When it comes to Estonia, one might think that this country, which has been invaded countless times, is having a very confused and bad life. Because for a long time, Estonia has been occupied and ruled by Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Prussia, Russia and other countries. Among them, it has been occupied by Russia for the longest time, reaching more than 200 years. It is true that small countries are vulnerable to bullying.
What kind of country is Estonia and how can it become a digital power?
As one of the three Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), Estonia is located in the northeast of Europe, bordering Russia to the east, Latvia to the south, the Baltic Sea to the west, and the Gulf of Finland to the north, with a land area of about 45,000 square kilometers and a population of about 1.31 million, with the capital of Tallinn. Latvia is a multi-ethnic country, with 68.7% of ethnic Latvians and 24.8% ethnic Russians, mainly Christian, Lutheran and Orthodox Christians.
Estonia is bordered by Russia to the east, Latvia to the south, the Gulf of Riga to the southwest, and the Gulf of Finland to the north. The coastline is 3,794 km long and the border line is 1,445 km long. Most of the whole territory is a low flat moraine plain, there are more than 800 islands, the rivers in the territory are short, the river water is shallow, mainly there are Narva River, Pärnu River, etc., many lakes, swamps are widely spread, the main lakes are Chud Lake, Walz Lake. It is a temperate continental humid climate, with an annual precipitation of 600~700 mm.
1. Estonia covers an area of 45,000 square kilometers, nearly half of the land is covered by forests, and is one of the countries with the highest green rate in Europe.
2. Young people in Estonia nowadays, in addition to speaking their native Estonian, are also very fluent in English. And all of them speak Russian. I often listen to our colleagues explain to us in English the meaning of some of our Chinese names in Russian, and every time I chat with them, it is very fun.
3. Estonia's basic education level is among the best, and domestic students around the age of 15 rank fifth, eighth and fourth respectively in reading, mathematics and other natural science fields in the world, and their comprehensive quality is NO.1 in Europe. Of course, this can't be compared with China, and it is estimated that in Asia, he may not be able to rank first.
4. In Estonia and other European countries, computer programming is a compulsory subject after children are 5 years old! I only learned this after I arrived in Tallinn. They attach great importance to the training of information technology. That's why Estonia is also the country with the highest level of digital work in the world. In Estonia, only marriage, divorce, real estate sales can not be handled online, and the rest can handle various businesses online without leaving home, the world's popular Skype was born here, and now the Estonian government has begun to study AI governance (unimaginable)!
5. Estonia often holds a very distinctive sauna marathon, which originated from Finland's back wife race, which generally uses the Estonian style back method, with the big head down, and the hot face against the cold ass!
6. In a small village on the Adriatic coast of Estonia, there is a hundred-year-old tree, its uniqueness is that regardless of spring, summer, autumn and winter, this ancient tree will spew spring water from the tree hole every day, the local villagers feel that this is a gift from God, is a gift from God, this tree is used to bless their sacred tree, so many people worship it.
7. In the hearts of Estonians, Tallinn is their cultural heart, this medieval ancient city, known as the best preserved medieval city in northern Europe, has been included in the United Nations World Cultural Heritage List early, and the literary and artistic atmosphere is extremely strong.
8. In 1938, on the beach of Juminda in Estonia, people found a toad man with chicken breasts, flat beaks and round heads, and when it found that someone was following, it quickly jumped into the Baltic Sea, and the speed was so fast that people could barely see their legs, which was probably the first case of witnessing people under the sea!
9. As one of the three Baltic sisters, Estonia, cultural Xi is very similar to Finland, the language is similar, and there is sauna culture, Estonians are the same as Finns, especially like saunas, I have been to my colleagues a few times, that feeling, can not be said to be too good!
10. The difference between unmarried women and married ladies, in traditional Estonian wear, there are many varieties of national costumes, characterized by bright colors and complex and beautiful patterns. Married women generally like to wear an apron (national costume, not an apron from the kitchen) outside, and unmarried women are forbidden to wear it.
11. Estonians are particularly fond of stamp collecting, Estonians are the country with the most stamp collectors per capita in the world, whether they are collectors or ordinary residents, they like to collect stamps from all over the world.
