the Seas was built at the Perno shipyard in Turku.

Flags of the Nordic countries from left to right: Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark

Medieval old town in Porvoo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in summers for those who are fascinated by the old look.

The historical Tavastia Castle (or Häme Castle) in Hämeenlinna, Tavastia Proper is located close to the Lake Vanajavesi.

The Evangelical Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral

The Meilahti Tower Hospital, part of the Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH) in Töölö, Helsinki

Development of life expectancy in Finland

Helsinki Central Library Oodi was chosen as the best new public library in the world in 2019

Pupils at the school of Torvinen in Sodankylä, Finland, in the 1920s

Auditorium in Aalto University's main building, designed by Alvar Aalto

The library of the University of Eastern Finland in Snellmania, the Kuopio campus of the university

The sauna is strongly associated with Finnish culture

Mikael Agricola (1510–1557), Bishop of Turku, a prominent Lutheran Protestant reformer and the father of the Finnish written language

Akseli Gallen-Kallela, The Defense of the Sampo, 1896, Turku Art Museum

The Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a significant figure in the history of classical music.

The Finnish filmmakers Edvin Laine and Matti Kassila in 1955

Linus Torvalds, the Finnish software engineer best known for creating the popular open-source kernel Linux

Karelian pasty (karjalanpiirakka) is a traditional Finnish dish made from a thin rye crust with a filling of rice. Butter, often mixed with boiled egg (egg butter or munavoi), is spread over the hot pastries before eating.

Paavo Nurmi lights the 1952 Summer Olympics flame

Finland's men's national ice hockey team is ranked as one of the best in the world. The team has won four world championships (1995, 2011, 2019 and 2022) and one Olympic gold medal (2022)

Kankkunen on the Laajavuori stage of the 2010 Rally Finland

It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland across Estonia to the south.

Baltic Sea

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Danish Straits and southwestern Baltic Sea

Åland between Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Bothnia

Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in Germany, was a sacred site of the Rani tribe before Christianization.

Main trading routes of the Hanseatic League (Hanse).

In 1649 the settlement of the Latvian-speaking Kursenieki spanned from Klaipėda to Gdańsk along the coast of the Baltic Sea.

The naval Battle of the Sound took place on 8 November 1658 during the Dano-Swedish War.

The burning Cap Arcona shortly after the attacks, 3 May 1945. Only 350 survived of the 4,500 prisoners who had been aboard

Baltic drainage basins (catchment area), with depth, elevation, major rivers and lakes

Curonian Spit in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

Regions and basins of the Baltic Sea:
1 = Bothnian Bay
2 = Bothnian Sea
1 + 2 = Gulf of Bothnia, partly also 3 & 4
3 = Archipelago Sea
4 = Åland Sea
5 = Gulf of Finland
6 = Northern Baltic Proper
7 = Western Gotland Basin
8 = Eastern Gotland Basin
9 = Gulf of Riga
10 = Bay of Gdańsk/Gdansk Basin
11 = Bornholm Basin and Hanö Bight
12 = Arkona Basin 6–12 = Baltic Proper
13 = Kattegat, not an integral part of the Baltic Sea
14 = Belt Sea (Little Belt and Great Belt)
15 = Öresund (The Sound) 14 + 15 = Danish Straits, not an integral part of the Baltic Sea

Satellite image of the Baltic Sea in a mild winter

On particularly cold winters, the coastal parts of the Baltic Sea freeze into ice thick enough to walk or ski on.

Piles of drift ice on the shore of Puhtulaid, near Virtsu, Estonia, in late April

Skerries form an integral and typical part of many of the archipelagos of the Baltic Sea, such as these in the archipelago of Åland, Finland.

Population density in the Baltic Sea catchment area

Vasilyevsky Island in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Satellite photo of the Baltic Sea surrounding Gotland, Sweden, with algae bloom (phytoplankton) swirling in the water

Svetlogorsk resort town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia

The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean, enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.

Lithuania

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Country in the Baltic region of Europe.

Baltic amber was once a valuable trade resource. It was transported from the region of modern-day Lithuania to the Roman Empire and Egypt through the Amber Road.

Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. Lithuania's strength was its toleration of various cultures and religions.

