Estonia: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Estonia is a small country in northern Europe, on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, the northernmost of the three Baltic states. It is bordered by Latvia and Russia, and Finland lies just across the Gulf of Finland. Its capital is Tallinn, and about 1.4 million people live there. Estonia is known for its medieval old town, forests and islands, a great tradition of choir singing and for being one of the most digital countries in the world.

On My Earth Toy you can visit Tallinn Old Town, with its city walls, red-roofed towers and church spires. It is one of the best-preserved medieval trading towns in northern Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Geography and nature

Estonia is low and flat; its highest point, Suur Munamägi, is only about 318 metres tall. Around half of the country is forest, and there are many bogs and wetlands, where boardwalks let visitors walk across the moss. The coast is dotted with more than 2,000 islands, the largest being Saaremaa and Hiiumaa. On Saaremaa, the Kaali crater was made by a meteorite thousands of years ago. Brown bears, wolves, lynx and beavers live in the forests.

People, languages and culture

Estonian is the official language. It is a Finnic language, related to Finnish and distantly to Hungarian, and different from most European languages. A large Russian-speaking minority also lives in Estonia. Many Estonians are not religious. The Song Festival, held every five years, brings tens of thousands of singers onto one stage. Estonians enjoy saunas, berry and mushroom picking, and dark rye bread at almost every meal.

History in a nutshell

In the 1200s German and Danish crusaders conquered the area, and towns like Tallinn joined the Hanseatic trading league. Later Sweden and then Russia ruled. Estonia declared independence in 1918, but in 1940 it was occupied by the Soviet Union. In the late 1980s Estonians sang patriotic songs together in huge peaceful gatherings, known as the Singing Revolution, and independence was restored in 1991. Estonia joined the EU and NATO in 2004.