Estonia has traditionally been a Lutheran Protestant country, with a significant element of Orthodox Christians. Today, Estonia is considered one of the least religious countries in the world, as only 39.9 percent publicly profess a religious affiliation. 9.9 percent are members of the Lutheran Church and 16.2 percent are members […]

Following the 1992 Constitution, based on the 1938 Constitution, Estonia is a unified state and democratic republic. Legislative authority has been added to a state assembly (Riigikogu) with 101 members, elected in the general election for four years. The voting age is 18 years. The Assembly also elects the President. […]

Estonia has a general duty of military service for men from the age of 19 and first service from 8 to 11 months. The country joined NATO in 2004. Estonia has a staff of 6600 active personnel, 12,000 in reserve, 15,800 in home defense and a semi-military border guard (2018, […]

Estonia has been a member of the EU since 2004 and joined the eurozone in 2011, and has an open economy and a very liberal economic regime with low income tax, low corporate taxation and low tax levels. Estonia’s gross domestic product (GDP) amounted to USD 41.56 billion in 2017 […]

According to studies, Estonia is one of the world’s most secular countries. Fewer than one-fifth of residents believe that religion is an important part of daily life. During the Soviet era (1944–1991), society was characterized by atheistic propaganda and, in particular, Estonian Christians were persecuted by the authorities. After independence […]

Estonia is a republic in Europe on the eastern Baltic Sea. The country borders the Gulf of Finland in the north, Latvia in the south, Russia in the east and the Baltic Sea in the west, with a total coastline of 3794 kilometers and a total of 2222 islands. The […]

Estonian literature has long roots. Folk-poetry dates back to well before the 1100s. A newer folk poetry flourished in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the country has one of the world’s largest collections of such poetry. The national post “Kalevipoeg” initiated the national romance. Anton Hansen Tamsaare (1878–1940) and […]

Folk music Perhaps the oldest form of music among the Finno-Ugric people, the rune song can be traced 2000 years back and still lives in Estonian folk tradition. Organ-like polyphony occurs in the national anthem, which includes songs at harvest, weddings, funerals, midsummer celebrations and drinking parties. Among folk instruments, […]

Estonia has both an old and rich folk dance tradition, but not in classical ballet and other forms of stage dance. It was not until the establishment of professional theaters in Tallinn and Tartu in the latter half of the 19th century that the dance gained its first foothold in […]

The art before 1850 The art in Estonia before 1850 was influenced by the influence of Germany, Sweden and Russia. In the latter half of the 1400s, sculptor Bernt Notke was active in Tallinn. Michel Sittow, court painter at Karl 5, was born in Tallinn 1469. His paintings can be found in several of Europe’s major museums. The […]