Estonia

Republic of Estonia, shortly known as Estonia is a country situated in the East of Europe and is a member of the European Union. It's neighbors are Russia and Latvia. It has access to the Baltic sea.

FB2BDD1D-F6FA-43C7-96B7-735CDFF93183.png
The male version of Estonia is usually seen with a dark-coloured hoodie or a polo shirt with a jumper over it. He wears black or dark blue jeans with it. Estonia can also be seen with a scarf that has the pattern of their flag.

Female
The female version of Estonia is usually seen with a loose a pastel blue jumper that comes off her shoulders. She wears jeans with it and can be seen with a skirt, too. Sometimes, a black hat can be inclueded as a representation of that dark wodden forests, and would also often have a bow. A scarf can be added, by any colour they wish.

Personality
Estonia is considered the new kid of school that quickly turned popular. They aren't well known for much except their crush on Finland. They are friendly to most countries, but they could be called "depressed" because when their past is brought up, they can go into a dark mood or suffer long periods of sadness. They also drink during these periods of depression which therefore gives them the title "alcoholic".

Interests
Alcoholic drinks.

Estonian coat of arms:
The current coat of arms of Estonia is a golden shield which includes three slim, blue leopards (or lions passant guardant) in the middle, with oak branches along the side of the shield.

The heraldic lions of the coat of arms are the most ancient of Estonia's symbols. They have been used since the 13th century, when they served as the big coat of arms for the capital city, Tallinn. Tallinn got these slim blue lions from the King of Denmark, Waldemar the Second; Denmark was the ruling power in Northern Estonia at that time. Tallinn was under Danish rule between 1219 and 1346, and, according to one theory, the name "Tallinn" itself meant originally "Danish castle" (Estonian: Taanilinn); the etymology, however, is by no means certain. Various other foreign powers came and went, but the three lions remained to become the coat of arms for most of the Estonian territory. The State Assembly of the independent Republic of Estonia adopted the three lions officially by its resolution on June 19, 1925.

This coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia was in use until the beginning of the Soviet occupation on June 21, 1940.

The rendering on the coat of arms returned to the public in connection with the national amnesty started in 1988. For the first time since a hiatus that lasted decades, the coat of arms adorned by three lions of the city of Tallinn was used as a historical element in the Old Town Days of 1988. The City Arms of Tallinn was reinstated in the same year.

In addition to the three main state symbols, Estonia has chosen her own national flower and national bird. Estonia even has her own national stone and national fish, which seem to be a rarity among other national symbols. All four have gained official status.

Nicknames

 * Esti
 * Est

Etymology
The name Estonia has been connected to Aesti, which has been first mentioned by Roman historian Tacitus around 98 AD. Some historians believe he was directly referring to Balts (i.e. not Finnic-speaking Estonians), while others have proposed that the name applied to the whole Eastern Baltic region.

Prehistory and Viking Age[edit]
Main articles: Ancient Estonia and Viking Age in Estonia



Bronze Age stone-cist graves

Human settlement in Estonia became possible 13,000 to 11,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, which was on the banks of the river Pärnu, near the town of Sindi, in south-western Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating it was settled around 11,000 years ago.[27]

The earliest human habitation during the Mesolithic period is connected to the Kunda culture, named after the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. At that time the country was covered with forests, and people lived in semi-nomadic communities near bodies of water. Subsistence activities consisted of hunting, gathering and fishing.[28]  Around 4900 BC ceramics appear of the neolithic period, known as Narva culture.[29]  Starting from around 3200 BC the Corded Ware culture appeared; this included new activities like primitive agriculture and animal husbandry.[30]



Iron Age artefacts of a hoard from Kumna[31]

The Bronze Age started around 1800 BC, and saw the establishment of the first hill fort settlements.[32]  A transition from hunting-fishing-gathering subsistence to single-farm-based settlement started around 1000 BC, and was complete by the beginning of the Iron Age around 500 BC.[27] [33]  The large amount of bronze objects indicate the existence of active communication with Scandinavian and Germanic tribes.[34]

