Estonia is a Northern European country that has suffered more than its fair share of occupation. Centuries ago, Estonia had to deal with rule by the Danish, then the Swedish, and—more recently—the Soviet Union. However, despite these challenges, Estonia has thrived and came into its own as an independent, democratic country. Learn, Share, Subscribe ------------------------------------------------ Watch the entire series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbZJ71IJGFRTa_XMM9a4hDh2Yo9CsZzOR Follow: https://plus.google.com/+blinder00 https://twitter.com/Sebastian2Go https://www.facebook.com/official7facts ------------------------------------------------ In this brief video you can find seven little known facts about Estonia. Where is Estonia? It is one of the 3 baltic states in Northern Europe. Estonia’s population is small, but the country that used to be part of the Soviet Union is now a flourishing, modern nation. More information about the video content bellow: 1. In the capital of Estonia, Tallinn, the local political leadership came up with to offer free public transportation to anyone who is a registered resident of his city. Despite the costs to the city for providing the initial transport, it also means more people register as residents. This, in turn, means more tax revenue for Tallinn’s administration. Not only that, but because people can move so freely and cheaply around the city, it appears the program, at least initially, is actually improving the business of local shop owners. Due to the program, more people are using public transport and fewer cars are on the road. 2. Back in the early days of the Internet there was a file-sharing service that emerged, called Kazaa, and it was actually designed by Estonians, who ended up selling the rights to the product they had created. Years later, it was again Estonian programmers that took what Kaaza had done for file-sharing, but arrived at a genius idea of mixing it with voice calling. This meant people could make practically free calls, voice or otherwise, as long as they had an Internet connection. A technological revolution was born. While there are similar services now, Skype is still the original, and a source of national pride for Estonians. 3. Every single year, several European countries get together for a rather strange sport, called “wife-carrying.” The sport sounds pretty odd and it is exactly as it sounds. The idea is that the male contestants actually carry their wives or girlfriends and try to get the best time possible on the course. Some people claim that the roots of the game have to do with an old gang initiation, where men would carry off someone else’s wives. 4. By far the best tourist attraction in Estonia is the Old Town portion of the capital city of Tallinn. While much of the old medieval architecture in Europe was lost, a large portion of the structures and streets in the Old Town are remarkably well preserved. The Old Town sector is under the aegis of the UNESCO World Heritage Center. This town is a better-kept example of old architecture and roads than anywhere else in Europe. 5. Out of the nearly 200 countries in the world, Estonia ranks number two in adult literacy with its rate of 99.8 percent. 6. Since 2011 the Estonian Traffic Act requires all people travelling by foot at night or in conditions of inadequate visibility to wear safety reflectors. They can be in the form of a tag, bracelet or key ring and should be attached to either your outwear or handbag. Most Estonians abide by this law and wear some kind of reflector in order to avoid the €400 fine. 7. Eighty-one per cent of Estonia's housing is rented - the highest proportion in the world. More Info: http://listverse.com/2014/01/08/10-outstanding-facts-about-estonia/ http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/magazine/blogs/insider-secrets/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-estonia http://francistapon.com/Travels/Eastern-Europe/10-facts-about-Estonia-that-you-may-not-know http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-459929/Ten-things-know-Estonia.html Music: Project 5am – Questions Answers http://freemusicarchive.org/ Images: http://www.fastcodesign.com/3025761/why-the-worlds-largest-experiment-in-free-public-transportation-failed http://bodyodd.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/14/13260575-study-details-how-to-avoid-the-weirdo-on-the-bus http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/stories/skype/skype-chapter-2-welcome-to-estonia.aspx http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/319509/spouses-saddle-maine-event http://www.smarttravel.ee/holiday/tallinn-old-town/ https://theconquistadora.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/day-87-where-fairy-tales-began-tallinn-estonia/ https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/oneplus-one-world.813/page-11 https://davecaleb.wordpress.com/2013/10/05/life-as-a-digital-literacy-coach/ http://www.seeandbeseen.org.za/about-us/ http://www.pedestrianreflectors.com/kids-in-the-cities-at-greatest-risk/ http://realtyroundup.com/2015/02/11/looking-home-rent/

• published: 13 Jun 2015
• views: 17615