Trakai Island Castle, the former residence of the Grand Dukes and capital city of the medieval state

Battle of Grunwald and Vytautas the Great in the centre

The victory of the Polish-Lithuanian forces over the Muscovites at the Battle of Orsha in 1514

Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania in Vilnius, marked 6, in 1600

Emilia Plater, often nicknamed as a Lithuanian Joan of Arc, leading peasant scythemen during the 1831 uprising

Bishop Motiejus Valančius resisted Russification. He urged protest against the closing of Catholic churches and organised book printing in Lithuanian in Lithuania Minor

The original 20 members of the Council of Lithuania after signing the Act of Independence of Lithuania, 16 February 1918.

Lithuanian armoured train Gediminas 3, used in Lithuanian Wars of Independence and Lithuanian soldiers

Antanas Smetona was the first and last president of interbellum Lithuania (1919–1920, 1926–1940)

Lituanica above New York in 1933. The transatlantic flight was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed, Charles Lindbergh's classic flight.

Soldiers of the Red Army enter the territory of Lithuania during the first Soviet occupation in 1940.

Lithuanian resistance fighters. The armed resistance was 50,000 strong at its peak.

Site of the Paneriai massacre, where the German Nazis and their collaborators executed up to 100,000 people of various nationalities. About 70,000 of them were Jews.

Monument in Naujoji Vilnia in memory of the Soviet deportations from Lithuania

The Baltic Way was a mass anti-Soviet demonstration where approx. 25% of the population of the Baltic states participated

An Anti-Soviet rally in Vingis Park of about 250,000 people. Sąjūdis was a movement which led to the restoration of an Independent State of Lithuania.

On 13 January 1991, Soviet forces fired live rounds at unarmed independence supporters and crushed two of them with tanks, killing 13 in total. To this day, Russia refuses to extradite the perpetrators, who were convicted of war crimes.

Physical map and geomorphological subdivision of Lithuania.

White stork is the national bird of Lithuania which has the highest-density stork population in Europe.

Commemoration of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in the historical Seimas hall where it was originally signed in 1990. The ceremony is attended by the Lithuanian President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Seimas and other high-ranking officials.

Statutes of Lithuania were the central piece of Lithuanian law in 1529–1795

Lithuanian police cruiser in Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius

Stamp dedicated to Lithuania's presidency of the European Union. Post of Lithuania, 2013.

Lithuania was recently a member of the United Nations Security Council. Its representatives are on the right side.

Lithuanian Army soldiers with their NATO allies during Iron Sword 2014

Lithuanian Army soldiers marching with their dress uniforms in Vilnius. An officer stands out with a sword.

Lithuania's GDP per capita compared to rest of the world (2020)

Lithuania, GNI per capita, PPP (current international $), 2016

A proportional representation of Lithuania exports, 2019

Nasdaq Vilnius Stock Exchange, located in K29 business centre in Konstitucijos Avenue, Vilnius

LituanicaSAT-2 in the thermal-vacuum chamber.

Marijampolė railway station, completed in 1924

Kaunas Clinics is the largest and the most advanced medical institution in Lithuania.

Vilnius University, one of the oldest universities in the region. It was established by Stephen Báthory, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, in 1579.

Vilnius University Life Sciences Center in the Sunrise Valley

The earliest known Lithuanian glosses (between 1520 and 1530) written in the margins of Johannes Herolt book Liber Discipuli de eruditione Christifidelium. Words: teprÿdav[ſ]ʒÿ (let it strike), vbagÿſte (indigence)

The first Lithuanian printed book Catechism of Martynas Mažvydas (1547, Königsberg)

The title page of Radivilias (1592, Vilnius). The poem celebrating commander Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis (1512–1584) and recounts the famous victory of Lithuanian Armed Forces over Moscow troops (1564).

Vilnius Cathedral by Laurynas Gucevičius

Gryčia (traditional dwelling house, built in the 19th century)

Kings' Fairy Tale (1908–1909) by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis

Romuva Cinema, the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania

Rock band Antis, which under firm censorship actively mocked the Soviet Union regime by using metaphors in their lyrics, during an Anti-Sovietism, Anti-communism concert in 1987

Cepelinai, a potato-based dumpling dish characteristic of Lithuanian cuisine with meat, curd or mushrooms

Lithuania has longlasting beer brewing traditions

Lithuania men's national basketball team is ranked eighth worldwide in FIBA Rankings.

