Countries of the World (Europe) - Estonia
Third European country in my new geography series. I've been pretty happy with the format on these first few, but please let me know if you are seeing something different!
Jay LeBlanc
2/7/20266 min read
Section I - Basic Info on Estonia
Official Name: Republic of Estonia
Population: 1,340,478 (154th largest in the world, 34th largest in Europe)
Area/Size: 17,463 square miles (half the size of Maine)
Capital: Tallinn (460,000 - sister city of Annapolis, MD)
Spoken Languages: Estonian (official), Russian
Religions: Agnostic (58%), Orthodox (20%), Protestant (14%)
Life Expectancy: 78.2 years Internet Access Rate: 92.2%
Per Capita Income: $49,334 Unemployment: 7.8%
What do they Export?: Cars, wood, refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment
Export Partners: Finland (14%), Latvia (10%), Lithuania (9%), Sweden (7%)
Import Partners: Finland (11%), Germany (11%), China (10%), Lithuania (6%)
Government Type: Parliamentary republic (regular elections - last one in 2023 - open and free)
Section II - Images of Estonia
6 Key Dates in Estonia's History
Probably no surprise to teachers, but most of the time the "key dates" will drive what the present-day issues are in the country. Certainly that will be true with the more recent events - the Russian Revolution, the Cold War, and the subsequent breakup of the Warsaw Pact drives a lot of the issues in Estonia and the other Baltic states today.
c. 750 - 1050 - The society, economy, settlement and culture of the territory of what is present-day Estonia is studied mainly through archaeological sources and references to "vikings from Estonia" in Norse sagas. The inhabitants of Estonia and the Curonians are described as participating in the Battle of Bråvalla (770 AD) on the side of the Swedes against the Danes. Another saga relates how the Swedish king Ingvar Harra was forced to patrol the shores of his kingdom fighting pirates from Estonia. A battle between Estonian and Icelandic Vikings off Saaremaa (the main island of Estonia) is described in Njál's saga as occurring in 972 AD.
c. 1550 - 1710 - For most of the Middle Ages, the territory that is now Estonia was divided up between competing nations and empires - Sweden, Denmark, Poland, and Russia. That division was reinforced both by the Protestant Reformation (Lutheran Sweden and Denmark vs. Catholic Poland and Orthodox Russia) and the results of the Thirty Years War in the 17th century. Ultimately, though, the Great Northern War of 1700-1715 finally brought all of Estonia under Russian dominion.
Feb 24, 1918 - After several decades (1850s-1910s) of increased Estonian nationalism and Tsarist crackdowns, World War I and the Russian Revolution offered opportunity to take action. An Estonian Provincial Assembly was elected in late 1917, and during the short interlude between Russian retreat and German arrival, they declared the independence of Estonia on Feb 24, 1918 and formed an Estonian Provisional Government. German occupation immediately followed, but after Germany's capitulation in World War I, they were forced to return power to the Estonian government in Nov 1918. Soviet Russia then invaded, starting the Estonian War of Independence. The Red Army came within 30 km of Tallinn, but in January 1919, the Estonian Army went on a counter-offensive, ejecting Bolshevik forces from Estonia within a few months. Ultimately Soviet Russia pledged to permanently give up all sovereign claims to Estonia and the new nation joined the League of Nations in 1921.
1939 - 1945 - The Aug 1939 Nazi-Soviet Pact between Hitler and Stalin secretly assigned Estonia to the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. In Jun 1940 the Soviet Union instituted a full naval and air blockade on Estonia, and demanded the establishment of a pro-Soviet government. Feeling that resistance was hopeless, the Estonian government complied and Soviet occupation began. In August, Estonia was formally annexed by the Soviet Union as the Estonian SSR. As Hitler began his attack on Russia in mid-1941, the Estonians found themselves targets for both sides. Eventually the Russian army pushed back into Estonia in late 1944, though the majority of Western countries considered the annexation of Estonia by the Soviet Union illegal.
