Welcome to Estonia! Tallinn, The Old Town, traditions and customs etc (0)

Mona Maria Tammik 11B
Welcome to Estonia
Hello , my name is Mona and I will be your guide today. I will show you around this schoolhouse and tell you about the tiny yet amazing country called Estonia.
Estonia is a country in Eastern Europe . It’s a small country beside the Baltic Sea. Our neighbours are Finland , Russia, Latvia and Sweden . Estonia’s surface area is 45,227 square kilometres. The population of Estonia is around 1,3 million.
We have four seasons in Estonia. The air is very humid and it rains quite often, especially in spring and autumn . The weather is is influenced by a humid continental climate. We usually have long winters and plenty of snow , but sometimes we haven’t even had snow. Summers are mostly warm and beautiful in Estonia.
Estonia is well known for its amazing countryside. We don’t have any big mountains , but we do have over a thousand islands and over a thousand lakes that are worth seeing. One fifth of Estonia is covered by wetlands and almost one forth of the territory is forested. We also have four spectacular national parks and more than 50 nature reserves. The highest point in the country is Suur Munamägi (which translates at "Big Egg Mountain "), just 318 metres (1,043ft) above sea level.
The capital of Estonia is Tallinn. The city of Tallinn is best known for its medieval Old Town. The Old Town has tons of ancient buildings, churches, the Town Hall and it is all bounded by the town wall and gateovers. Also, you can find amazing restaurants with various cuisines from all over the world- Italian, French , Spanish, Georgia , Russian and of course Estonian cuisine .
Besides the Old Town, Tallinn has so much more to offer . We have theatres and operas- The National Opera of Estonia, The Russian Theatre of Estonia, The Theatre of Estonia. Museums and galleries- there are really cool art exhibitions next to the Freedom Square.
Also there is a part of the city which is really different yet great in its own way- Telliskivi Creative City and Kalamaja . These areas offer many beautiful boutiques, cozy cafes and markets . There is also the renowed Market of Balti Jaam. I think that everyone that visits Tallinn should take one day and look around this area, because it has so much to offer.
The national symbol of Estonia is a blue, black and white striped flag and the national emblems are a cornflower and a chimney swallow. Another national symbol we have is the Estonian coat of arms, which is a golden shield that has three lions or leopards on it and oak branches along the sides of the shield. Also a fun fact is that Estonians are really patriotic . The events that led to the restoration of Estonian independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 are commonly referred to as the Singing Revolution. The term was coined following a series of mass demonstrations during which Estonians sang national songs and patriotic hymns that were strictly forbidden.
Probably the most beloved traditions in here are the National Song and Dance festivals. There are performers from all over the country and the festival is visited by people of all ages and walks of life.
Also, something that we can be really proud of is that Estonia has one of the highest adult literacy rates in the world – 99.8 per cent , according to Unesco . Only Latvia’s and North Korea’s is higher .
Estonia runs on a democratic political system. The President represents our country and the parliament takes on all the decisions . At the moment we have our fifth president, her name is Kersti Kaljulaid. She is also the first female president of Estonia.