The event, led by Sąjūdis, was a human chain spanning 600 km across Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, indicating the desire of the people of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to break away from the Soviet Union.

Tartu

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University of Tartu main building in 1860.

The Stone Bridge and the Old Town in 1860

Cathedral ruins and University of Tartu museum

Teller chapel in Tartu, Estonia. Built in 1794

Tartu is the second-largest city in Estonia after the political and financial capital, Tallinn.

Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic

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Location of Estonia (red) within the Soviet Union

According to the 23 August 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania were divided into German and Soviet "spheres of influence" (German copy)

People massacred by Soviet NKVD on 8 July 1941 in Tartu, Estonia

Soviet-organized rally in Tallinn, July 1940

Karl Säre with other Estonian Communist Party officials in Tallinn, July 1940

A propaganda poster from the Stalin era. The poster says: "The spirit of the great Lenin and his victorious banner encourage us now in the Patriotic War."

Soviet prison doors on display in the Museum of Occupations, Tallinn, Estonia

A reconstruction of a typical Soviet-era living room, in a museum in central Tallinn.

Tram along the Pärnu maantee street in Tallinn on June 26, 1983

The blue-black-white flag of Estonia was raised on Pikk Hermann on February 24, 1989.

Border changes of Estonia after World War II

Johannes Käbin, leader of the Communist Party of Estonia from 1950 to 1978

1941 mugshot of kindral Johan Laidoner after his arrest 1940

Estonian Song Festival in Tallinn in 1980

Plaque on Stenbock House, the seat of the Government of Estonia, commemorating government members killed by Soviet forces

The Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic (widely used abbreviation Estonian SSR; Eesti Nõukogude Sotsialistlik Vabariik, Eesti NSV; Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика, Эстонская ССР) was an ethnically based administrative subdivision of the former Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, USSR) covering the territory of Estonia in 1940–1941 and 1944–1991.

Planned and actual divisions of Europe, according to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, with later adjustments.

Occupation of the Baltic states

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Soldiers of the Red Army enters the territory of Lithuania during the first Soviet occupation of Lithuania in 1940

Schematics of the Soviet military blockade and invasion of Estonia in 1940. (Russian State Naval Archives)

Victims of Soviet NKVD in Tartu, Estonia (1941)

Latvian SS-Legion parade through Riga before deployment to Eastern Front. December 1943

Lithuanian rebels lead the disarmed soldiers of the Red Army in Kaunas

The plan of deportations of the civilian population in Lithuania during the Operation Priboi created by the Soviet MGB.

Antanas Sniečkus, the leader of the Communist Party of Lithuania from 1940 to 1974

Pro-independence Lithuanians demonstrating in Šiauliai, January 1990.

Unarmed Lithuanian citizen standing against a Soviet tank during the January Events.

Monument to Lithuanian victims of Soviet occupation in Gediminas Avenue, Vilnius. 54.68858°N, 25.27056°W

Nils Ušakovs, the first ethnic Russian mayor of Riga in independent Latvia

The Red Army's 16th Rifle Division fighting in the Oryol Oblast in the summer of 1943

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded and occupied in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin and auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed between Nazi Germany and the USSR immediately before the outbreak of World War II.

Livonia

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Historical region on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea.

Livonia, as shown in the map of 1573 of Theatrum orbis terrarum.

Latvia around Riga, Estonia around Tallinn in 1920.

German advances from 22 June to 25 August 1941.

By the end of the 13th century, the name was extended to most of present-day Estonia and Latvia, which had been conquered during the Livonian Crusade (1193–1290) by the Livonian Brothers of the Sword.

Estonian grammar published in Reval in 1637 by Heinrich Stahl

Estonian language

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Finnic language, written in the Latin script.

An 1885 ABC-book in Võro written by Johann Hurt: "Wastne Võro keeli ABD raamat"

It is the official language of Estonia and one of the official languages of the European Union, spoken natively by about 1.1 million people; 922,000 people in Estonia and 160,000 outside Estonia.