Estonia Internet Marketing increased to 70%

In earlier periods we witnessed the rise of radio, and then television, now with the dawn of the Internet era there has been extensive speculation about the potential consequences of this development for news, media, political campaigns, and civic society.

Internet led to a prospective transformation in the major sources of rise in online newspapers, broadband television and radio, and new forms of interaction like online forums, discussion boards. At social level, the new technologies have also proved critical to economic development in societies. An analysis based on Gemius audience research for the period of 2006 and 2008 exposes two main trends leading the Estonian Internet. It has revealed a significant increase firstly in the rate of older groups of Internet users. Furthermore, as the results indicate, secondly Estonian Internet users began to earn more.

Ninety-five percent of banking is done over the Web. Two Internet powerhouses — the Skype online phone network and the Kazaa file-sharing system — as well as the technology behind Baidu (the Chinese search engine) were invented by savvy Estonians.

Estonian citizens pay their 21 percent national flat tax online in a just few minutes. Though the bad part for the H&R Block, Estonia, with its 1.3 million population is that it has little labor to spare for paperwork.

In 2000 Estonia become the first country in the world to adopt a system of e-governance. The online system works through use of an electronic identification card. Since 2002 the card has been mandatory for all Estonia residents older than 15. The card is intended as a means of proving one's identity at any place--from banks to government offices--that normally requires identification to process forms or transactions.

The government works heavily online, with cabinet meetings run using a paperless Web-based system, and draft bills posted online for comment by citizens. More than 70 percent of Estonians now conduct their banking online, with many of them using a mobile phone service instead of a PC connection, according to a recent survey.

"It is time to say that electricity and the Internet are very similar in end users' eyes," says Veljo Haamer. In Estonia Wi-Fi is setup in cafes, hotels, hospitals, city parks, local governments, airport and even major gas stations to start offering Net access, helping to design and set up the networks


Under Tiger Leap project all Estonian schools got computers and went online. This project objective was to modernize the educational system in the country by introducing information and communication technology. And also to decrease the differences in education between the capital city and other parts of Estonia, and to give the children living on small islands equal chances to obtain more knowledge. It builds up structures for distance learning and continuous learning for teachers and students.

The Internet as a whole is an extraordinarily serious topic in Estonia. The country's policy-makers have dedicated substantial resources to modernizing Estonia's technological infrastructure over the last decade, and have been widely applauded by international economic groups for their efforts. Specifically this study would compare the social characteristics of net users in Estonia and the Baltic’s, examining the evolution of the information society and the online community.

Estonia's well-educated, wired workforce is a key asset for foreign investors, especially for its Nordic neighbours Sweden and Finland. Liberal economic policies, low taxes and low wages are also ringing the changes.


“Turnover of internet marketing in Estonia increased last year by 70%”. In this era weblog and wikis are been used in classrooms and in other field to enhance literacy and critical thinking skills. Internet is changing society and helping transformation of Estonia.

Due to low prices and a dynamic market, Estonia is booming in Internet usage. The growth of the Estonian economy has been fast and steady and today it is an attractive market for business perspectives. The basic engine for Estonia's e-revolution was the internetization of all schools in the course of the Tiger's Leap project and the development of Internet banking. In today's Estonia 66 percent of the population uses the Internet, and more than half of households have a home computer, of which 90 percent are connected to the Internet.

Internet Usage Statistics:

760,000 Internet users as of Aug./07, 57.0% of the population, according to the ITU.

Latest Population Estimate:

1,332,987 population for 2007, according to world-gazetteer.

The new information technology is becoming an important factor in the future development of financial services industry, Private sectors and especially banking industry. Advantage of new technology opportunities, change the ways customers interact with the financial services provider.

The goal of Internet in marketing is to get attention by making the product or service visible to those who search thus analyzing the wishes and habits of the target audience and since the goal is to keep them browsing. Internet doesn’t distinguish rich and poor, big and small, people and companies - everyone is equal. It’s still probably good, but better if one knows how to make oneself visible.