The middle Iron Age produced threats appearing from different directions. Several Scandinavian sagas referred to major confrontations with Estonians, notably when "Estonian Vikings" defeated and killed the Swedish king Ingvar.[35] [36]  Similar threats appeared in the east, where Russian principalities were expanding westward. In 1030 Yaroslav the Wise defeated Estonians and established a fort in modern-day Tartu; this foothold lasted until an Estonian tribe, the Sosols, destroyed it in 1061, followed by their raid on Pskov.[37] [38] [39] [40]  Around the 11th century, the Scandinavian Viking era around the Baltic Sea was succeeded by the Baltic Viking era, with seaborne raids by Curonians and by Estonians from the island of Saaremaa, known as Oeselians. In 1187 Estonians (Oeselians), Curonians or/and Karelians sacked Sigtuna, which was a major city of Sweden at the time.[41] <sup id="cite_ref-Tarvel_42-0">[42]

Estonia could be divided into two main cultural areas, the coastal areas of Northern and Western Estonia had close overseas contacts with Scandinavia and Finland, while inland Southern Estonia had more contacts with Balts and Pskov.<sup id="cite_ref-43">[43]  The landscape of Ancient Estonia featured numerous hillforts.<sup id="cite_ref-Magi2015_44-0">[44]  Prehistoric or medieval harbour sites have been found on the coast of Saaremaa.<sup id="cite_ref-Magi2015_44-1">[44]  Estonia also has a number of graves from the Viking Age, both individual and collective, with weapons and jewellery including types found commonly throughout Northern Europe and Scandinavia.<sup id="cite_ref-Magi2015_44-2">[44] <sup id="cite_ref-45">[45]



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

In the early centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. Two larger subdivisions appeared: the parish (Estonian: kihelkond) and the county (Estonian: maakond), which consisted of multiple parishes. A parish was led by elders and centred around a hill fort; in some rare cases a parish had multiple forts. By the 13th century Estonia consisted of eight major counties: Harjumaa, Järvamaa, Läänemaa, Revala, Saaremaa, Sakala, Ugandi, and Virumaa; and six minor, single-parish counties: Alempois, Jogentagana, Mõhu, Nurmekund, Soopoolitse, and Vaiga. Counties were independent entities and engaged only in a loose co-operation against foreign threats.<sup id="cite_ref-46">[46] <sup id="cite_ref-47">[47]

There is little known of early Estonian pagan religious practices. The Chronicle of Henry of Livonia mentions Tharapita as the superior god of the Oeselians. Spiritual practices were guided by shamans, with sacred groves, especially oak groves, serving as places of worship.<sup id="cite_ref-48">[48] <sup id="cite_ref-49">[49]

Middle Ages[edit]
Main articles: Livonian Crusade, Terra Mariana, and Danish Estonia



Medieval Estonia and Livonia after the crusade

In 1199 Pope Innocent III declared a crusade to "defend the Christians of Livonia".<sup id="cite_ref-50">[50]  Fighting reached Estonia in 1206, when Danish king Valdemar II unsuccessfully invaded Saaremaa. The German Livonian Brothers of the Sword, who had previously subjugated Livonians, Latgalians, and Selonians, started campaigning against the Estonians in 1208, and over next few years both sides made numerous raids and counter-raids. A major leader of the Estonian resistance was Lembitu, an elder of Sakala County, but in 1217 the Estonians suffered a significant defeat in the Battle of St. Matthew's Day, where Lembitu was killed. In 1219, Valdemar II landed at Lindanise, defeated the Estonians in battle, and started conquering Northern Estonia.<sup id="cite_ref-51">[51] <sup id="cite_ref-52">[52]  The next year, Sweden invaded Western Estonia, but were repelled by the Oeselians. In 1223, a major revolt ejected the Germans and Danes from the whole of Estonia, except Reval, but the crusaders soon resumed their offensive, and in 1227, Saaremaa was the last county to surrender.<sup id="cite_ref-53">[53] <sup id="cite_ref-54">[54]

After the crusade, the territory of present-day Southern Estonia and Latvia was named Terra Mariana, but later it became known simply as Livonia.<sup id="cite_ref-55">[55]  Northern-Estonia became the Danish Duchy of Estonia, while the rest was divided between the Sword Brothers and prince-bishoprics of Dorpat and Ösel–Wiek. In 1236, after suffering a major defeat, the Sword Brothers merged into the Teutonic Order becoming the Livonian Order.<sup id="cite_ref-56">[56]  In the next decades there were several uprisings against foreign rulers on Saaremaa. In 1343, a major rebellion started, known as the St. George's Night Uprising, encompassing the whole area of Northern-Estonia and Saaremaa. The Teutonic Order finished suppressing the rebellion in 1345, and the next year the Danish king sold his possessions in Estonia to the Order.<sup id="cite_ref-57">[57] <sup id="cite_ref-58">[58]  The unsuccessful rebellion led to a consolidation of power for the Baltic German minority.<sup id="cite_ref-59">[59]  For the subsequent centuries they remained the ruling elite in both cities and the countryside.<sup id="cite_ref-60">[60]



Kuressaare Castle in Saaremaa dates back to the 1380s.

