In addition to organising the academic life of the university, universities can create new curricula, establish admission terms and conditions, approve the budget, approve the development plan, elect the rector, and make restricted decisions in matters concerning assets. Estonian specialists contributed in the development of software engineering standards for ministries of the Soviet Union during the 1980s. [218], Since the Soviet era, the relations with Russia remain generally cold, even though practical co-operation has taken place in between. [186] In 2005 Estonia became the first country in the world to introduce nationwide binding Internet voting in local elections of 2005. Estonia first competed as an independent nation at the 1920 Summer Olympics. All municipalities have equal legal status and form part of a maakond (county), which is an administrative subunit of the state. It is organised based on military principles, has its own military equipment, and provides various different military training for its members, including in guerilla tactics. [98][99] On 12 March 1934 the acting head of state, Konstantin Pts, declared a state of emergency, under the pretext that the Vaps movement had been planning a coup. [75], The Estonian national awakening began in the 1850s as several leading figures started promoting an Estonian national identity among the general populace. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. 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. View of Tallinn, Estonia When former Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rivas appeared on the The Daily Show with Trevor Noah in March 2016, the main topic of conversation was the country's "e-Estonia" model. [22] Around 4900 BC, ceramics appear of the neolithic period, known as Narva culture. [70] The war again devastated the population of Estonia, with the 1712 population estimated at only 150,000170,000. How each country became a NATO member . [230] In European Union Estonia participates in Nordic Battlegroup and Permanent Structured Cooperation. This is the brief look back at the history of Estonia's independence movement during the late 1980s, culminating with the events of 20 August 1991. Historically, the cuisine of Estonia has been dependent on seasons and the simple food from the local farms and the sea. The unemployment rate in March 2016 was 6.4%, which is below the EU average,[255] while real GDP growth in 2011 was 8.0%,[258] five times the euro-zone average. The strongest public non-profit research institute that carries out fundamental and applied research is the National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics (NICPB; Estonian KBFI). Estonia became an independant country on october 5th, 1992, after two and a half years of fighting for their freedom from the Soviet Union. NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence was established in Tallinn in 2008. 27. [152], In 1992 radical economic reforms were launched for switching over to a market economy, including privatisation and currency reform. Tallinn is the capital and the largest city of Estonia, and lies on the northern coast of Estonia, along the Gulf of Finland. The capital city Tallinn and Tartu are the two largest urban areas of the country. [346] Political disagreements delayed adoption of the necessary implementing legislation, and same-sex couples were not able to sign cohabitation agreements until January 1, 2016. [8] After centuries of successive rule by the Teutonic Order, Denmark, Sweden, and the Russian Empire, a distinct Estonian national identity began to emerge in the mid-19th century. History Summary After the First World War (1914-1918) the term "Baltic states" came to refer to countries by the Baltic Sea that had gained independence from the former Russian Empire. [194] The judiciary is independent, judges are appointed for life, and can be removed from office only when convicted of a crime. [78][79][80] Linguistic reforms helped to develop the Estonian language. Estonia imports 100% of its natural gas from Russia. The last festival took place in July 2019. [138] Estonia was quite closed until the second half of the 1960s, when gradually Estonians began to covertly watch Finnish television in the northern parts of the country, thus getting a better picture of the way of life behind the Iron Curtain. [47] Northern Estonia became the Danish Duchy of Estonia, while the rest was divided between the Sword Brothers and prince-bishoprics of Dorpat and selWiek. Copy. [220][221], The Estonian Defence Forces consist of land forces, navy, and air force. [133] Occupying authorities carried out campaigns of ethnic cleansing, mass deportation of indigenous populations, and mass colonization by Russian settlers which led to Estonia losing 3% of its native population. [156] On 1 January 2011, Estonia joined the eurozone and adopted the euro, the single currency of EU. The first celebration of the Estonian Independence Day in Tallinn on 24 February 1919. Estonia. Today's education in Estonia is divided into general, vocational, and hobby. In the aftermath of World War I (1914-1918) and the Russian revolutions of 1917, Estonians declared their independence in February 1918. [69], During the 17001721 Great Northern War, the Tsardom of Russia (Muscovy) conquered the whole of Estonia by 1710. 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. [139], The majority of Western countries considered the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union illegal. Municipalities with a Swedish majority, mainly found along the coast, used Swedish as the administrative language and Swedish-Estonian culture saw an upswing. The Teutonic Order finished suppressing the rebellion in 1345, and the next year the Danish king sold his possessions in Estonia to the Order. [124] In March, the Soviet Air Force carried out heavy bombing raids against Tallinn and other Estonian towns. [341] Estonia has also accepted quota refugees under the migrant plan agreed upon by EU member states in 2015. The Livonian Order was decisively defeated in 1560. How did Estonia became a country? Democratic throughout most of the interwar period, Estonia declared neutrality at the outbreak of World War II, but the country was repeatedly contested, invaded and occupied, first by the Soviet Union in 1940, then by Nazi Germany in 1941, and was ultimately reoccupied