Simple explanation

Timeline of Estonian history

Here is a timeline of different occupations in Estonia throughout the history:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_history_of_Estonia

Christmas tree in Estonian capital felled by gales

Tallinn again in the News with finding solutions for Christmas tree mysteries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15929978

Tallinn

Tallinn from Amid Moradganjeh on Vimeo.

150 reasons to love Estonia

Nice photoalbum about Estonia by Erik Peinar:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.141426015933653.36339.141423449267243&type=3

New Estonian National Anthem

Finally we don´t have to share our national anthem with Finns, we have a new one! Haha.

Estonia Lives the European Dream

"The Estonians, with little debt, an enthusiastic attitude toward Europe and a stoic approach to austerity measures, are a model EU nation in the midst of a crisis. They live in a digital republic defined by a business-friendly atmosphere and government transparency, an image that is attracting European expats."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,790293,00.html

"Europeans casting for a way out of their economic crisis have spent the past 18 months devising spendthrift schemes to bail out spendthrift governments (and their creditors), with results that have so far ranged from the meager to the counterproductive. But there's a spot of hope. It's called Estonia."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204002304576631063451649544.html

"PLUNGING unemployment, rocketing growth, soaring exports and a budget surplus: that is the story of Estonia as it bounces back from a precipitous economic collapse. This burst of good news shows not only the virtues of flexibility and austerity (a sensitive subject, as other euro countries taste the same medicine); it also gives heart to Latvia and Lithuania."

http://www.economist.com/node/18959241

"In 20 Jahren Unabhängigkeit hat sich das kleine Estland zur nachhaltigsten Volkswirtschaft Europas gemausert – dank Hausverstand und einer opferbereiten Wählerschaft."

http://www.format.at/articles/1141/525/309016/musterstaat-estland-der-baltenstaat-zukunft

Estonia looks like...

Clean air

Estonia ranks FIRST in the world when it comes to the air quality in its cities:
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Environment/2011/09/26/18739911.html

Estonian girl

There are some words that you can not find from the dictionary.

Introducing Estonia through fairy tale films.

There are several short films based on fairy tales, which introduce Estonia. One example is "The Goldfish".

Some other similar films based on fairy tales can be found here.

What are your nationality's stereotypes?

You know you are from Estonia when someone says "Estonians are so beautiful" you answer almost without emotions "I know".

Here are this and other pretty true stereotypical sentences collected by Some_Belgian_Guy:
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jsstx/what_are_your_nationalitys_stereotypes/c2etx1m

The Baltic model for fiscal responsibility

The Washington Post made a nice example of  Estonia (and Latvia) to the United States. Obviously it is very difficult to implement everything done in tiny Estonia in the USA, but maybe a few tips could be useful after all.

The Baltic model for fiscal responsibility

Estonian exceptionalism

Good news - Estonia is doing well considering via Economist.

Estonia?

What do you know about Estonia?

Saaremaa

Saaremaa - the biggest island of Estonia.

Quite good reading material about Estonians (free)

On the Estonian institute webpage there are several booklets about Estonia and Estonians. Some of them are hilarious and some are purely beautful. And the good thing about them is that they in English and free! I would like to point out two them that I really enjoyed:

1) Hilarious Estonia - "A scientific study of Estonians’ daily life. What do they do and how they do it, what do they like and what do they dislike? What do they look like and what do they eat? How can they surprise one another?"
2) A dozen quetions about Estonia - "We offer answers to a dozen questions that a foreigner might want to know about Estonia. At least in our opinion."

Estophiles

Ernest Hemingway has written that in every port in the world, at least one Estonian can be found. 

Estonia has had difficult times and many Estonians have gone away from Estonia. I know some foreign Estonians, who can speak Estonian thanks to their parents and grandparents. Some of them now have come back to Estonia. But I also know some estophiles, who seem to have an interest in learning Estonian and they speak it really well (poor people, they had to learn 14 cases).

Here's one really good blog from an estophile Justin Petrone (also author of the books "My Estonia 1" and "My Estonia 2"):

http://palun.blogspot.com/.

I guess he knows even more about Estonia than we do.

Winter in Estonia

Although it is the beginning of the summer in Estonia I am putting up these pictures of the winter of 2011 with heavy snow and -30 degrees. These pictures are taken in Kadrina or nearby, but with a smartphone, so the quality is not the best. Enjoy nevertheless!

Europe according to Estonians

How Estonians see Europe.

Estonian redneck "rullnokk".

They are aggressive, they use bad language and are hilarious to look at!

In Estonia they have a nickname "rullnokk":

Little summary about that "subculture" and introduction to the film below:

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/17538/

Here is Rasmus Merivoo's film called "Tulnukas," the Estonian word for "alien". In just 22 minutes, it caustically deconstructs the rullnokk mindset, simply by reflecting. Film can be seen with English subtitles at Google Videos:

Europe's longest ice road

Europe's longest ice road - A BBC news about the harsh winter and the longest ice road in Europe. I personally have had hard time explaining to some people that seas actually CAN freeze up during winter and it IS possible to cross it in a car.

E-Estonia

Some facts about e-life in Estonia.

Country clean up project "Let's do it!"

 

A good iniative in Estonia to clean up the whole country. I have heard many countries have it and some got inspiration of it. 

Introducing Estonia

A great video about Estonia and Estonians. All true!