Natural Factors In Estonia

Rural Tourism

The development of rural tourism has been fast on the uptake in recent years and more and more people come to Estonia for peace and quiet.

Winter tourism such as ice-fishing on Lake Peipsi, the fifth largest lake in Europe, skiing and snowboarding or “skilanglauf” in the hills surrounding the winter capital, Otepää, make Estonia a highly desirable winter holiday destination. In summer, tourists flock westwards to Estonia’s ‘Summer Capital’ at Pärnu to enjoy its white beaches and warm climate.

As part of the East-European Plain, Estonia is characterised by a flat surface with the exception of the Otepää region in the south where Suur Munadmägi (Big Eggmountain) forms the highest “mountain”, (316 metres) as the highest point in all the Baltic States.

A lesser known fact about Estonia is that it possesses more than 1,500 islands that are home to a large variety of bird species. Although relatively small, Estonia boasts no less than 5 National Parks with huge forests offering great opportunities for hikers, while the coastal areas are most popular with birdwatchers.

The government of Estonia realizes the importance of preserving the country’s natural heritage and actively promotes eco-tourism and harmony between man and nature.

World Heritage Sites

The UNESCO world heritage organisation lists the following sites in Estonia:

• The historic centre of Tallinn known as the ‘Old Town’
• The Struve Geodetic arc
• Kuresaare Fortress
• Baltic Klint
• Soomaa National Park
• Wooded meadows (in various regions)

Languages

The official language is Estonian, but Russian is still spoken by much of the population. Around the larger towns most people speak English and some older citizens also speak German.

Geographic Location

Estonia’s geographic location makes it ideally suited as a transit country for all routes by land and sea to and from Russia.
The industrial port of Muuga in the north is well geared for the transit of oil, soja, oil scale and cacao to name a few, while the Port of Tallinn is one of the most frequented cruise ship destinations in Europe.

Climate

Estonia has a temperate climate with four seasons of equal length, comprising relatively warm summers and cold winters.

The lowest temperature recorded was -43°C in 1940 near the town of Jõgeva and the highest recorded temperature was 36.5°C near the town of Võru in 1992.

In summer, daylight hours can last as long as 19 hours while in winter they might be just 6 hours. The longest day, or Jaanipäev, is celebrated throughout the Baltics and Scandinavia on 23 June. In Estonia it does not really get dark on this day and most people light bonfires and stay up all night.

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