in 1944 by, and annexed into, the USSR as an administrative subunit (Estonian SSR). The first country to diplomatically recognise Estonia's reclaimed independence was Iceland, on 22 August. [82][83] In 1878 a major split happened in the national movement. WHEN Estonia regained its independence in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, less than half its population had a telephone line and its only independent link to the outside world was a. The older folk songs are also referred to as regilaulud, songs in the traditional regivrss poetic metre shared by all Baltic Finns. Estonia, country in northeastern Europe, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. [394] Saxo speaks of Estonian warriors who sang at night while waiting for a battle. [96] 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. It is issued by the Bank of Estonia, the country's central bank. [163], Estonia has a 3,794 kilometres (2,357mi) long coastline, notable for its limestone cliffs at the northern coast and largest islands. In 1928, a stable currency, the kroon, was established. Renewed Soviet attacks failed, and in spring, the Estonian army, in co-operation with White Russian forces, advanced into Russia and Latvia. [165] The highest recorded temperature is 35.6C (96.1F) from 1992, and the lowest is 43.5C (46.3F) from 1940. Estonia has had a market economy since the end of the 1990s and one of the highest per capita income levels in Eastern Europe. NATO - Topic: NATO member countries [293], Significant quantities of rare-earth oxides are found in tailings accumulated from 50 years of uranium ore, shale and loparite mining at Sillame. [376] The first primer in the Estonian language was published in 1575. How Estonia Became a Leader in Proptech - Commercial Observer Early history Until the early 13th century, the territory that is now known as Estonia was independent. JAANUAR", "PC0454: at least 15-year-old persons by religion, sex, age group, ethnic nationality and county, 31 December 2011", "PHC 2011: over a quarter of the population are affiliated with a particular religion", "Is Estonia really the least religious country in the world? Estonia celebrates the restoration of independence - Estonian World Approximately Roma 1,000-1,500 live in Estonia. History of Estonia The Estonians are first mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus (1st century ad) in Germania. In recent years the number of Swedish residents in Estonia has risen again, numbering in 2008 almost 500 people, owing to the property reforms at the beginning of the 1990s. Estonia's area includes some 1,500 islands and islets; the two largest of these islands, Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, are off mainland Estonia's west coast. [97] 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. The largest islands are Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. [155] On 9 December 2010, Estonia became a member of OECD. In the early centuries AD, political and administrative subdivisions began to emerge in Estonia. [151] The last units of the Russian army left Estonia in 1994. In 2012, Estonia remained the only euro member with a budget surplus, and with a national debt of only 6%, it is one of the least indebted countries in Europe. [324] At the same time Estonia imports machinery and equipment, chemical products, textiles, food products and transportation equipment. Other popular languages include Finnish, Spanish, and Swedish. Traditionally, the largest religious denomination in the country was Lutheranism, which was adhered to by 160,000 Estonians (or 13% of the population) according to the 2000 census, principally ethnic Estonians. In March 1949 about 20,000 Estonians were deported to Siberia. There is some historical evidence about sacred groves, especially groves of oak trees, having served as places of "pagan" worship. [353] There has historically been a small but noticeable minority of Russian Old-believers near the Lake Peipus area in Tartu county. [231][232], Since 1995 Estonia has participated in numerous international security and peacekeeping missions, including: Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali. [64] Danish Saaremaa was transferred to Sweden in 1645. [104][105] In the 1930s, Estonia also engaged in secret military co-operation with Finland. [24] The country has been experiencing economic growth ever since. The Estonian [] The Nordic EU Battlegroup", European Union Institute for Security Studies, "Estonia joins European Intervention Initiative", "Eesti sdurite 10 aastat Afganistanis: 9 surnut, 90 haavatut", "Vlisoperatsioonidel on hukkunud 11 Eesti sdurit", Europe's Declining Gas Demand: Trends and Facts about European Gas Consumption June 2015, "DISCOVER BUSINESS AND INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN ESTONIA! [324] Estonia also exports 1.562billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. [296] However recent years have seen a substantial increase in logging, and logging occurs not only nationwide in private land, but even in supposedly protected national parks. [249] Oil shale energy, telecommunications, textiles, chemical products, banking, services, food and fishing, timber, shipbuilding, electronics, and transportation are key sectors of the economy. [53] The Hanseatic League controlled trade on the Baltic Sea, and overall the four largest towns in Estonia became members: Reval, Dorpat (Tartu), Pernau (Prnu), and Fellin (Viljandi). Member states of NATO - Wikipedia How Estonia became a digital society - CNBC Several Scandinavian sagas referred to major confrontations with Estonians, notably when in the early 7th century "Estonian Vikings" defeated and killed Ingvar, the King of Swedes. The Baltic News Service (BNS), founded in 1990, is a private regional news agency covering Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. ", "Names of populated places changed with the reform of 1997", "Information about the bilingual Estonian/Swedish parish of Noarootsi", "Estonian Foreign Languages Strategy 2009 2015", "Koolide, huvikoolide, koolieelsete lasteasutuste kontaktandmed", "BBC World Service Witness History, Estonia's internet 'Tiger Leap', "PISA 2018: Estonian students rank 1st in Europe", "PISA 2018: Insights and Interpretations", "National Registry of Cultural Monuments 7010 Eesti lipilaste Seltsi hoone Tartus, J.Tnissoni 1, 1901.a.