From wife carrying to Kiiking, a sport where participants rotate 360° on giant swings, these are the most interesting facts about Estonia.
Fast facts
Official name: Republic of Estonia
Population: 1.2 million
Area: 45,228 sq km
Capital city: Tallinn
Major languages: Estonian, Russian
Major religions: Christianity
Time zone: UTC+2 (Eastern European Time)
Fun facts about Estonia
1. Estonia is a Baltic country in Eastern Europe bordering Latvia and Russia.
2. Humans have lived in Estonia since around 8500 BC, when they settled in the region after the last ice age.
3. Over the centuries, Estonia has been repeatedly occupied and invaded by various peoples, including the Vikings, Danes, Swedes, Russians, and Germans.
4. During the Second World War, Estonia had one of the worst death tolls in terms of percentage of population. Around 83,000 people died, which represented 7.3% of its 1939 population.
5. Estonia is sparsely populated compared with most European countries, with a population density of around 32 people per square kilometer.
6. The Estonian flag is horizontally striped blue, black and white. The colors represent the sky (blue), the soil (black), and the ambition for freedom (white).
See how Estonia’s flag compares to other European flags.
7. The UNESCO-listed Struve Geodetic Arc passes through Estonia. The Struve Arc is a chain of survey triangulations stretching 2,820km (1,752 miles) across 10 countries from Norway to the Black Sea. The survey, carried out between 1816 and 1855 by the astronomer Friedrich Struve, helped to establish the exact size and shape of the Earth.
8. Estonia’s only other UNESCO site is the Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn, its capital city. The well-preserved medieval city center dates back to the 13th century and is one of Europe’s most completely walled cities.
9. It is also one of Europe’s least-populous countries.
10. With a mean elevation of just 61m (200ft), Estonia has one of the world’s lowest average elevations.
11. Estonians excel at wife carrying, a contest where male competitors race an obstacle course while carrying a female body. From 1998 to 2008, Estonian couples won the Wife Carrying World Championships for 11 consecutive years. There is even a carrying technique known as the “Estonian lift”.
12. Singing is an important part of Estonian culture. The country holds enormous song festivals, which date back to 1869. The festivals feature a choir of between 20,000 and 30,000 singers and draw audiences of over 100,000 people – nearly a 10th of the population.
13. Additionally, the events that led to independence in 1991 are known as the “Singing Revolution”, when a series of mass protests were held under the guise of gathering to sing during a period when the Soviets banned demonstrations. For five nights in 1988, 100,000 people assembled to sing protest songs until sunrise.
14. Kiiking is a popular sport in Estonia. Invented in 1993 in Estonia, Kiiking sees participants secure themselves to giant swings that rotate 360°. Additionally, an Estonian holds the world record for the longest swing shaft used to successfully complete a 360° rotation in kiiking which was 7.43m (24.45ft).
15. Tallinn has been dubbed the Silicon Valley of Europe due to its high number of startups and unicorns (startups valued at over US$1 billion). Video calling app Skype and mobility app Bolt were both founded in Tallinn.
16. Estonia’s minimum wage is $7 per hour, or $14,770 per year, using purchasing power parity (PPP). PPP adjusts for price differences between countries, revealing real buying power rather than raw currency value.
17. Estonia has one of the world’s highest adult literacy rates – over 99.8%.
18. St. Olav’s Church Tower in Tallinn was reportedly the world’s tallest building from 1549 to 1625. Unfortunately, in 1625, its 159m (522ft) spire was struck by lightning and burnt down. Today it is 124m (407ft) high.
19. In a 2009 survey of 114 countries, Estonia was ranked the world’s least religious country, with just 16% of people saying religion was an important part of their daily lives. A similar 2015 poll put Estonia in third, still at 16%, but behind Japan (13%) and China (7%).
20. Estonia has a so-called “fifth season” known as “ujutus” that arrives after winter in early Spring between March and April. Every year, heavy rains cause flash flooding across the peatland district of Soomaa National Park in southwestern Estonia.
21. The Estonian name for Tallinn is widely believed to come from “Taani-linn” (meaning “Danish castle” or “Danish town”) after a stronghold was built in the area by the Danes.
22. Estonia is one of just seven countries to meet the WHO’s annual clean-air guideline, with PM₂.₅ levels at or below 5 µg/m³.
23. Tallinn was one of the 2011 European Capitals of Culture.
24. The average Estonian drinks roughly the equivalent of 117 bottles of wine a year, placing Estonia among the world’s biggest drinkers.
25. In 2015, an oak tree on a football pitch in Estonia was crowned European Tree of the Year after receiving almost 60,000 votes.
26. It is claimed the first Christmas tree was erected in Estonia. In 1441, a tree was put up in Tallinn’s Town Hall Square by the Brotherhood of Black Heads guild, making it the first public Christmas tree ever put on display in Europe. However, it’s worth noting that neighbor Latvia also makes a similar claim.
27. In 1994, Estonia became the first country to adopt a flat tax system – a technique that applies the same tax rate to every taxpayer regardless of income bracket.
28. One of Tallinn’s most famous landmarks is the “onion-domed” Alexander Nevsky Orthodox Cathedral. Completed in 1900, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral is renowned for its striking interior and exterior design,
29. In 1989, approximately two million people joined hands to form a 600km long human chain through the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania known as The Baltic Way. It was part of a peaceful political demonstration against Soviet rule.
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Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.