Visit to - Tartu University

I was so excited to visit Tartu. It is education hub of Estonia. Yesterday was the day I visted this place. It was 2 hours distance from Parnu. The journey was enjoyable on european well versed road connectivity.

Tartu visit purpose was to meet our Indian friends and see the university. As I am MBA/ PDDBA passed out, my main excitement was to meet head of that department. I got chance to meet Maaja Vadi. She is head of business administration. She gave her precious 15 mins to meet me and talked about courses. She was so learned and down to earth.

Here in my blog you will see the pics of Tartu University and the professor's wall. Seeing this I felt that all great professors are so happy and motivating students of Tartu.I liked the crowd here which I hardly see in Parnu. My whole day was fantastic. We came back at 11PM. I will always cherish this day my whole life. Wished to study at Tartu in future.

Read More about Tartu :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Tartu

http://www.ut.ee/index.aw/set_lang_id=2

Main Goal to achieve a positive population growth in Estonia

Family and population policy

The main goal of the Governing Coalition is to achieve a positive population growth in Estonia through an increase in the birth rate, longer average life expectancy and improvement of the living standards.

To that end the Governing Coalition shall plan and implement through 2007-2011 the following fiscal, economic, legal and education policy steps:

1) enable parents to stay with their small child – to that end the Governing Coalition shall extend the period of payment of the parental benefits until the child reaches the age of 18 months (i.e. by four months in comparison with the present arrangement);

2) to value the role of fathers, pay the father during the mother’s pregnancy and maternity leave or within two months after the birth of the child an additional benefit for 14 calendar days on the basis of the father’s salary similarly to the principles of payment of the parental benefit;

3) encourage the birth of third and fourth children in families – to that end the Governing Coalition shall amend laws in such a manner that as of the third child a parent receives an additional benefit at the rate of 0.5 times the parental benefit and as of the fourth child at the rate of single parental benefit (the so-called Estonian rebirth bonus is legalised). The amendments to the Parental Benefits Act shall be adopted in the first half of 2007;

4) pay 2,000 Estonian kroons a month for the third and each consecutive child as of cessation of payment of the parental benefit;

5) to provide families which have small children with care and medical assistance the state shall pay health insurance tax at the rate of 13% of the parental benefit for the parent receiving the parental benefit – the health risks of families with small children shall be insured;

6) to value raising children the annual state pension insurance coefficient of the parent staying at home shall be raised to 1 for the period following the payment of the parental benefit until the child has reached 3 years of age;

7) increase the child care allowance payable as of the cessation of payment of the parental benefit until the child reaches 3 years of age from 1,200 Estonian kroons to 1,600 Estonian kroons a month by 2009;

8) for the purpose of increasing the number of nursery school student places and contribution to payment of a minimum salary to nursery school teachers, which is equal to that of basic school teachers, create a national investment programme titled “Nursery school available to each and every child!” in the annual volume of 400 million Estonian kroons and initiate amendments to legislation, which help to reduce the deficit of nursery school student places;

9) add a provision to the Preschool Child Care Institutions Act, according to which a local authority that fails to provide a parent requesting a nursery school student place with one, shall pay the parent the so-called poll tax of the nursery school child so that the parent can arrange the provision of the child with the nursery service and general education;

100) in order to increase parents’ options upon developing their children and combining work and family life and to make the return of parents to the labour market easier, develop flexible work and child care opportunities, support employment training of the parent staying at home with the child and calculate the time spent by a parent in the parental leave as part of the length of the unemployment insurance;

11) establish national hobby school money: A poll tax of 2,000 Estonian kroons for every child of school age (6-19-year-olds) which can be used only for paying for participation in sports or hobby groups. Hobby school money shall be administered via local authorities. The goal is to keep the children away from trouble and give every child the chance to participate in at least one sports or hobby group.

