12 facts Estonians can be proud of

We will soon celebrate the 103rd birthday of the Republic of Estonia. Approaching the anniversary of the republic, we bring out 12 facts Estonians can be proud of.

1. A small and united nation

The population of Estonia is 1.3 million. It is proud to be a part of such a small nation and to keep our language and culture together.

2. The richness of nature

Estonia is at the forefront of the world in terms of both forests (about ½ of the territory) and bogs (about ⅕ of the mainland). We have a dense network of rivers, numerous lakes (over 2300 lakes with an area greater than 1 hectare) over 2000 islands and about 4015 km of sea border. Four seasons give nature beautiful colors and diversify leisure opportunities.

3. Good education

The latest results of the PISA survey (2018) show that the level of skills of Estonian students is number one in Europe. We can be satisfied because the level of our students is very good on a large scale and Estonian students and also the teachers are the best in Europe. (Source)

4. Clean air

More than half of Estonia’s territory is covered with forest and Estonian population is sparse (an average of 30 inhabitants per square kilometer) and it contributes to the very clean air in Estonia. This is also confirmed by the analysis of the European Environment Agency. We often do not appreciate it ourselves but today it has become a luxury in most parts of the world.

5. Talented Estonians

Arvo Pärt, Kelly Sildaru, Carmen Kass, Ott Tänak

6. Song and Dance Festival

The first Song Festival took place in 1869 in Tartu and the first Dance Festival in 1934 in Tallinn. Since 1947, Song and Dance Festivals have mostly been held together. In 2019, 100 000 people participated in the Song and Dance Festival. The audience’s interest was so great that not everyone could attend the song and dance festival because the tickets were sold out. The tradition of the Song Festival is included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

7. “The Song of Estonia“

One of the most outstanding events was the “The Song of Estonia” held at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds in 1988 which brought at least 100 000 people to the Song Festival Grounds. The singing revolution played an important role in Estonia’s reindependence. Through singing, the Estonian people expressed their will and influenced both local and Kremlin officials.

8. The Baltic Chain

On August 23rd in 1989, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians formed a continuous chain of people from Tallinn through Riga to Vilnius for 15 minutes to make the world aware of the Molotov-Ribbetrop Pact that was signed 50 years earlier which led to the loss of the independence of the Baltic republics. The length of the Baltic Chain was about 600 km and almost 2 million people took part in it.

9. E-government

Estonia is at the forefront of developing e-services in the whole world. Mobile ID allows you to pay bills, park a car, make payments, sign documents, vote in elections, all directly from your mobile phone. The whole country is covered by 4G network and it is also available deep in the forest. The creators of Skype are Estonians.

10. Parental benefit

Estonia is the only country where a parent has the opportunity to be at home for 1.5 years after the birth of a child, maintaining his or her income with the support of the state.

11. Clean the earth

“Let’s do it!” is an annual cleaning campaign in Estonia which started on May 3, 2008. During the first cleaning campaign, approximately 50 000 volunteers removed almost 10 000 tons of garbage from the entire territory of Estonia. Following Estonia’s example, similar cleaning campaigns have taken place in more than a hundred countries around the world, and nearly 20 million people have participated in the campaigns. It has become an international action “Let’s Do It! World“. On September 15, 2018, the first World Cleanup Day took place, led by Teeme Ära SA.

12. Visit to theaters

Estonia is one of the top countries in Europe and the world in terms of the number of theater visits. For example, in 2018, almost 1.2 million theater visits took place in Estonia. This is remarkable considering that 1.3 million people live in Estonia. (Source)

The documentary “Estonia The Baltic Tiger” about Estonian success stories has also been made by Leslie Riddoch, a Scottish journalist. You can watch the film HERE

Used materials: Statistikaamet, Keskkonnaagentuur, Keskkonnaministeerium, ESTONICA/ Entsüklopeedia Eestist, ajakiri „Eesti Loodus“, Puhka Eestis/ Eesti ametlik turismiinfo, YouTube

www.stat.ee, www.keskkonnaagentuur.ee, www.envir.ee, www.estonica.org, www.eestiloodus.ee, www.puhkaeestis.ee, www.youtube.com