Estonia and Estonians 2008 Piret Linnamäe The

Estonia and Estonians 2008 Piret Linnamäe

The Estonian national flag

The Estonian coat of arms

Capital: Tallinn Population over 400 000 people

Language: Estonian • Estonian is very close to Finnish

The Estonian national anthem My Native Land, My Pride and Joy (Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm) • Composed in 1848 by Friedrich Pacius. • The Estonian language words were written by Johann Voldemar Jannsen.

The cornflower is Estonian national flower

The barn swallow is Estonian national bird

Area: 45 227 sq km

Estonia and Europe

The highest point in Estonia and also in the Baltic states is Suur Munamägi (318 m) The lookout tower

Lake Peipsi (3555 sq km) is the biggest in Estonia and the fourth biggest in Europe

The longest rivers are Võhandu (162 km) and Pärnu (144 km)

Population: 1, 4 million people • • • Estonians 65% Russians 28% Ukrainians 2, 5% Belorussians 1, 5% Finns 1% Others about 2%

National holiday: 24 February (anniversary of the republic)

The President of the republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Mrs Evelin Ilves

The President and the First Lady at home

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip

There are 15 counties in Estonia

Rapla - the capital of Rapla county Population: 5618 people (01. 08) The flag of Rapla parish The emblem of Rapla parish

Rapla from the plane

Rapla church (built in 1901, one of only two churches in Estonia with twin towers)

The oldest house in Rapla – the pastor´s house

Rapla stone bridge (built in the end of 19 th century)

Alu Population: 886 people (01. 08)

Alu manor house (built 1862 -1868)

Alu park and the ponds

Folk dancers in Rapla costumes. Folk dance and singing is very popular in Estonia.

The first all-Estonian Song Festival took place in Tartu in 1869

Folk costumes are always in fashion Tallinn 2007

Estonian traditional food • • • black bread (must leib) potatoes (kartulid) pork (sealiha) blood sausages (verivorstid) sauerkraut (hapukapsas) headcheese (sült) anchovy with spices (vürtsikilu) sour milk with grain flour (kama) smoked sprats in oil (sprotid)

Blood sausages, pork, potatoes, sauerkraut and lingonberry jam – Estonian Christmas meal

Shrove Tuesday always means pea or bean soup and buns with whipped cream

Birthday cake with fresh strawberries – a must in summer