12) allocate 100 million Estonian kroons in the annual state budget for compensation for the expenses of treatment of childlessness;

13) to enable children left without parental care to be raised in a family, the rate of support paid to foster families from the present level of 1,500 Estonian kroons a month to 3,000 kroons a month, i.e. to the same level as the actual costs in a children’s home;

14) pay the benefit for families with many children as of the fifth child (currently, as of the seventh child);

15) allocate 50 million Estonian kroons a year for resolution of dwelling problems of families with many children;

16) weigh the impact of the national family policy steps on the birth rate and effectiveness thereof upon contributing to raising children;

17) in order to increase the average life expectancy and living quality of the people of Estonia the state shall improve notification of HIV, drug abuse, alcoholism, smoking, traffic hooliganism, unhealthy nutrition and sedentary lifestyles, and allocates at least 20 million Estonian kroons for it annually out of the state budget. In order to reduce occupational deaths and severe injuries the state supervision over adherence to occupational safety shall be made stricter.


Read More at:http://www.valitsus.ee/?id=1468

Flag of Estonia -blue black white

There are a number of interpretations attributed to the colours of the flag. A historical interpretation of the colours has blue representing ancient freedom, black symbolizing lost independence and white, the promise of a brighter future. Another interpretation made popular by the poetry of Martin Lipp is as follows:

* blue: vaulted blue sky above the native land;
* black: attachment to the soil of the homeland as well as the fate of Estonians - for centuries black with worries;
* white: hard work and other more abstract human values;'


Read more at:
Flag_of_Estonia
History of Estonian Flag

Estonian Girls - Beautiful, Sexy and working

Why Do Foreign Men Marry Estonian Women?

Beyond these superficial glimpses at the opposite sex, there is the real phenomenon of foreign boys shacking up with Estonian girls. Some people wonder why. I'll tell you why. Because the traveling-guy-meets-exotic-foreign-female-and-settles-down-to-sire-a-multitude-of genetically-diverse-children parable is the oldest tale in the book. Ever since Fletcher Christian spied some random Polynesian teenager, mariners like ourselves have been doing it.

But why we stop in Estonia? Why not proceed through Latvia and then conquer all of Belarus? Free Wifi. No, actually, Estonian women are not alone in this regard. Across Europe Americans and Brits and others routinely partner with whomever they can. When I was living in Denmark I met two gents at a bar who were Americans that had left to evade the draft in the 1960s. They had runaway to Malmö of all places to marry Swedes and eat lingonberry jam for the rest of their lives. So I guess that is my first response: Estonia is not unique. This happens everywhere.

That being said, Estonians are amenable to marriage. They have a liberal, "eh, what the heck" approach to it and see it as a manifestation of romantic love, as opposed to the US where it has been viewed over the past 20 years or so as a phase in life that occurs sometime after a big promotion at work. In the Soviet ice age, Estonians got married young so that they could move out of their parents' homes. These days many still marry young because, "eh, what the heck" coupled sometimes by a loud "oops" and a surge in hormones.

In this context of ladies that aren't afraid to get married and wandering guys that are looking for a place to put down their roots, it shouldn't be surprising that so many foreign guys wash up on Estonian soil. A final factor is that Estonia is 54 percent female and 46 percent male, and of that 46 percent, a good chunk are either drunks or Eurovision fans, leaving the market wide-open for synergistic coupling.

Read More :http://palun.blogspot.com/2007/07/those-hot-blooded-estonian-women.html

Read this : The Myth about strong Estonian women

Resolution of the situation and its consequences for European development

In 1330-1340, several nearby and far-away rulers begun to show an interest in Estonia. As we know, Estonia belonged to Denmark at the time. In order to understand the commotion among neighbouring powers, we need to look to Danish history of the period. The kingdom was almost falling apart in the 1330s. Christopher II pawned one domain after another due to huge financial problems. The far-away Duchy of Estonia was also suitable to be offered as security for a loan.

Autor: EI
Involved dynasties of Germany, Danmark and Sweden
One of the first suitors of Estonia was Knut Porse, a nobleman who was married to the highly born Ingeborg, daughter of the Norwegian king and widow of the Swedish Duke Erik Magnusson (died in 1318). They had two sons who died in 1350. Ingeborg also had a son from her first marriage, Magnus Eriksson (born 1316) who later became the King of Sweden and Norway. These family relations are significant, because Knut Porse received the Duchy of Estonia as a fiefdom in 1329. He died the next year, in 1330, and left behind an energetic widow and three sons and heirs.