During the crusade, Reval (Tallinn) was founded, as the capital of Danish Estonia, on the site of Lindanise. In 1248 Reval received full town rights and adopted the Lübeck law.<sup id="cite_ref-61">[61]  The Hanseatic League controlled trade on the Baltic Sea, and overall the four largest towns in Estonia became members: Reval, Dorpat (Tartu), Pernau (Pärnu), and Fellin (Viljandi). Reval acted as a trade intermediary between Novgorod and Western Hanseatic cities, while Dorpat filled the same role with Pskov. Many guilds were formed during that period, but only a very few allowed the participation of native Estonians.<sup id="cite_ref-62">[62]  Protected by their stone walls and alliance with the Hansa, prosperous cities like Reval and Dorpat repeatedly defied other rulers of Livonia.<sup id="cite_ref-63">[63]  After the decline of the Teutonic Order after its defeat in the Battle of Grunwald in 1410, and the defeat of the Livonian Order in the Battle of Swienta on 1 September 1435, the Livonian Confederation Agreement was signed on 4 December 1435.<sup id="cite_ref-VLM_64-0">[64]

The Reformation in Europe began in 1517, and soon spread to Livonia despite opposition by the Livonian Order.<sup id="cite_ref-65">[65]  Towns were the first to embrace Protestantism in the 1520s, and by the 1530s the majority of the gentry had adopted Lutheranism for themselves and their peasant serfs.<sup id="cite_ref-Frucht121_66-0">[66] <sup id="cite_ref-67">[67]  Church services were now conducted in vernacular language, which initially meant German, but in the 1530s the first religious services in Estonian also took place.<sup id="cite_ref-Frucht121_66-1">[66] <sup id="cite_ref-68">[68]

During the 16th century, the expansionist monarchies of Muscowy, Sweden, and Poland–Lithuania consolidated power, posing a growing threat to decentralised Livonia weakened by disputes between cities, nobility, bishops, and the Order.<sup id="cite_ref-Frucht121_66-2">[66] <sup id="cite_ref-Hoover_Press_69-0">[69]

Swedish Era[edit]
Main article: Swedish Estonia



"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".

In 1558, Tsar Ivan the Terrible of Russia invaded Livonia, starting the Livonian War. The Livonian Order was decisively defeated in 1560, prompting Livonian factions to seek foreign protection. The majority of Livonia accepted Polish rule, while Reval and the nobles of Northern Estonia swore loyalty to the Swedish king, and the Bishop of Ösel-Wiek sold his lands to the Danish king. Russian forces gradually conquered the majority of Livonia, but in the late 1570s the Polish-Lithuanian and Swedish armies started their own offensives and the bloody war finally ended in 1583 with Russian defeat.<sup id="cite_ref-Hoover_Press_69-1">[69] <sup id="cite_ref-70">[70]  As result of the war, Northern Estonia became Swedish Duchy of Estonia, Southern Estonia became Polish Duchy of Livonia, and Saaremaa remained under Danish control.<sup id="cite_ref-71">[71]

In 1600, the Polish-Swedish War broke out, causing further devastation. The protracted war ended in 1629 with Sweden gaining Livonia, including the regions of Southern Estonia and Northern Latvia.<sup id="cite_ref-72">[72]  Danish Saaremaa was transferred to Sweden in 1645.<sup id="cite_ref-73">[73]  The wars had halved the Estonian population from about 250–270,000 people in the mid 16th century to 115–120,000 in the 1630s.<sup id="cite_ref-74">[74]

While serfdom was retained under Swedish rule, legal reforms took place which strengthened peasants' land usage and inheritance rights, resulting this period's reputation of the "Good Old Swedish Time" in people's historical memory.<sup id="cite_ref-75">[75]  Swedish king Gustaf II Adolf established gymnasiums in Reval and Dorpat; the latter was upgraded to Tartu University in 1632. Printing presses were also established in both towns. In the 1680s the beginnings of Estonian elementary education appeared, largely due to efforts of Bengt Gottfried Forselius, who also introduced orthographical reforms to written Estonian.<sup id="cite_ref-76">[76]  The population of Estonia grew rapidly for a 60–70-year period, until the Great Famine of 1695–97 in which some 70,000–75,000 people perished – about 20% of the population.<sup id="cite_ref-77">[77]

Russian Era and National Awakening[edit]
Main articles: Governorate of Estonia, Governorate of Livonia, and Estonian national awakening



The front page of Perno Postimees, the first Estonian language newspaper.

