inglise keeles Eesti tutvustus: Project: Estonia (0)

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ESTONIA


MAP OF ESTONIA

Southern Viljandimaa

The southern part of Viljandi county catches the eye with its sublime scenery. The area today lies in the very heart of the historical Mulgimaa – the home of hills, deep valleys and lakes brought together by a beauty spot Halliste primeval valley . According to several folk tales, it is also in these valleys, woods and bogs that Old Nick found refuge.The great variety displayed in the nature is also reflected in the local cultural heritage . At the beginning of the 19th century growing linen spread and became the basis of the legendary wealth of Mulgi farms. The ancient barn -dwellings and decaying manor houses are the mute witnesses of those times. The riches and cultural heritage of Mulgimaa owe to the diligence and tenacity of the local people. Village handicraftsmen and masters have always been honoured. Mulgikapsad (stewed sauerkraut with barley groats), Estonian cheesecakes and kama (a roasted meal -mixture) have not lost their popularity .
However , linen growers have now been replaced by cereal grains growers and many farms have specialised on raising sheep or horses . And as the song goes: "Mulgimaa – it’s a place where life is good . It’s a land of vast woods, fertile fields and nature’s charms, the home of prosperous Estonian farms..."

Tourism and handicraft in Lõuna-Viljandimaa

Lõuna- Viljandimaa captivates senses with its beautiful landscapes. Lõuna- Viljandimaa as we know it today stays in the heart of the historic Mulgimaa. Mulgimaa is the home of mountains, deep valleys and lakes, its natural axis is the beautiful old valley of Halliste. Southern Viljandimaa has been the homeplace of mulgi inhabitants who spoke their own dialect called mulgi language. The speakers of mulgi language can still be found in Southern Viljandimaa and in the past years people have started to pay more attention to learning and developing the dialect. The mulgi inhabitants have always been characterised by strong connection to their old- established traditions and customs. At the same time, the way of life of the local people is characterised by strong families , marriage, children and respect and love for fellow men. The local cultural heritage offers as much variety as the nature. Many rare work and mythological motives are retained in folk songs . The flax-growing that spread rapidly in the beginning of the 19th century was the basis of the prosperous Mulgi family farms in Southern Viljandimaa. 19. The second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century constituted the golden age for many local families. The mulgi inhabitants were actually the first farmers in Estonia who bought the farms for their families after being released from the servitude. The farming was developed rapidly thanks to flax-growing. The wealthiest farmers gained even so much money that for the first time in history Estonian farmers became owners of mansions. The wealthy mulk were the first of Estonian farmers to build manses, until then the farmers all over Estonia lived in farmhouses that included a barn so that people and animals lived under one roof . The old farmhouses and mansions can still be seen in many places in Southern Viljandimaa. As a result of the hard work and the tenacity of the local inhabitants, Mulgimaa developed into an area known as prosperous and rich by its cultural heritage. The masters working in the villages played an important role in the development . The local foods such as sauerkraut stew , curd cake and „kama“ (a meal made with sour milk and a mixture of ground grains) are popular even nowadays . There is even a song that says: "It is good to live in Mulgimaa / The nature is beautiful and the land is fructuous/ There are glorious groves and large wealthy Estonian farms". As for now, the large-scale industry has become more and more dominating in agriculture . After thorough reforms in Estonian economy the people living in villages and small towns are searching for new possibilities for self-realisation and one of the outputs is tourism. This can also be seen in Southern Viljandimaa as there are continuously more establishments providing accommodation, caterers and organisers of active holidays . Many tourism maps have been put beside the road as well as many hiking trails have been built and marked.
History of Estonia
Human settlement in Estonia became possible 11,000–13,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted away. The oldest known settlement in Estonia is the Pulli settlement, which was located on the banks of the river Pärnu, near the town of Sindi, in southern Estonia. According to radiocarbon dating, it was settled around 11,000 years ago, at the beginning of the 9th millennium BC. Evidence has been found of hunting and fishing communities existing around 6500 BC near the town of Kunda in northern Estonia. Bone and stone artifacts similar to those found at Kunda have been discovered elsewhere in Estonia, as well as in Latvia, northern Lithuania and in southern Finland. The Kunda culture belongs to the middle stone age, or mesolithic period . The end of the Bronze Age and the early Iron Age were marked by great cultural changes . The most significant was the transition to farming, which has remained at the core of Estonian economy and culture. From approximately the 1st to 5th centuries AD, resident farming was widely established, the population grew, and settlement expanded. Cultural influences from the Roman Empire reached Estonia, and this era is therefore also known as the Roman Iron Age. A more troubled and war-ridden middle Iron Age followed with external dangers coming both from the Baltic tribes, who attacked across the southern land border, and from overseas. Several Scandinavian sagas refer to campaigns against Estonia. Estonian pirates conducted similar raids in the Viking age and sacked and burned the Scandinavian capital of Sigtuna in 1187. By the early 13th century, Estonia was divided into eight large counties — Saaremaa, Läänemaa, Rävala, Harju, Viru, Järva, Sakala, and Ugandi. Annual consultations were held by representatives of several counties and developments took the direction of establishing a state. Estonia until this time retained a pagan religion centered around a deity called Tharapita. Estonia was christianised when the German "Livonian Brothers of the Sword " invaded southern Estonia as part of the Northern Crusades in the early 13th century. At the same time, Denmark attempted to take possession of northern Estonia. Estonia was consolidated under the two forces by 1227. Northern Estonia remained a possession of Denmark until 1346. Tallinn (known as Reval at the time) was given its Lübeck Rights in 1248 and joined the Hanseatic League at the end of the 13th century. In 1343, the people of northern Estonia and Saaremaa rebelled against the rule of the Germans in the St. George's Night Uprising, which was put down by 1344. There were unsuccessful Russian invasions in 1481 and 1558. After 1524 , during the Protestant Reformation, Estonia converted to Lutheranism.
Estonia regained its independence on August 20, 1991, with the Singing Revolution during the Soviet military coup attempt in Russia and the following collapse of the Soviet Union. The first country to diplomatically recognize Estonia's reclaimed independence was Iceland closely followed by Denmark. The last Russian troops left on August 31, 1994, and Estonia joined NATO on March 29, 2004 and the European Union on May 1, 2004.
Karksi - Nuia
Karksi – Nuia is small town located in south of Viljandimaa. It has population of 2200 people. In Karksi – Nuia is on gymnasium , kindergarten, few shops and big cultural centre. In culture centre there are café, library, parish government etc. There take places acting lessons, theatres, parties and other activities. There is music school also. This is for children’s, but older people can learn there too. Karksi – Nuia has many interesting places to visit and look . One of them is Maies farm , few kilometers from city centre. There you can visit the birth place of A. Kitzberg , famous Estonian writer. There is skiing mountain too, it is opened in winter when there is a lot of snow . Near Karksi – Nuia are many lakes, capes, nice parks and mansions, Near the Karksi is beautiful ruins of castle, what was built in 13 century and destroyed by wars and attacks many years later. There is and church too. It is Karksis Peters Church. If you want to relax and enjoy summer, then you should go camping to lake Mäeküla, what is about 10km from Karksi – Nuia. There you can fish , have sauna, and etc. There are many other lakes and rivers too.
Karksi – Nuia is one of the most beautiful small towns in Estonia.
It is a place you must visit.