1946 - 1989 - After the war, thousands of Estonians opposing the second Soviet occupation joined guerrilla movements, but Soviet authorities gradually wore it down through attrition. The Soviets implemented a policy of collectivization largely by deporting about 20,000 Estonian farmers to Siberia. At the same time hundreds of thousands of Russians and people of other Soviet nationalities were being induced to settle in Estonia, which eventually threatened to turn Estonians into a minority in their own land. Economically, heavy industry was strongly prioritized but did not improve the well-being of the local population - living standards kept falling further behind nearby independent Finland.
Aug 20, 1991 - The introduction of perestroika by the Soviet government in 1987 enabled political activism in Estonia over the subsequent 3 years. In March 1991, a referendum was held where 78.4% of voters supported independence, and Estonia declared restoration of independence on August 20th. Soviet authorities recognized Estonian independence on Sep 6th, and two weeks later Estonia was admitted into the United Nations. The last units of the Russian army left Estonia in 1994, and in 2004 Estonia joined both the European Union and NATO. Finally, in 2011, Estonia joined the eurozone and adopted the EU single currency.
Other Non-Political Issues
Section III - Issues of Estonia
General Information on Estonia:
“Estonia", One World Nations Online, Jan 2025, https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/estonia.htm
“Estonia", Wikipedia, Jan 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia or https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estonia
"Estonia Explained in 15 Minutes | History, Geography, Culture, Opentiera, Dec 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3l_OQcUNIQ
"Estonia Explorer's Guide", National Geographic, Dec 2025, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destination/estonia
"Visit Estonia" (national tourism site), Estonian Business and Innovation Agency, 2026, https://visitestonia.com/en
“The World Factbook - Estonia", Central Intelligence Agency, Jan 2026, https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/estonia/
History Links on Estonia:
"Estonia – the Story of the Most Northern Central European Nation", 3 Seas Europe, Mar 2023, https://3seaseurope.com/estonia-history/
“Exploring 150 years of History of Estonia" (video), Visit Tallinn - Medieval city by the sea!, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ww4lhd6IQ9g
"The First Vikings", Archaeology Magazine, Jul/Aug 2013, https://archaeology.org/issues/july-august-2013/features/vikings-saaremaa-estonia-salme-vendel-oseberg/
"Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn", UNESCO World Heritage Centre, https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/822/
“How the Soviets Took Over the Baltics", The Cold War, 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JufBs5XPF3c
Current Events Stories on Estonia:
“Estonia’s language and culture are becoming battlegrounds for independence from Putin’s Russia", The Conversation, Jan 2025, https://theconversation.com/estonias-language-and-culture-are-becoming-battlegrounds-for-independence-from-putins-russia-246195
"How Estonia Became the Front Line in the New Cold War", New Lines Magazine, Jan 2026, https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/how-estonia-became-the-front-line-in-the-new-cold-war/
"The Russia-Estonia Standoff: Tensions Escalate in the Baltic Sea", Modern Diplomacy, May 2025, https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2025/05/24/the-russia-estonia-standoff-tensions-escalate-in-the-baltic-sea/
"Why have Baltic states unplugged from Russia’s electricity grid?", Al-Jazeera, Feb 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/10/why-have-baltic-states-unplugged-from-russias-electricity-grid
Other Interesting Links Related To Estonia:
"Free public transport in Estonia: Expensive, but worth it", The Economist, May 2019, https://www.economist.com/europe/2019/05/09/free-public-transport-in-estonia
"I've been to 15 European countries. Skip the crowds in Italy and Spain — go to this less-visited gem instead", Business Insider, Dec 2024, https://www.businessinsider.com/visited-estonia-europe-hidden-gem-best-things-to-do-2024-12
“Why Valentine’s Day in These European Countries Is All About Friendship”, Time Magazine, Feb 2020, https://time.com/5778265/valentines-day-finland-estonia/
"The secret Europe is hiding: Where to find true peace in 2025", Jerusalem Post, Aug 2025, https://www.jpost.com/consumerism/article-865234
"Visiting Estonia? Here’s what the locals love", National Geographic, Aug 2023, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/expert-tips-visit-estonia-tallinn-tartu