These inheritance relationships probably would not have had any effect on Estonian history, had the situation been peaceful in Denmark. However, in 1331, a battle was fought near Gottorp between Christopher II and Gerhard of Holstein where the king was defeated once again, and the next year he died in disgrace and poverty. Gerhard became the ruler. But that was not all. Namely, as far back as in 1323, Margareta, daughter of the dead king Christopher II, had been betrothed to Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg and son of Ludwig, the German Emperor. The wedding was the next year. This was a very noble marriage and expected to fill the state treasury of Denmark with German riches. But things did not work out that way. First, the promised dowry, 12,000 marks or 2.8 tons of silver, had to be paid to Ludwig. It was well known that the Danish king had no such wealth. Therefore, a number of manors in Estonia were pledged to Ludwig to cover the dowry. This was small comfort to the Margrave. When Chistopher II passed away, Ludwig’s hopes of getting his dowry dwindled to nothing – a fact that must have irritated his father, the German Emperor.

When Christopher II died, he also left a number of heirs. Besides the dowry-less daughter Margareta and her two sisters, there were three sons as well. Erik, the heir to the throne, had also died in 1332 and elder son, Danish Junker Otto, bore the title of the Duke of Estonia. It has been said that Otto took after his father in his character. Thus, in 1333, he handed, with the consent of his younger brother Valdemar, the whole of Estonia over to Margrave Ludwig instead of the dowry and gave up all his rights in the area. Despite that, Valdemar assumed the title of the Heir to the Kingdom of Denmark and the Duchy of Estonia when he became of age in 1338.

As a result, by the end of the 1330s, there were a number of lawful successors laying claim to Estonia: the heirs of Knut Porse, above all Magnus, the young King of Sweden; but also Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg and, first and foremost, Valdemar, the youngest son of Christopher II. Valdemar was raised by the house of the German Emperor and grew up to become a knight in the court of Emperor Ludwig. It seems reasonable to assume that Emperor Ludwig had great influence over Valdemar as a result of his upbringing.

In 1340, the Danes killed the hated Gerhard of Holstein in the castle of Randers and negotiations, conducted by Ludwig, the Margrave of Brandenburg, for the restoration of the Kingdom of Denmark began. The crown was inherited by Valdemar, the youngest son of Christopher II, whose first task was to buy back the pawned country.

Read More at : Estonia.org

Rainbow view at parnu - awesome

beijing2008 - Estonia won 1 Gold /1 Silver

For me every sport person from any country make me feel proud. They all deserve praise and bow. Every athlete works so hard to prove his or herself. From all around world champions participates but the best is honored by gold, silver, bronze medal.

I really liked Estonia as a country. While watching Olympics 2008 live, my family was overwhelmed with the achievement of Estonian athletes. My dad living for 9 years feels this country from heart. I am glad to know employees in his company says " Deo is our Estonian". I am proud of my dad as he speaks and understand Estonian very well despite a very hard language to learn. He was very happy, I can't express that in words. It was the same happiness when he came to know about Abhinav Bindra in shooting, India won gold medal. Today in celebration we ate ice cream, favorite one.

I found every youngster and kid has sporting spirit inside while cycling, skiing, swimming, running and many more. Everyone here are adventurous and less or more have sport attitude. Maximum you will find here are health conscious, this I liked the most.


Estonia is being represented in the Beijing Olympic Games by 47 sportsmen and sportswomen in total of 13 different sporting events.

Gold Gerd Kanter Athletics Men's Discus throw
Silver Jüri Jaanson/ Tõnu Endrekson Rowing Men's Double Sculls


You know what most excited me that Tonu is from Parnu, Estonia. I am living and known to this place in Estonia.
You can visit here to chek the medalists in the official site of http://results.beijing2008.cn

Recession arrives in Estonia - first of the Baltic states

he Baltic states' economies - last year among Europe's fastest growing - have abruptly gone into reverse and Estonia is already in recession, official figures confirmed yesterday.

