Estonia is one of Europe’s most sparsely populated, and least well-known, nations. While the Main Event trundles towards the dinner break (we’re near the end of Level 4 now, with 120/127 players remaining; dinner after Level 5) we’ve dug up some fun facts about this curious country for your edification.
– Estonia has not one but two Independence Days – one commemorating independence from the Russian Empire in 1918 and the other commemorating independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
– Estonia is among the least religious countries in the world, with only 14% of the population believing in any kind of god.
– There are 7,000 rivers in Estonia, or one for every 186 Estonians.
– Tallinn was the location of the world’s first ever Christmas tree, in 1441. A society called the Blackheads set up a tree in the Town Hall square, decorated it, reportedly got drunk and danced with girls around it, and then set fire to the tree afterwards. Much like a modern Christmas at home with the family, then.
– Skype was developed in Estonia, as was Hotmail.
– Tallinn is so keen on recycling that the city centre boasts benches made out of 13,000 mobile phones.
– Estonia has the highest per-capita number of meteorite craters of any country on earth, so WATCH OUT.
