History UsefulNotes / Estonia

* Creator/ChristopherNolan's ''Film/{{TENET}}'' is the first major Hollywood film to be shot partially in Estonia, although most likely as [[CaliforniaDoubling doubling]] for another country.

* '''Highest point:''' Suur Munamägi (318 m/1,043 ft) (193rd)

** President: Kersti Kaljulaid %% Alar Karis does not take office until 11 October 2021

* '''Highest point:''' Suur Munamägi (318 m/1,043 ft) (178th)

* '''ISO-3166-1 Code:''' EE

** President: Alar Karis

After being conquered in the 13th century, Estonia has been ruled by [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} Swedes]] and [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russians]] throughout history before finally declaring its independence from the ashes of the Russian Empire in 1918. It wasn't to last - the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] occupied the Baltic states in 1940. When the [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany Germans]] rolled into town a year later, the Estonians initially greeted them as liberators, before realizing that the Nazis were no better than the Soviets.

** President: Kersti Kaljulaid

* '''Area:''' 45,339 sq km (17,505 sq mi) (129th)

* '''Area:''' 45,339 km (17,505 sq mi) (129th)

* Unitary parliamentary constitutional republic

** President of Parliament: Henn Põlluaas

Estonia ('''Estonian:''' ''Eesti''), officially known as the Republic of Estonia ('''Estonian:''' ''Eesti Vabariik''), is a Northern European country and the northernmost of the three Baltic states, which were the first to break away from the Soviet Union. The Estonian language is a Finno-Ugric language, closely related to Finnish, more distantly related to Sami (Laplandic) and Hungarian, and not related to any major European languages.

** Prime Minister: Jüri Ratas

* [[{{Meganekko}} Eduard]] [[UnclePennybags Von Bock]] is the MoeAnthropomorphism of Estonia in ''Manga/AxisPowersHetalia''. He's better known for his [[SayMyName "LATVIAAAAAAAA!"]] scream, his BadlyBatteredBabysitter antics with [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter the Mochis]] and some epic HollywoodHacking.

* The AmbiguouslyGay Estonians from Literature/ADayInTheLifeOfIvanDenisovich.

* The AmbigouslyGay Estonians from Literature/ADayInTheLifeOfIvanDresnovich.
* KITE of ''Anime/JapanSinks''.

->Various interpretations had been attributed to the flag's colors, of which one of the most popular is that by poet [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Lipp Martin Lipp]]: blue symbolizes the skies; black both the soil and Estonia's troubled history; and white purity and commitment.

* In ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'', Operation "Shattered Connexion" takes place in the ruins of Tallinn, Finland.

* Syn Cole, a electronic music producer

* Kelly Sildaru, multiple time X-Games medalist in freestyle skiing

* Estonia doesn't really seem to have a "national" sport (with the possible exception of cross-country skiing or rallying), instead there are periods when one or two athletes' successes make whatever discipline they're competing in popular (even [[Main/SumoWrestling Sumo]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruto_Kaito wrestling]]!).

* [[BritainIsOnlyLondon Estonia Is Only Tallinn]]: Nearly a third of Estonia's population lives in Tallinn or surrounding areas, so it's expected.

* Estonia doesn't really seem to have a "national" sport (with the possible exception of cross-country skiing or rallying), instead there are periods when one or two athletes' successes make whatever discipline they're competing in popular (even UsefulNotes/{{Sumo}}[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruto_Kaito wrestling]]!).

[[folder:A brief summary of history]] Estonians are one of the several Finnic tribes that settled in northeastern Europe. Their earliest ancestors have been living in the region since the last Ice Age, later mixing with the Finno-Ugric arrivals from the east. The Estonian land was split into various subdivisions by the 11th century (although no unified state had been formed yet) and vikings from the islands were occasionally raiding neighboring areas. In the 13th century the Northern Crusades with the goal to Christianize Estonians and other nearby pagans led to Estonia, after a long resistance, being taken over by the [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]] and the [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]] (the latter ended up selling their part to the Germans and bailing due to an near-successful Estonian uprising in 1343). The Livonian Order, a branch of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights, created the "Order State" on Estonian and UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}}n territory (collectively known as Livonia) that lasted for the rest of the Middle Ages, during which Tallinn developed into an important trading hub as part of the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague.

* Lennart Meri, a writer, politician and the second President of Estonia, involved in the restoration of independence

* UsefulNotes/OttTanak, rally driver who won the 2019 driver's title in the UsefulNotes/WorldRallyChampionship

* The other larger cities besides Tallinn are Tartu, the "intellectual centre" of the country, Narva, a city on the river bordering Russia, and Pärnu, a beach resort in the southwest.

* Estonia doesn't really seem to have a "national" sport (with the possible exception of cross-country skiing or rallying), instead there are periods when one or two athletes' successes make whatever discipline they're competing in popular (even [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruto sumo wrestling]]!).

* ''Animation/LotteFromGadgetville'' is a popular cartoon character from several movies who's well on her way on becoming the Estonian equivalent of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarepants'' or ''Franchise/MickeyMouse'' with the amount of [[TheMerch merchandise]] (and a theme park) involving her.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Seems to be common in Northern Europe in general, and makes even more sense in a small country.

[[folder:A brief summary of history]] Estonians are one of the several Finnic tribes that settled in northeastern Europe. Their earliest ancestors have been living in the region since the last Ice Age, later mixing with the Finno-Ugric arrivals from the east. The Estonian land was split into various subdivisions by the 11th century (although no unified state had been formed yet) and vikings from the islands were occasionally raiding neighboring areas. In the 13th century the Northern Crusades with the goal to Christianize Estonians and other nearby pagans led to Estonia, after a long resistance, being taken over by the [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]] and the [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]] (the latter ended up selling their part to the Germans and bailed due to an near-successful Estonian uprising in 1343). The Livonian Order, a branch of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights, created the "Order State" on Estonian and UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}}n territory (collectively known as Livonia) that lasted for the rest of the Middle Ages, during which Tallinn developed into an important trading hub as part of the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague.