Geography and climate of Estonia

Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea immediately across the Gulf of Finland from Finland on the level northwestern part of the rising east European platform between 57.3° and 59.5° N and 21.5° and 28.1° E. Average elevation reaches only 50  metres (164 ft), and the country's highest point is the Suur Munamägi in the southeast at 318 metres (1,043 ft). Oil shale (or kukersite) and limestone deposits, along with forests which cover 47% of the land, play key economic roles in this generally resource -poor country. Estonia boasts over 1,400 lakes. Most are very small, with the largest, Lake Peipus, (Peipsi in Estonian) being 3555 km²; 1372 sq. mi. There are many rivers in the country. The largest are the Võhandu (162 km), Pärnu (144 km), and Põltsamaa (135 km). Estonia also boasts numerous bogs, and 3794 kilometers (2,357 mi) of coastline marked by numerous bays, straits, and inlets. The number of islands and islets is estimated at some 1,500. Two are large enough to constitute their own counties: Saaremaa and Hiiumaa . Estonia lies in the northern part of the temperate climate zone and in the transition zone between maritime and continental climate. Because Estonia (and entire Northern Europe ) is continuously warmed by the Gulf Stream it has a milder climate despite its northern latitude. The Baltic Sea causes differences between the climate of coastal and inland areas . The average annual temperature in Estonia is 4.5 degrees Celsius . The average temperature in February , the coldest month of the year , is negative 5.2 degrees Celsius. The average temperature in July , which is considered the warmest month of the year, is 17 degrees Celsius. The climate is also influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, the North -Atlantic Stream and the Icelandic Minimum, which is an area known for the formation of cyclones and where the average air pressure is lower than in neighbouring areas. Estonia is located in a humid zone in which the amount of precipitation outnumbers total evaporation. There are about 160 to 180 rainy days a year, and average precipitation is biggest on the western slopes of the Sakala and Haanja Uplands. Snow cover, which is deepest in the south-eastern part of Estonia, usually lasts from mid-December to late March.
Economy of Estonia
As a member of the European Union, Estonia is part of the world's largest economic zone. In 1999, Estonia experienced its worst year economically since it regained independence in 1991, largely because of the impact of the August 1998 Russian financial crisis . Estonia joined the WTO in November 1999. It was the second Baltic state to join. With assistance from the European Union, the World Bank and the Nordic Investment Bank, Estonia completed most of its preparations for European Union membership by the end of 2002 and now has one of the strongest economies of the new member states of the European Union, which it joined on 1 May 2004. The Estonian economy is growing quickly, partly due to a number of Scandinavian companies relocating their routine operations to the country and Russian oil transit using Estonian ports. Estonia has a strong information technology (IT) sector. Its GDP PPP per capita is at $17,802, the highest of the Baltic states, while its unemployment rate was 4.2% in July 2006, one of the lowest in the European Union. The north-west coast of Estonia near Nõva, Lääne county In 1994, Estonia became one of the first countries in the world to adopt a flat tax, with a uniform rate of 26% regardless of personal income . In January 2005 the personal income tax rate was reduced to 24%. A subsequent reduction to 23% followed in January 2006. The income tax rate will be decreased by 1% annually to reach 20% by January 2009. Since January 1, 2000, companies have not had to pay income tax on re- invested income. However, tax is due on profit distributions ( including hidden distributions) at a rate of 24%. Despite the fact that only the moment of taxation was shifted from earning profits to their distribution, leaving the rest of the corporate taxation system mostly unchanged, the current legislation is said to be in violation of one of the fundamental freedoms of the European Union — free movement of capital. Estonia is to remove this hindrance by January 2009 when the temporary derogation expires. In June 1992, Estonia replaced the ruble with its own freely convertible currency , the Kroon (EEK). A currency board was created and the new currency was pegged to the German Mark at the rate at 8 EEK for 1 DEM. When Germany introduced the Euro, the peg was changed to 15.6466 Kroon for 1 Euro. The Estonian government is intending to adopt the Euro as the country's currency on 1 January 2008 due to continued high inflation, and finalised the design of Estonia's Euro coins in late 2004.