In 1700, the Great Northern War started, and by 1710 the whole of Estonia was conquered by the Russian Empire.<sup id="cite_ref-78">[78]  The war again devastated the population of Estonia, with the 1712 population estimated at only 150,000–170,000.<sup id="cite_ref-79">[79]  Russian administration restored all the political and landholding rights of Baltic Germans.<sup id="cite_ref-80">[80]  The rights of Estonian peasants reached their lowest point, as serfdom completely dominated agricultural relations during the 18th century.<sup id="cite_ref-81">[81]  Serfdom was formally abolished in 1816–1819, but this initially had very little practical effect; major improvements in rights of the peasantry started with reforms in the mid-19th century.<sup id="cite_ref-82">[82]

The Estonian national awakening began in the 1850s as the leading figures started promoting an Estonian national identity among the general populace. Its economic basis was formed by widespread farm buyouts by peasants, forming a class of Estonian landowners. In 1857 Johann Voldemar Jannsen started publishing the first Estonian language newspaper and began popularising the denomination of oneself as eestlane (Estonian).<sup id="cite_ref-EE286_83-0">[83]  Schoolmaster Carl Robert Jakobson and clergyman Jakob Hurt became leading figures in a national movement, encouraging Estonian peasants to take pride in themselves and in their ethnic identity.<sup id="cite_ref-84">[84]  The first nationwide movements formed, such as a campaign to establish the Estonian language Alexander School, the founding of the Society of Estonian Literati and the Estonian Students' Society, and the first national song festival, held in 1869 in Tartu.<sup id="cite_ref-Raun59_85-0">[85] <sup id="cite_ref-EE287_86-0">[86] <sup id="cite_ref-87">[87]  Linguistic reforms helped to develop the Estonian language.<sup id="cite_ref-88">[88]  The national epic Kalevipoeg was published in 1862, and 1870 saw the first performances of Estonian theatre.<sup id="cite_ref-89">[89] <sup id="cite_ref-CoE_90-0">[90]  In 1878 a major split happened in the national movement. The moderate wing led by Hurt focused on development of culture and Estonian education, while the radical wing led by Jacobson started demanding increased political and economical rights.<sup id="cite_ref-EE287_86-1">[86]



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

In the late 19th century the Russification period started, as the central government initiated various administrative and cultural measures to tie Baltic governorates more closely to the empire.<sup id="cite_ref-Raun59_85-1">[85]  The Russian language was used throughout the education system and many Estonian social and cultural activities were suppressed.<sup id="cite_ref-CoE_90-1">[90]  Still, some administrative changes aimed at reducing power of Baltic German institutions did prove useful to Estonians.<sup id="cite_ref-Raun59_85-2">[85]  In the late 1890s there was a new surge of nationalism with the rise of prominent figures like Jaan Tõnisson and Konstantin Päts. In the early 20th century Estonians started taking over control of local governments in towns from Germans.<sup id="cite_ref-EE291_91-0">[91]

During the 1905 Revolution the first legal Estonian political parties were founded. An Estonian national congress was convened and demanded the unification of Estonian areas into a single autonomous territory and an end to Russification. During the unrest peasants and workers attacked manor houses. The Tsarist government responded with a brutal crackdown; some 500 people were executed and hundreds more were jailed or deported to Siberia.<sup id="cite_ref-92">[92] <sup id="cite_ref-EE292_93-0">[93]

Independence[edit]
Main articles: History of Estonia (1920–39), Estonian War of Independence, and Era of Silence



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

In 1917, after the February Revolution, the governorate of Estonia was expanded to include Estonian speaking areas of Livonia and was granted autonomy, enabling formation of the Estonian Provincial Assembly.<sup id="cite_ref-94">[94]  Bolsheviks seized power during the October Revolution, and disbanded the Provincial Assembly. However the Provincial Assembly established the Salvation Committee, and during the short interlude between Russian retreat and German arrival, the committee declared the independence of Estonia on 24 February 1918, and formed the Estonian Provisional Government. German occupation immediately followed, but after their defeat in World War I the Germans were forced to hand over power to the Provisional Government on 19 November.<sup id="cite_ref-95">[95] <sup id="cite_ref-96">[96]

