Estonia (also previously known as Esthonia) is a country in north-east Europe on the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. Physically, Estonia is for the most part a flat or undulating surface, the whole of the north however rises considerably above the sea and the north coast includes impressive cliffs. Estonia has numerous small lakes and minor streams and much of the surface is covered with pine, birch and alderforest. Estonia includes several islands, including Dagoe and Oesel. The official language is Estonian with Russian also spoken. The religion is mainly Lutheran.
The area of Estonia has fluctuated over history and has been variously ruled by Denmark from 1227 to 1346, by Germany from 1346 to 1558, by Sweden from 1558 to 1712 and then became part of the Russian Empire - being described by one source in 1771 as 'a province subject to Russia, on the north of Livonia'. At the start of the 20th century Estonia was being called Esthonia or Reval (after its capital, known in English as Reval, the Estonian name being Tallinn) in English and was widely considered as a self-governing state of the Russian Empire.
In 1917, following the Russian revolution Estonia was independent, until invaded by Germany, only to become independent again in 1919. In 1934 a fascist coup overthrew the government, and, following a deal between Stalin and Hitler in 1939, Estonia became part of the USSR, becoming independent again with the dissolution of the USSR in 1990. Research Estonia
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Gazetteer
Research Estonia