The downturn in the three states is a grave blow to their hopes of swiftly catching up with the rest of the European Union. Even Estonia, the richest of the three, still only has a gross domestic product per capita of about three quarters of the EU average. "The key thing is that it's only going to get worse from now on," Neil Shearing of Capital Economics, who forecasts a 2.5 per cent full-year decline in Estonian GDP, said.

The country's economy contracted 0.9 per cent in the second quarter compared to the first, during which there was also a 0.5 per cent quarter-on- quarter decline, according to the statistics office. A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth.

Latvia is also poised to enter recession by the end of the year and Lithuanian growth is also slowing sharply, though it is likely to escape recession.

Both in Latvia and Estonia policymakers are now scrambling to revise their economic forecasts downwards and to balance budgets that are set to go into the red because of falling tax revenue. Source

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/21072/

Top 100 companies - 2006 - 2007

Gild bankers did market research and compiled this report in 2007.
Top 5 companies

1) hansapank
2) Eesti Energia
3) SEB Eest Ühispank, AS
4) Eesti Telekom, AS
5) Tallink Grupp, AS

Just read more if interested in this report top 100 companies

Click this image to enlarge view -

My visit to Altex, Tallinn

My parents want me to be with them in Estonia. I am over with my education and they feel i can get my profile job to work here. So, felt I should try as I see my mom not well and she needs me or my bro (Nirnay pursuing Btech IT) with her.

Estonia is good place peace, purity everything you will find here. But u can't live idle, its too boring. No Indian channels, community its really difficult to plan your day. In weekends I go out for recreation even I joined shaping class but not visit daily. So I think to make yourself busy and easy here, u should have some job or some home creative work.

I started my search by mailing my candidature to reputed companies. I have long list of top 100 companies but very few are in Internet marketing field and Altex is one of them. They called me for interview, i felt honored to get response at least.

I was ready at 10 Am as meet up was scheduled at 3PM, Tallinn. It is approx 2 hours distance from Parnu. It was rainy day, and car driver by mistake filled petrol ( "bensiin" in Estonian that day I came to know). It killed 2 hours waiting for another car from dad company. He(driver) was very upset for his mistake, no problem he is human afterall rite!!!. Anyways he is nice human and perform his duties responsibly.

hmmmmmmmm........ Atlast with the help of GPS (global positioning system which earlier just known the definition saw it in real how it fucntions, found it great :-) ). Reached the complex of Altex Group of 10 people in team were working hard in rented flat. I was so happy to see them and their dedication towards work. Past memory reflashed of 1Softsolution, website development company started with people of 5 in small rented room not even flat... days and night hard work paid 1Soft team...now they have their office in sec 16 and 100 of projects worked world wide and good clientèle.

Heads of Altex they were so kind and nice that all my nervousness was out. All talks was genuine, atlast I am foreigner here.I need work permit!!!! You can visit them and their expertise areas here at their company website but all is in estonian accept this page Internet marketing Agency

Then around 6 PM I had yummy cuisine in Indian restro owned by an Indian owner, Mr Pradeep Gupta. It was beautifully interiored, frankly speaking i liked the service part best. Beautiful english speaking gal wid sparkling dress and bright smile was centre of attraction.
I had there paneer pakora, thai vegetable, veg biryani, naan, cheese naan, panner saag, and juice. I was feeling as if I am in India same taste and flavor.
I came late till 11 PM. overall I slept with good experience and learning.

May be next week i will go again, I am again called by other good company. Will surely share that visit too.. after all they are Estonian companies..

Dont know estonian??? do not worry I have listed english online news on estonia

Tere (hello),

I have searched and found three english news website for reading daily news around baltics and estonia.

www.momoestonia.com

www.baltictimes.com

www.baltlantis.com

www.balticbusinessnews.com

these days i see so many banners of www.posttimes.ee nice site but in estonian and russian.

Hope i will learn soon this sweet language...bbye

know about viljandi - estonia

is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in southern Estonia bordering Pärnu, Järva, Jõgeva, Tartu and Valga counties. 4.2% of the total population of Estonia live in Viljandi County.