On 28 November 1918 Soviet Russia invaded, starting the Estonian War of Independence.<sup id="cite_ref-97">[97]  The Red Army came within 30 km from Tallinn, but in January 1919, the Estonian Army, led by Johan Laidoner, went on a counter-offensive, ejecting Bolshevik forces from Estonia within a few months. Renewed Soviet attacks failed, and in spring, the Estonian army, in co-operation with White Russian forces, advanced into Russia and Latvia.<sup id="cite_ref-Pinder76_98-0">[98] <sup id="cite_ref-99">[99]  In June 1919, Estonia defeated the German Landeswehr which had attempted to dominate Latvia, restoring power to the government of Kārlis Ulmanis there. After the collapse of the White Russian forces, the Red Army launched a major offensive against Narva in late 1919, but failed to achieve a breakthrough. On 2 February 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed between Estonia and Soviet Russia, with the latter pledging to permanently give up all sovereign claims to Estonia.<sup id="cite_ref-Pinder76_98-1">[98] <sup id="cite_ref-100">[100]



Estonian armoured train during the Estonian War of Independence.

In April 1919, the Estonian Constituent Assembly was elected. The Constituent Assembly passed a sweeping land reform expropriating large estates, and adopted a new highly liberal constitution establishing Estonia as a parliamentary democracy.<sup id="cite_ref-101">[101] <sup id="cite_ref-102">[102]  In 1924, the Soviet Union organised a communist coup attempt, which quickly failed.<sup id="cite_ref-103">[103]  Estonia's cultural autonomy law for ethnic minorities, adopted in 1925, is widely recognised as one of the most liberal in the world at that time.<sup id="cite_ref-104">[104]  The Great Depression put heavy pressure on Estonia's political system, and in 1933, the right-wing Vaps movement spearheaded a constitutional reform establishing a strong presidency.<sup id="cite_ref-105">[105] <sup id="cite_ref-106">[106]  On 12 March 1934 the acting head of state, Konstantin Päts, declared a state of emergency, falsely claiming that the Vaps movement had been planning a coup. Päts, together with general Johan Laidoner and Kaarel Eenpalu, established an authoritarian regime well known as the "Era of Silence", where the parliament was dissolved and the newly established Patriotic League became the only legal political party.<sup id="cite_ref-107">[107]  To legitimise the regime, a new constitution was adopted and elections were held in 1938. Opposition candidates were allowed to participate, but only as independents, while opposition parties remained banned.<sup id="cite_ref-108">[108]  The Päts regime was relatively benign compared to other authoritarian regimes in interwar Europe, and there was no systematic terror against political opponents.<sup id="cite_ref-109">[109]

Estonia joined the League of Nations in 1921.<sup id="cite_ref-Ginneken_110-0">[110]  Attempts to establish a larger alliance together with Finland, Poland, and Latvia failed, with only a mutual defence pact being signed with Latvia in 1923, and later was followed up with the Baltic Entente of 1934.<sup id="cite_ref-111">[111] <sup id="cite_ref-112">[112]  In the 1930s, Estonia also engaged in secret military co-operation with Finland.<sup id="cite_ref-113">[113]  Non-aggression pacts were signed with the Soviet Union in 1932, and with Germany in 1939.<sup id="cite_ref-Ginneken_110-1">[110] <sup id="cite_ref-114">[114]  In 1938, Estonia declared neutrality, but this proved futile in World War II.<sup id="cite_ref-115">[115]

Second World War[edit]
Main articles: Estonia in World War II and Occupation of the Baltic states



The Red Army entering Estonia in 1939 after Estonia had been forced to sign the Bases Treaty

