Estonia officially the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti Vabariik), is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia and to the east by the Russian Federation. The territory of Estonia covers 45,227 km2 and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. The Estonians are a Finnic people, and the Estonian language is closely related to Finnish.
The modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his book Germania (ca. 98 AD) described a people called the Aestii. Human settlement in Estonia became possible 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted away.
Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The country's highest point is the Suur Munamägi in the southeast at 318 meters. Average temperatures range from 16.3 °C on the Baltic islands to 18.1 °C inland in July, the warmest month, and from −3.5 °C on the Baltic islands to −7.6 °C inland in February, the coldest month. The average annual temperature in Estonia is 5.2 °C. The average precipitation in 1961–1990 ranged from 535 to 727 mm per year. Snow cover, which is deepest in the south-eastern part of Estonia, usually lasts from mid-December to late March. Estonia has over 1,400 lakes. Tallinn is the capital and the largest city of Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia, along the Gulf of Finland.
The modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his book Germania (ca. 98 AD) described a people called the Aestii. Human settlement in Estonia became possible 11,000 to 13,000 years ago, when the ice from the last glacial era melted away.
Estonia lies on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The country's highest point is the Suur Munamägi in the southeast at 318 meters. Average temperatures range from 16.3 °C on the Baltic islands to 18.1 °C inland in July, the warmest month, and from −3.5 °C on the Baltic islands to −7.6 °C inland in February, the coldest month. The average annual temperature in Estonia is 5.2 °C. The average precipitation in 1961–1990 ranged from 535 to 727 mm per year. Snow cover, which is deepest in the south-eastern part of Estonia, usually lasts from mid-December to late March. Estonia has over 1,400 lakes. Tallinn is the capital and the largest city of Estonia. It lies on the northern coast of Estonia, along the Gulf of Finland.