12. Expectant mothers in Estonia have a long vacationEstonian women can enjoy 600 days of vacation after giving birth, of which 475 days are paid, which is the most in the world.
Estonia has a relatively developed industry and is one of the union republics of the Soviet Union with a high level of economic development. Industrial output accounts for more than 60% of GDP. The main industrial sectors are the refining of liquid fuels and gas, metalworking, machine building, light industry and the food industry, all of which were well known in the former Soviet Union. Animal husbandry dominates agriculture and mainly raises dairy cows, beef cattle and pigs. The coastal area has a well-developed fishery. Oil, coal and natural gas are dependent on the republics of the former Soviet Union, and 43 per cent of food is imported.
The World Bank classifies Estonia as a high-income country and is known as the "Baltic Tiger" due to its developed economy. Estonia has the third highest number of startups per capita in Europe. Estonia absorbs far more foreign capital than foreign investment, only in and out, and belongs to the iron rooster.
The average monthly salary of Estonians is more than 1,440 euros, about 10,000 yuan, and the unemployment rate is low, and women have paid maternity leave for more than a year. Estonia is a high-welfare state, with almost free public transport, health care and education, and a subsidy of 700 euros per year from birth to 18 years of age. According to UNESCO, Estonia has one of the highest adult literacy rates in the world, reaching 99.8%.
Oil shale and limestone are abundant, accounting for 80% of the exploitation of oil shale in the former Soviet Union, as well as natural resources such as phosphorite, peat, and building materials. Forests cover 36% of the country's land area. The power industry is well developed, and more than 90% of the electricity is provided by coal-fired power stations that burn oil shale.
Mechanical products include instruments, radio equipment, motors, etc. Information technology, wood processing and paper industries are well developed. Food processing mainly produces smoked pork, fish products and dairy products. Livestock is the dominant sector of agriculture, accounting for 70 per cent of the total value of agricultural output. The main crops are barley, rye, wheat, potatoes and vegetables;
Transportation is dominated by rail and road, and air and water transportation are also well developed. The total length of railways is 1,800 km, of which 264 km are electrified. The total length of the highway is 52,037 km. Air Estonia has 70 civil aviation airports in Tallinn, Tartu, Kulesar, Keirdra, etc. Ferries also operate between mainland Estonia and the islands. The Tallinn Port Authority has jurisdiction over the port, Muka port and Supuli port, with an annual throughput of 11.943 million tons. Trading partners are Russia, Finland, Latvia, Ukraine, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, Poland, etc.
How did Estonia become a digital powerhouse?
In the early 90s of last century, the Estonian government actively promoted the construction of information technology infrastructure while vigorously promoting computer education. With one generation planning and the next generation perfect, today Estonia is a global leader in digitalization: more than 99% of banking transactions are completed online, 96% of citizens file their personal income tax online, all car owners pay for parking with their mobile phones, and citizens' electronic medical records and prescriptions are connected nationwide. Since 2000, government meetings have been paperless, free Wi-Fi has been available in most parts of the country since 2002, and in 2005 it became the first country in the world to hold online voting, and in 2007 it used online voting for the first time in parliamentary elections.
The ease of access to digital public services provides the best environment for innovation and entrepreneurship: there are the world's fastest broadband speeds and the largest number of emerging companies per capita in Europe. Data shows that 15% of Estonia's GDP comes from high technology. The world's famous social software Skype and Kazaa (early file sharing network) were born and applied to Estonia, and Skype's European branch is located in Tallinn.
In 2011, Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in cash, which further sparked Estonians' entrepreneurial enthusiasm. Today, more than 200 IT companies are gathered in the Tallinn Technopark, and in the Tallinn University of Technology's Entrepreneurship Incubation Park, which is just across the wall from the park, tens of thousands of students put their innovative ideas into practice, and it is said that 1 in 5 Estonians choose to start a business
Overall, Estonia is a small but beautiful country with an advanced digital economy and society, as well as a focus on environmental protection and the preservation of cultural heritage, making it a country worth visiting.