On 23 August 1939 Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. The pact's secret protocol divided Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, with Estonia belonging to the Soviet sphere.<sup id="cite_ref-116">[116]  On 24 September, the Soviet Union presented an ultimatum, demanding that Estonia sign a treaty of mutual assistance which would allow Soviet military bases into the country. The Estonian government felt that it had no choice but to comply, and the treaty was signed on 28 September.<sup id="cite_ref-117">[117]  In May 1940, Red Army forces in bases were set in combat readiness and, on 14 June, the Soviet Union instituted a full naval and air blockade on Estonia. On the same day, the airliner Kaleva was shot down by the Soviet Air Force. On 16 June, Soviets presented an ultimatum demanding completely free passage of the Red Army into Estonia and the establishment of a pro-Soviet government. Feeling that resistance was hopeless, the Estonian government complied and, on the next day, the whole country was occupied.<sup id="cite_ref-118">[118] <sup id="cite_ref-119">[119]  On 6 August 1940, Estonia was annexed by the Soviet Union as the Estonian SSR.<sup id="cite_ref-malksoo_120-0">[120]

The Soviets established a regime of oppression; most of the high-ranking civil and military officials, intelligentsia and industrialists were arrested, and usually executed soon afterwards. Soviet repressions culminated on 14 June 1941 with mass deportation of around 11,000 people to Siberia, among whom more than half perished in inhumane conditions.<sup id="cite_ref-Miljan110_121-0">[121] <sup id="cite_ref-122">[122]  When the German Operation Barbarossa started against the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, around 34,000 young Estonian men were forcibly drafted into the Red Army, fewer than 30% of whom survived the war. Soviet destruction battalions initiated a scorched earth policy. Political prisoners who could not be evacuated were executed by the NKVD.<sup id="cite_ref-123">[123] <sup id="cite_ref-124">[124]  Many Estonians went into the forest, starting an anti-Soviet guerrilla campaign. In July, German Wehrmacht reached south Estonia. Soviets evacuated Tallinn in late August with massive losses, and capture of the Estonian islands was completed by German forces in October.<sup id="cite_ref-pinder80_125-0">[125]



Memorial dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust in Estonia

Initially many Estonians were hopeful that Germany would help to restore Estonia's independence, but this soon proved to be in vain. Only a puppet collaborationist administration was established, and occupied Estonia was merged into Reichskommissariat Ostland, with its economy being fully subjugated to German military needs.<sup id="cite_ref-126">[126]  About a thousand Estonian Jews who had not managed to leave were almost all quickly killed in 1941. Numerous forced labour camps were established where thousands of Estonians, foreign Jews, Romani, and Soviet prisoners of war perished.<sup id="cite_ref-CommissionReport_127-0">[127]  German occupation authorities started recruiting men into small volunteer units but, as these efforts provided meagre results and military situation worsened, a forced conscription was instituted in 1943, eventually leading to formation of the Estonian Waffen-SS division.<sup id="cite_ref-128">[128]  Thousands of Estonians who did not want to fight in German military secretly escaped to Finland, where many volunteered to fight together with Finns against Soviets.<sup id="cite_ref-129">[129]



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

The Red Army reached the Estonian borders again in early 1944, but its advance into Estonia was stopped in heavy fighting near Narva for six months by German forces, including numerous Estonian units.<sup id="cite_ref-Raun159_130-0">[130]  In March, the Soviet Air Force carried out heavy bombing raids against Tallinn and other Estonian towns.<sup id="cite_ref-131">[131]  In July, the Soviets started a major offensive from the south, forcing the Germans to abandon mainland Estonia in September, with the Estonian islands being abandoned in November.<sup id="cite_ref-Raun159_130-1">[130]  As German forces were retreating from Tallinn, the last pre-war prime minister Jüri Uluots appointed a government headed by Otto Tief in an unsuccessful attempt restore Estonia's independence.<sup id="cite_ref-132">[132]  Tens of thousands of people, including most of the Estonian Swedes, fled westwards to avoid the new Soviet occupation.<sup id="cite_ref-133">[133]



Estonian Swedes fleeing the Soviet occupation to Sweden (1944)

Overall, Estonia lost about 25% of its population through deaths, deportations and evacuations in World War II.<sup id="cite_ref-134">[134]  Estonia also suffered some irrevocable territorial losses, as Soviet Union transferred border areas comprising about 5% of Estonian pre-war territory from the Estonian SSR to the Russian SFSR.<sup id="cite_ref-135">[135]

Soviet Period[edit]
Main articles: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic and Occupation of the Baltic states



