[e-stoh-nee-uh, e-stohn-yuh] 
| a republic in N Europe, on the Baltic, S of the Gulf of Finland: an independent republic 1918–40; annexed by the Soviet Union 1940; regained independence 1991. 1,444,721; 17,413 sq. mi. (45,100 sq. km). Capital: Tallinn. |
Republic on the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the south, Russia to the east, and, separated by the Gulf of Finland, Finland to the north. Estonia also includes several hundred small islands in the Baltic. Its capital and largest city is Tallinn.
Note: Although more closely related by race, language, culture, and history to Scandinavia and Germany than to Russia, after 1721 Estonia was subject to Russian rule. The country briefly achieved independence in the years between World War I and World War II. It resisted integration with the Soviet Union but was forcibly annexed in 1940. In 1991, Estonia was one of the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence as the communist system and the Soviet Union collapsed.
ni