10 Interesting Facts about Estonia
Estonia is an extraordinary little country. There are a lot of things that make it standout. Here are some of the most amazing facts about Estonia. As you will see, this country has a lot to be proud of.
Estonia has a population of only 1.3 million.
Estonia is one of the least dense populated countries in Europe. With more than 50% of its territory covered by forest, Estonia has a very small population of only 1.3 million people. One third of the population lives in the capital – Tallinn.
The majority of population of Estonia is older than the country.
The Republic of Estonia was formed in 1991 which means that the larger part of the population have witnessed the creation of an entire country.
Estonia was the first country in the world to incorporate an electronic voting system.
In 2005 the first municipal electronic elections were launched. The voting for Parliament (which is pretty much the most important elections in the country) was successfully done electronically in 2007. Today, no matter where its citizens are, people of Estonia can vote directly from their computers.
Estonia provides E-residency.
Anyone can become a virtual Estonian resident. In 2015 Estonia launched a pilot project, which has a potential to redefine the way we think of what a country is. Electronic residency is now extended to everyone in the world, along with access to Estonian banking, commerce, medical care and many other services.
Estonia is a start-up country.
Indeed! Estonia was the birthplace of many successful companies like Skype, Hotmail, Kazaa, Taxify, Transferwise and many more. The fact that it is so easy to set up a company and to run it from virtually anywhere in the world makes this country an ideal place for tech start-ups.
The old town of Tallinn is part of a UNESCO world Heritage.
The mediaeval part of Tallinn is known as the most well preserved mediaeval city in northern Europe. The place was first mentioned in 1154 by an Arabian cartographer who went by the name of Al-Idrisi.
Marzipan was invented in Tallinn.
Every once in a while Estonians like to invent something. Before Skype came Marzipan. Starting out as a medical remedy, marzipan was invented in the town hall pharmacy, which itself is known as the oldest working pharmacy in Europe. People quickly grew to love marzipan as a treat and not just a remedy.
Estonians have the largest collection of folk songs.
Music and singing was always part of Estonian culture. In 1991 during the sinning revolution Estonians sang themselves to freedom. Currently, a population of 1.3 million people has a collection of 133,000 folksongs.
Estonia is the least religious country in the world.
With so many wars waged in the name of God in the mediaeval times Estonian people were most of the time, trapped in the center. After the mediaeval times the Soviet Union completely denied religion. So it is no wonder that today 86% of Estonian people consider themselves atheists.
Tallinn was a European cultural capital.
In 2011 Tallinn became the cultural capital of Europe, which meant that lots of artist’s, exhibitionists, painters and musicians were attracted to Tallinn to share their work with the general public.
Hope you enjoyed this article. If you haven’t yet been to Estonia you should definitely visit and to make your experience even better get a private tour guide to enhance your experience. Best wishes and good luck in your explorations.