Estonia (0)

Estonia.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia is a country in Northern Europe . It is the smallest of the three Baltic countries. Estonia has land borders with Latvia (339 km) to the south and Russia (229 km) to the east . It is separated from Finland in the north by the narrow Gulf of Finland and from Sweden in the west by the Baltic Sea. Estonia has been a member of the European Union since May 1, 2004 and of the NATO since March 29, 2004.
The area of Estonia is about 45000 square kilometres and the population is about 1.4 million people. The capital of Estonia is Tallinn and the official language is Estonian. The currency is Eesti kroon. The main religion is Lutheran. Anniversary of the republic is celebrated on February 20. The national flower is cornflower, national bird is barn swallow and national stone is limestone .
It is a land of great natural beauty with a long and varied history and rich culture. It has served as a junction of international trade routes for centuries .
History. The oldest marks of habitation on the territory of Estonia date from the 8th millennium BC. Fortified settlements were established in the 1st century BC. The ancestors of Estonians formed several independent states headed by elected elders.
Until the beginning of the 13th century Estonia was politically independent. Then began a long chain of occupation and control by foreign powers. In the 1200s the German crusaders converted Estonia into a Christianity by force and took control over South Estonia.
In 1219 Denmark conquered Northern Estonia. About a century later , in