Economy of Estonia - last five years

2005 - source
The Estonian economy is growing quickly, partly due to several Scandinavian companies relocating their operations to the country, and to Russian oil transit through Estonian ports. Estonia also has a thriving information technology sector, and trade with the West is strong. The country’s unemployment rate was just 7.9% in 2005 and around Tallinn the rate was impressively about 0%.

Other than oil-shale, which is present in significant quantities and provides the basis of the country’s power generation, Estonia has few raw materials of its own and relies mostly on imported commodities to produce finished goods. However, Estonia’s infrastructure, particularly the road network, is well-developed by regional standards.

2007
Economy_of_Estonia

History on Estonia

Estonia Short History for you all:


Estonians speak a Finno-Ugrian language closely related to Finnish, and distantly to Hungarian. Estonian has no relation to Russian, German, English or any of the Indo-European language family. Estonia was first settled in 2,000 B.C. and remained a independent nation until the 13th century A.D. In 1193 the Pope called for a crusade against the Baltics and the country was overrun by Danish and German knights by 1220. The situation oscillated many times until the Swedish kingdom took control of the majority of the country in 1561. Their rule lasted until 1710 when Estonia was given over to the Russian empire who ruled until 1918 when Estonian independence was asserted.

Freedom lasted until 1940 when the country was retaken under the pretense of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact between Nazi Germany and the Stalinist regime. In the course of the war, Estonia fell under the occupation of Germany for three years. In 1944 Stalin retook the country, and the doors fell shut for the next fifty years. Estonia would not see independence again until 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended. Since the reestablishment of independence the nation has been rapidly transforming and adapting to the modern world. Today Estonia boasts the most successful economy of the former Soviet region.source


You can vist this sites
http://www.balticsww.com/tourist/estonia/history.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Estonia

in wikipedia it is indetailed explain about decades.

Well i am interested in modern estonia. so wat i read in wikipedia its hear.

