What is the Capital of Estonia? Tallinn is the capital and main port city of Estonia. It lies 80 km south of the capital of Finland, Helsinki, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The capital city of Estonia, the most northerly of the three Baltic countries, is the capital city of Tallinn.
Tallinn is at the junction of the Baltic Sea with the Gulf of Finland. Before the Estonia won independence in 1918, the name of the city was Raval. Raval is supposed to come from German “rehfall” which means “fall of the god, death”.
When did Tallinn Become the Capital?
In the 9th and 10th centuries the concentration of trade in the Gulf of Finland has been a turning point for Tallinn merchants. Tallinn city facilitated the increase of trade between Russia and Scandinavian countries. Between 1219-1227 and 1238-1346, Tallinn, which belonged to the Kingdom of Denmark, was ruled by the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1710, and between 1710 and 1917, it was under the rule of Tsardom of Russia.
Protestantism spreading from Germany to the world in the 10th century also affected Estonia. In 1918 Estonia declared its independence and the capital took the name of Tallinn. The first country to grant independence to draw Estonia to Russia is Russia, but in 1940, Estonia becomes Russian domination again. Moreover, this time it is governed by communism. The Nazis invaded Tallinn in 1941-44, but the Soviet Union prevailed and the country is again governed by communism until 1991.
For centuries, Russia claimed that the Estonians were of Russian origin and that their languages came from Russia, as they maintained imperialist policies in both the Tsarist period and the communist regime. However, neither the Estonian people nor the Estonian language are related to Russian. Since 1991, when Communism ended in the Old Continent, Estonia is now a country that is independent and has kept up with Western democracies.
Features of Tallinn
It has a population of 394,000 by 2018. The surface area is 159.3 square kilometers. Estonia, located to the north-most of the Baltic countries in the north-east of Europe, is known for its mild climate and relatively harsh weather conditions. The average temperatures are 17 degrees in summer and -5 degrees in winter.
Because of the rains and weather conditions, the Estonian vegetation also adapts itself to natural conditions. For this reason, forests cover almost a third of the country. A wide variety of plants and trees grow in the forests. There are also fir trees, birches, pine trees and flickering poplars among the tree varieties and plant species. On the other hand, not only forests, marshlands and meadows are the natural vegetation of Estonia.
A wide variety of animals such as bears, foxes, badgers, deer, rabbits, wild boar also live in Estonian climatic conditions and vegetation.
Important Places to See in Tallinn
All of the tourist spots you will see in the city will take you to the heart of the Middle Ages and show you how the city has a long history. At the beginning of the place to see in Tallin; Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Old Town and Toompea Castle.