Estonia Travel Guide

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The most scenic of the three Baltic States, Estonia is a nation famed for its enormous forests, beautiful wetlands and remote offshore islands as well as for being one of Europe's most friendly and forward-thinking nations.

Tallinn
With its gorgeous medieval capital Tallinn attracting city breakers looking for a combination of grandiose architecture and happening nightlife, and its primeval forests and lake lands thrilling nature lovers, Estonia has become one of the hottest new travel discoveries in Eastern Europe.

Landscape
Estonia is an unspoiled, sparsely populated country, nearly half of which is covered with forests. Wetlands, together with primeval forests, represent preserved communities which have for the most part been destroyed in Europe. More than 1,000 lakes (5% of the Estonian territory) dot the countryside, which is relatively flat - almost two thirds of the territory lies less than 50m (164ft) above sea level. While 7,000 rivers and streams carry rainwater to the sea, bogs and wooded swamplands of different types cover over one fifth of the country - a world index topped only by the northern neighbor, Finland.

History
Estonia's history, like that of its Baltic neighbors, has been one almost singly devoted to maintaining independence from its powerful neighbors, most notably Russia. Annexed by Stalin in 1940, Estonia never entirely became the Soviet republic it might have done, retaining its language and culture far more strongly than many other members of the USSR. At the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia embraced independence enthusiastically and in less than two decades has undergone a transformation from lumbering communist society to gleaming example of forward-thinking transitional economy. Now an EU and NATO member, the future looks increasingly bright for this little-known but much-loved Baltic gem.

Geography

Estonia is the most northerly of the three Baltic Republics and is bordered to the north and west by the Baltic Sea, to the east by the Russian Federation and to the south by Latvia. The country is one of great scenic beauty with many forests, more than 1,400 lakes and 1,500 islands. Smaller than Lithuania and Latvia, it has nevertheless the longest coastline of all the Baltic States.