Estonia
Capital:
Tallinn
Continent:
Europe
Maps:
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| European continent. Estonia outlined in dark ink. |
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| A close-up of Estonia & its neighbors. |
Neighbors:
Russia, Latvia
Water Borders:
Gulf of Riga, Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland, Lake Peipus, Lake Pskov
Total Area:
17,413 square miles
Five Largest Cities:
Tallinn, Tartu, Narva, Pärnu, Kohtla-Järve
Famous Geographical Point:
Lake Võrtsjärv
Famous Person:
Arvo Pärt, composer
Book Set In/About:
Purge by Sofi Oksanen
An old woman who lives in an isolated cabin in the woods discovers a battered, beaten young woman in her garden one night. She takes the girl in and soon discovers a shocking truth that rockets her into memories of her past.
Movie Set In/About:
“Risttuules (In the Crosswind)” (2014), directed by Martti Helde
Based on a true story, it tells the tale of one Estonian family’s deportation to Siberia (In 1941, thousands of people from the Soviet-occupied Baltic states faced such deportations; the mortality rate of these unlucky souls is estimated at 60%).
Headline of the Day:
“Estonia Celebrates the Independence Day” on estonianworld.com
I felt compelled to choose this headline because today (February 24) is, in fact, Estonian Independence Day. I had no idea! However, I thought I would also mention my favorite headline of the day: “Workers in Estonia Rescue Dog from Icy River, Only to Find out It’s Actually a Wolf” in The News Journal.
Okay, the favorite headline had me old-man heh-ing. And I'm glad they saved the poor wolf and I hope s/he went on to have a long and happy life. Although I'm guessing there is a larger chance that the wolf was euthanized.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting to hear that the Gulf of Finland is a water border. Do the Estonians call it the Gulf of Estonia? I also remember when these countries got their independence from the USSR.
Also, I first heard about the deportations to Sibrea with Ruta Sepetys' book "Between Shades of Gray" which is focused on the Latvian deportations. But I'm not surprised they happened in Estonia too.
That's a good question re: Gulf of Finland. Nearby Gulf of Riga is named for Latvia (Riga is the capital of Latvia). So it appears that Estonia doesn't have anything named for it. Who decides on the names and does everyone agree on those names? I looked for a map of Estonia in Estonian. The one I found lists the Gulf of Finland as "Soome laht" which Google Translate tells me means "Finnish Bay."
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