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

Thousands of Estonians opposing the second Soviet occupation joined a guerrilla movement known as Forest Brothers. The armed resistance was heaviest in the first few years after the war, but Soviet authorities gradually wore it down through attrition, and resistance effectively ceased to exist in the mid 1950s.<sup id="cite_ref-136">[136]  The Soviets initiated a policy of collectivisation, but as peasants remained opposed to it a campaign of terror was unleashed. In March 1949 about 20,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia. Collectivization was fully completed soon afterwards.<sup id="cite_ref-Miljan110_121-1">[121] <sup id="cite_ref-137">[137]

The Soviet Union began Russification, with hundreds of thousands of Russians and people of other Soviet nationalities being induced to settle in Estonia, which eventually threatened to turn Estonians into a minority in their own land.<sup id="cite_ref-Taagepera97_138-0">[138]  In 1945 Estonians formed 97% of the population, but by 1989 their share of the population had fallen to 62%.<sup id="cite_ref-139">[139]  Economically, heavy industry was strongly prioritised, but this did not improve the well-being of the local population, and caused massive environmental damage through pollution.<sup id="cite_ref-140">[140]  Living standards under the Soviet occupation kept falling further behind nearby independent Finland.<sup id="cite_ref-Taagepera97_138-1">[138]  The country was heavily militarised, with closed military areas covering 2% of territory.<sup id="cite_ref-141">[141]  Islands and most of the coastal areas were turned into a restricted border zone which required a special permit for entry.<sup id="cite_ref-142">[142]

The United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the majority of other Western countries considered the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union illegal.<sup id="cite_ref-143">[143]  Legal continuity of the Estonian state was preserved through the government-in-exile and the Estonian diplomatic representatives which Western governments continued to recognise.<sup id="cite_ref-144">[144] <sup id="cite_ref-145">[145]

Restoration of Independence[edit]
Main article: Singing Revolution



Baltic Way in Estonia.



Lennart Meri, the second president of Estonia (1992–2001)

The introduction of Perestroika in 1987 made political activity possible again, starting an independence restoration process known as the Singing Revolution.<sup id="cite_ref-146">[146]  The environmental Phosphorite War campaign became the first major protest movement against the central government.<sup id="cite_ref-147">[147]  In 1988 new political movements appeared, such as the Popular Front of Estonia which came to represent the moderate wing in the independence movement, and the more radical Estonian National Independence Party, which was the first non-communist party in the Soviet Union and demanded full restoration of independence.<sup id="cite_ref-148">[148]  Reformist Vaino Väljas became the first secretary of Estonian Communist Party, and under his leadership on 16 November 1988 Estonian Supreme Soviet issued Sovereignty Declaration asserting the primacy of Estonian laws over Union laws. Over the next two years almost all other Soviet Republics followed the Estonian lead issuing similar declarations.<sup id="cite_ref-149">[149] <sup id="cite_ref-150">[150]  On 23 August 1989 about 2 million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians participated in a mass demonstration forming a Baltic Way human chain across the three republics.<sup id="cite_ref-151">[151]  In 1990 the Congress of Estonia was formed as representative body of Estonian citizens.<sup id="cite_ref-152">[152]  In March 1991 a referendum was held where 77.7% of voters supported independence, and during the coup attempt in Moscow Estonia declared restoration of independence on 20 August,<sup id="cite_ref-153">[153]  which is now the Day of Restoration of Independence, a national holiday.<sup id="cite_ref-154">[154]

Soviet authorities recognised Estonian independence on 6 September, and on 17 September Estonia was admitted into the United Nations.<sup id="cite_ref-Dillon164_155-0">[155]  The last units of the Russian army left Estonia in 1994.<sup id="cite_ref-156">[156]

In 1992 radical economic reforms were launched for switching over to a market economy, including privatisation and currency reform.<sup id="cite_ref-157">[157]  Estonian foreign policy since independence has been oriented toward the West, and in 2004 Estonia joined both the European Union and NATO.<sup id="cite_ref-158">[158]

Geography
Phytogeographically, Estonia is shared between the Central European and Eastern European provinces of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Estonia belongs to the ecoregion of Sarmatic mixed forests.

Estonia shares country borders with: Russia and Latvia.

Total area of Estonia is amount 45,277 km2.

Family

 * Denmark – cousin and sister-in-law
 * Finland – cousin-husband (depends on the person)
 * Hungary –  son/daughter
 * Iceland – cousin and sister-in-law
 * Latvia – brother/sister
 * Lithuania – brother/sister
 * Norway – cousin and brother-in-law
 * Poland — daughter-in-law
 * Russia – stepfather/stepmother
 * Sweden – cousin and brother-in-law