Estonia trivia: 44 questions and answers

Tallinn. Tallinn is the capital and by far the largest city, on the Gulf of Finland in the north.

True. True. The euro replaced the Estonian kroon on 1 January 2011, making Estonia the 17th eurozone member.

Latvia and Russia. Latvia and Russia are Estonia's only land neighbours. Finland lies across the Gulf of Finland, about 80 km from Tallinn.

318 metres. Suur Munamägi is 318 metres high. Estonia is very flat, with an average height of only about 50 metres.

24 February. 24 February marks the declaration of independence in 1918. 20 August 1991 is the day independence was restored.

Denmark. King Valdemar II of Denmark defeated the Estonians at Lindanise in 1219. A Danish legend says the Danish flag fell from the sky during the battle.

True. True. King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden signed the university's founding act in 1632.

A human chain of about two million people across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The Baltic Way was a human chain of about two million people across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, about 675 km long, protesting peacefully against Soviet rule.

True. True. Huge crowds sang patriotic songs, and independence was restored on 20 August 1991.

Pearl barley. Mulgipuder is potatoes mashed with pearl barley and topped with fried pork. A lot of barley is grown in the Mulgimaa region.

Spiced sprats and a slice of boiled egg. A kiluvõileib is rye bread with butter, spiced sprats and a slice of boiled egg, a must on Independence Day.

Christmas. Verivorst is a traditional Christmas food, usually baked in the oven and eaten with lingonberry jam.

True. True. Kama flour is already roasted, so it is simply mixed with buttermilk, kefir or milk, often with sugar and berries.

False. False. Vana Tallinn ('Old Tallinn') is a liqueur made with Jamaican rum, herbs and spices, produced since 1960.

Braided. The Estonian kringel is traditionally braided, a sweet yeast ring often flavoured with cardamom.

Terviseks. 'Terviseks' means 'to health'. 'Head isu' is said before eating, 'aitäh' means thank you and 'nägemist' means goodbye.

Pärnu. Pärnu, on the Gulf of Riga, has been a resort since 1838 and is known as the Summer Capital.

True. True. Tartu, home to Estonia's oldest university, was a European Capital of Culture in 2024.

The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn. The Historic Centre (Old Town) of Tallinn has been on the list since 1997. The Struve Geodetic Arc is Estonia's other site.

The Estonian parliament. Toompea Castle houses the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, and the national flag flies from its Tall Hermann tower.

Tsar Peter the Great. Tsar Peter the Great built Kadriorg for his wife Catherine; the name means 'Catherine's valley'.

True. True. A meteorite broke up and struck Saaremaa, by the main estimate about 3,500 years ago, leaving nine craters.

False. False. The Orthodox cathedral was built in 1894 to 1900, when Estonia was part of the Russian Empire.

Ivangorod. The Russian fortress of Ivangorod faces Hermann Castle across the Narva river, where the border runs today.

Skype. Skype was written by four Estonian developers and first released in 2003. Microsoft retired it in 2025.

True. True. Estonia first used internet voting in its local elections in 2005, and in 2023 more than half of the votes were cast online.

Big Egg Mountain. Suur Munamägi means 'Big Egg Mountain', after its round shape.

Swing a giant swing all the way over the top. In kiiking you swing a giant swing all the way over the top in a full circle. It was invented by Ado Kosk in 1993.

Finnish. Estonian and Finnish are closely related Finnic languages. Latvian, Russian and Swedish are Indo-European.

Blue, black, white. The flag is blue, black and white, and Estonians call it 'sinimustvalge', blue-black-white.

False. False. Estonia has 2,355 islands, counting those in lakes and rivers, and the largest is Saaremaa.

The barn swallow. The barn swallow is Estonia's national bird, and the cornflower is the national flower.

Thank you. 'Aitäh' means thank you. 'Tänan' is another way to say it.

Ei. 'Ei' means no and 'jah' means yes. 'Palun' means please and 'tere' means hello.

Tomorrow. 'Homme' means tomorrow, and 'täna' means today.

Tere. 'Tere' is hello. 'Terviseks' is cheers, 'head ööd' is good night and 'appi' means help.

The bill, please. 'Arve, palun' means 'The bill, please'.

True. True. 'Head isu' is the Estonian way of wishing everyone at the table a good meal.

Kui palju see maksab?. 'Kui palju see maksab?' asks the price. The others ask for the toilet, how someone is and whether they speak English.

A small reflector. Pedestrians must wear a small reflector in the dark, which matters most on country roads in winter.

112. 112 is the emergency number all over Estonia.

True. True. Headlights must always be on, seat belts are compulsory and the drink-driving rules are very strict.

False. False. Unmarked taxis are illegal. Use taxis with 'TAKSO' signs, a price list and a meter, or book through an app.

About 10%. About 10% is usual in restaurants for good service, and taxi drivers often keep the change.