After the Reformation, the Order fell and Estonia found itself as part of UsefulNotes/{{Sweden}} as a result of the Livonian War in 1561 (with southern Estonia briefly controlled by the UsefulNotes/PolishLithuanianCommonwealth). This period is remembered for advances in education (like the founding of Estonia's oldest university in Tartu) and for giving common people more rights. In UsefulNotes/TheGreatNorthernWar, Sweden lost its Baltic territory, including Estonia, to the [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia Russian Empire]]. Under both Swedish and Russian rule, the German nobility managed to keep most of its privileges, although serfdom ended decades earlier in the Baltic region than in most of the Russian Empire.

Before UsefulNotes/WorldWarII broke out, the non-aggression pact between UsefulNotes/NaziGermany and the [[UsefulNotes/SovietRussiaUkraineAndSoOn Soviet Union]] included Estonia in the Soviet "sphere of influence" and so the USSR threatened Estonians with war if they're not allowed to set up military bases in Estonia. The government, wanting to avoid casualties, was forced to agree. A transfer of troops into the country and a rigged election later, the Soviet-approved puppet government "requested" that Estonia be admitted into the USSR.

When the Nazis reached Estonia some people hoped that the country would be freed with their arrival, but instead it was made part of the "Ostland" province for the next couple of years. The Baltic Germans were evacuated to Germany and the Holocaust was carried out, with most of the Estonian Jewish population, who had enjoyed cultural autonomy in the independence period, either fleeing the country or killed. The cities of Tallinn and Narva were also seriously damaged by bombing during the war. After the Germans started retreating, Estonians made yet another attempt at restoring independence, but the country was occupied by the Soviet Union again.

During the Stalinist era, masses of Estonians were deported to Siberia and a [[LaResistance guerrilla movement]] called the "Forest Brothers" attempted to fight back against the Soviets. Things somewhat normalized after Khrushchev came to power; Estonia's first TV channel, ETV, started broadcasting in 1955 and both Tallinn and other regions saw quite a bit of development. On the other hand, the Moscow-endorsed immigration of a number of mostly Russian-speaking people from other Soviet states to Estonia (both as workforce and due to the "Sovietization" policy) also took place. During the 1980 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames, the sailing events were held in Tallinn - the Estonians deliberately bid for this, partly as a chance to call international attention to the occupation.

UsefulNotes/MikhailGorbachev's attempts to reform the Soviet Union and the resulting freedoms (with [[UsefulNotes/HoleInFlag similar developments in other satellite and occupied states]]) fueled a wave of pro-independence protests, ranging from spontaneous singing festivals to a human chain of 2 million people - the Baltic Way - through all three Baltic states. In 1990 free parliamentary elections were held and in 1991 a referendum showed strong support for restoring independence, which was made official on August 20 simultaneously with the hardliner coup against Gorbachev. Since the annexation was always considered illegal, it was seen as the re-establishment of the pre-war Estonian state.

* Estonia won the Series/EurovisionSongContest in 2001 back when it still took the contest reasonably seriously, setting off a wave of "new" countries winning.

[[folder:A brief summary of history]] Estonians - one of the several Finnic tribes that settled in northeastern Europe - have been living in the region since the last Ice Age. The Estonian land was split into various subdivisions by the 11th century (although no unified state had been formed yet) and vikings from the islands were occasionally raiding neighboring areas. In the 13th century the Northern Crusades with the goal to Christianize Estonians and other nearby pagans led to Estonia, after a long resistance, being taken over by the [[UsefulNotes/{{Germany}} Germans]] and the [[UsefulNotes/{{Denmark}} Danes]] (the latter ended up selling their part to the Germans and bailed due to an near-successful Estonian uprising in 1343). The Livonian Order, a branch of UsefulNotes/TheTeutonicKnights, created the "Order State" on Estonian and UsefulNotes/{{Latvia}}n territory (collectively known as Livonia) that lasted for the rest of the Middle Ages, during which Tallinn developed into an important trading hub as part of the UsefulNotes/HanseaticLeague.

During the Stalinist era, masses of Estonians were deported to Siberia and a [[LaResistance guerrilla movement]] called the "Forest Brothers" attempted to fight back against the Soviets. Things somewhat normalized after Khrushchev came to power; Estonia's first TV channel, ETV, started broadcasting in 1955 and both Tallinn and other regions saw quite a bit of development. On the other hand, the Moscow-endorsed immigration of a number of mostly Russian-speaking people from other Soviet states to Estonia (both as workforce and due to the "Sovietization" policy) also took place. During the 1980 UsefulNotes/OlympicGames, the sailing events were held in Tallinn - a controversial move since several states didn't recognize Estonia as part of the USSR.

* Mena Suvari, an actress of partial Estonian descent

* The other larger cities besides Tallinn are Tartu, the "intellectual centre" of the country, Narva, a city on the river bordering Russia, and Pärnu, a beach resort in southwestern Estonia.

* Estonia doesn't really seem to have a "national" sport (with the possible exception of cross-country skiing), instead there are periods when one or two athletes' successes make whatever discipline they're competing in popular (even [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruto sumo wrestling]]!).

* General Vladimir, a former Soviet general who appears in the 1979 ''[[Literature/TheQuestForKarla Smiley's People]]''; he and his organisation is depicted as no-hopers... eleven years before the country became independent.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Seems to be common in northern Europe in general, and makes even more sense in a small country.

* UsefulNotes/OttTanak, rally driver currently competing for Toyota in the UsefulNotes/WorldRallyChampionship