About Estonia
Estonia is a country of start-ups and Tallinn has become one of the start-up hubs of Europe. Estonia is widely known for innovative ICT solutions,
for example in the fields of e-society development, finance services and cyber defense. But that is not all.
Estonia also has beautiful nature and the cleanest air in the world. The entire country is covered by wireless Internet, which allows you to study, work or surf the web everywhere you go.
10 QUESTIONS ABOUT ESTONIA
Question nr. 1 Where is Estonia?
Estonia is a small country located along the northeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, just south of Finland. Because of its location Estonia is considered to be an important link between East and West.
Question nr. 2 Is Estonia part of the European Union and the Schengen Zone?
Yes, Estonia is a full member state of the European Union. At the end of 2007 Estonia joined the Schengen Agreement, which provides even greater mobility amongst the European countries.
Question nr. 3 Is Estonia the world’s smallest country?
Definitely not. With an area of 45 000 sq km, Estonia is larger than many European countries, like Netherlands, Denmark and Switzerland. Estonia stretches 350km from east to west and 240 km from north to south.
Question nr.4 Do Polar bears live in Estonia?
Although Estonia is situated in Northern Europe, the nearest polar bears live more than 2000 km further north. Despite the fact that there are no polar bears living in Estonia, our wildlife is abundant: wolves, bears, lynx, wild boars, elks and otters are all
common
Question nr. 5 Does the sun ever shine in Estonia?
Much more than you could have imagined. Due to the White Nights phenomenon the sun sets around 11p.m. and rises at 4 a.m. in summer in Estonia. People in Estonia enjoy this period of the year a lot by spending time outside while grilling, swimming or just chilling in the parks, gardens or sandy beaches. The summers in Estonia are warm, the temperature sometimes reaching up to 32C degrees. The winters are moderately mild. February is usually the coldest; the temperature can go below minus 20C degrees.
Question nr. 6 Can Estonians elect the Parliament without leaving home?
Yes they can! And there is more: since Estonia is an e-Republic, there are a lot of things people can do using the Internet or cell phones, and they don’t even have to leave their homes: e-banking, e-parking, e-studying and e-voting are just some examples. Estonia’s economy is one of the fastest growing in Europe and the country has been particularly successful in information and telecommunications technology: there are lots of public internet cafes and the majority of people have computers and access to the Internet.
Question nr. 7 Are Estonians the oldest settled European peoples?
Yes they are. Estonians have been living here since approximately 2,500 B.C. and that makes them the oldest settled of European peoples.
Question nr. 8 What are Estonians like?
Estonians are third-generation city people at most, so all families have relatives living in the country. The somewhat reserved Estonian of the winter months undergoes a significant change in the summer: people start spending more time outside with their friends and relatives enjoying different activities, laughing and feeling relaxed. There is also a diverse international community in Estonia.
Question nr. 9 Why should I go to Estonia for my studies?
- Estonia is a full member of the European Union
- Great value for your money
- Developed infrastructure
- Peaceful and well-organized European country with Northern spirit
- Country with dynamic economic growth
- International community
Question nr. 10 After my studies in Estonia will I have a best friend in Brazil?
Possibly. Our international degree students come from nearly 30 different countries, Brazil, England, Japan and the Philippines are just a few of them. After graduating from TUT you’ll have not only many Estonian friends but you’ll have met and gotten to know people from all over the world. Having friends and contacts from around the world can open many doors for you to help lead to a successful career somewhere abroad.
Estonia is a country on the coast of the Baltic Sea in the northern part of Europe. Estonia shares land borders with Latvia and Russia while Finland and Sweden are our other neighbours who adjoin us from across the Baltic Sea. From Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, any point in Estonia can be reached within no more than a three-hour car ride.
Tallinn is a city that pleasantly mixes both the old and the new. Tallinn’s Old Town is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as one of the best-preserved medieval town centres in Europe. For a time in its medieval past, Tallinn was an important city in the Hanseatic League, and, as a symbol of this importance, one of its churches was the tallest building in the world for half a century. Tallinn is now once again a dynamic city on the move with a new business district with modern high rise skyscrapers, hotels and modern shopping centres just outside the Old Town district with its own medieval church spires, winding cobblestone streets and ancient fortification walls. The culture of Tallinn is characterised by European traditions, mainly Scandinavian and German, but also a Slavic influence is perceptible. Everything that you see while travelling around Estonia is inseparable from history.
Estonians, as a national group, are among the oldest continuous inhabitants of their current European homeland and were already living on the coasts of the Baltic Sea at the time when the first pyramids were erected in Egypt.
The climate in Estonia is temperate, characterised by warm summers and fairly severe winters as befitting a northern European country. Due to its long coastline with the Baltic Sea, Estonia’s weather is often breezy and humid.
Tallinn is easily accessible by air by a number of direct connections from many of the principal cities of Europe. The airport, which was recently expanded and modernized, is uniquely close to the city centre and is only a short 15 minute taxi drive from downtown Tallinn.