Wikijunior:Europe/Estonia

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Estonia is a small country in northern and eastern Europe. It shares borders with Russia and Latvia. The capital city is Tallinn. The only other big city is Tartu.

[edit] Estonia's History

In 1918 Estonia had a brief period of independence that lasted until the Soviet Union took over the country. In 1991 Estonia gained its independence from the Soviet Union. In 2004 Estonia gained full membership into the European Union.

[edit] Estonia's Geography

Estonia is one of the smallest countries in Europe covering an area of 45,227 sq km (17,462 sq mi). Estonia has more than 1,150 lakes and reservoirs, which cover about 5 percent of the land. Nearly half the country’s land is forested. Estonia generally has cool summers and cold winters.

[edit] Estonia's People

The population of Estonia is 1,315,912. Estonians make up about 65 percent of the population. Russians are the largest minority group. They take up around 30 percent of the population. About 46 percent of the population are practicing Christians. 36 percent of the population claim to have no religion. Muslims and Jewish faiths are also present throughout the country.

The official language of Estonia is Estonian. All most all of Estonians are literate. Education is required for 9 years beginning at the age of 7.

Wikipedia has related information at Estonia