Independent Estonia

* 24 February 1918 Estonian Declaration of Independence
* 3 March 1918 Treaty of Brest-Litovsk Bolshevist Russia cedes sovereignty over Estonia to Germany
* 11 November 1918 Germans begin withdrawal and turn over power to the provisional government of Estonia (headed by Konstantin Päts)
* 1918-1920 Estonian War of Independence
* 22 November 1918 Estonia is invaded by Bolshevist Russian forces
* Jan 1919 Bolsheviks were driven out
* 10 October 1919 Agrarian Law passed redistributing many of the estates owned by Baltic Germans
* 2 February 1920 Treaty of Tartu which gave Estonia recognition by Soviet Russia
* June 15, 1920 Adoption of Constitution
* Sept 1922 Estonia joins League of Nations
* 14 October-16 1933 plebiscite in favour of constitutional reform giving wide powers to a new office of the president
* 24 January 1934 New constitution in effect and immediate attempt at a coup by the League of Liberators
* March 12, 1934 In the aftermath of the coup attempt, Konstantin Päts with the help of General Johan Laidoner set up a virtual dictatorship. Parliament was prorogued and political parties were banned. Many members of the Liberators were arrested.
* Dec 1935 another coup attempt by the Liberators
* 23 February-25 a second plebiscite on the constitution of 1934 and the vote was 3-1 in favour of getting rid of the 1934 constitution
* July 29, 1937 a new constitution in force with civil liberties and democracy restored but with a very strong presidency
* 24 February 1938 election sees National Front winning 63 seats and all the opposition winning 17 seats
* 24 April 1938 Konstantin Päts elected president
* 1938 - Kaarel Eenpalu becomes prime minister of Estonia
* 1939 - Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact: Hitler and Stalin agree to divide Europe between themselves (Finland, Estonia, Latvia and eastern Poland to the USSR; Lithuania and western Poland to Germany).
* 1939 - Jüri Uluots becomes prime minister of Estonia.
* 1940 - Soviet Army enters Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia.
* 1940 - Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR and Lithuanian SSR are proclaimed.
* 1940 - Lithuanian SSR, Latvian SSR (August 5) and Estonian SSR (August 6) are incorporated into the Soviet Union.
* 1941 - Mass deportations by Soviet Union authorities take place in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
* 1941 - World War II: German troops take over Estonia from the Soviets.
* 1941 - World War II: Luftwaffe bombing of an Estonian steamer with 3500 Soviet-mobilized Estonian men on board, killing 598 of them.
* 1941 - Self-government of Estonia, headed by Hjalmar Mäe, is appointed by German military administration.
* 1944 - WWII: Soviet Army planes attack Narva in Estonia, destroying almost the entire old town.
* 1944 - WWII: Soviet Army planes attack Tallinn, Estonia.
* 1944 - WWII: Jüri Uluots, prime minister in capacity of president of Estonia, asks Otto Tief to form a government on the eve of the withdrawal of German forces; official gazette published proclaiming the Tief government.
* 1944 - Otto Tief attempts to organise the defence of Tallinn against the arrival of the Red Army two days later.
* 1944 - Otto Tief captured by Soviet forces; Jüri Uluots and members of the Tief government escape to Sweden.
* 1944 - The entire territory of Estonia is taken over by the Red Army.
* 1949 - An extensive deportation campaign was conducted in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Soviet authorities deported more than 92,000 people from the Baltics to remote areas of the Soviet Union.
* 1955 - Estonian Television (ETV) begins broadcasting.
* 1978 - The last Forest Brother guerilla movement fighter is discovered and killed in Estonia.
* 1980 - Youth riots in the capital of the Soviet Republic of Estonia are quickly forced down.
* 1988 - In Estonia, 300,000 demonstrate for independence.
* 1988 - The Supreme Soviet of the Estonian SSR declares that Estonia is "sovereign" but stops short of declaring independence.
* 1988 - Estonian becomes the official language of Estonia.
* 1989 - After 44 years, the Estonian flag is raised on the Pikk Hermann castle tower.
* 1989 - Two million indigenous people of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, then still occupied by the Soviet Union, join hands to demand freedom and independence, forming an uninterrupted 600 km human chain called the Baltic Way.
* 1991 - Latvia and Estonia vote for independence from the Soviet Union.
* 1991 - Collapse of the Soviet Union: Estonia declares its independence from the Soviet Union.
* 1991 - The United States recognizes the independence of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
* 1991 - The Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the Baltic States.
* 1992 - In Estonia, the kroon replaces the Soviet ruble.
* 1992 - Estonia holds a referendum on its constitution.
* 1992 - Heinrich Mark and the government in exile appointed by him cede their credentials to the newly elected Riigikogu.
* 1992 - Lennart Meri becomes the first president of re-independent Estonia.
* 1994 - The Russian army leaves Estonia.
* 1994 - The car ferry MS Estonia sinks in the Baltic Sea, killing 852.
* 2001 - 68 people die in Estonia after drinking bootleg alcohol that contained methanol.
* 2002 - Estonia hosts the first Eurovision Song Contest in a former Soviet republic.
* 2002 - North Atlantic Treaty Organization Summit in Prague: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are invited to join NATO.
* 2003 - Estonia approves joining the European Union in a referendum.
* 2004 - The largest expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to date takes place, allowing Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia into the organization.
* 2004 - The largest expansion to date of the European Union takes place, extending the Union by 10 member-states: Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus.
* 2005 - The same storm which pounded the U.S. earlier in the month hits England, Scandinavia and the Baltic States, leaving 13 dead with widespread flooding and power cuts.
* 2005 - A passenger helicopter en route to Helsinki, Finland crashes into the sea near Tallinn, Estonia, killing 14.
* 2006 - Toomas Hendrik Ilves is elected President of Estonia.
* 2007 - Parliamentary elections take place in Estonia.
* 2007 - Russians riot in Tallinn, Estonia, about moving the Bronze Soldier. Two nights of rioting leave one dead. Cyber attacks launched against Estonia.

Beautiful flowers

LATVIA - RIGA TOUR

Latvia another beautiful country in europe