| Revision as of 12:47, 24 August 2004 editJoy (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators143,594 edits the basics on the ethnic group← Previous edit | Revision as of 12:50, 24 August 2004 edit undoJoy (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators143,594 edits relevant content from Demographics of EstoniaNext edit → | ||
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| ''Notable ], ]? ].'' | ''Notable ], ]? ].'' | ||
| ==History== | |||
| The name "Eesti", or Estonia, is derived from the word "Aestii", the name given by the ancient ] to the peoples living northeast of the ]. The Roman historian ] in ] A.D. was the first to mention the "Aestii" people, and early ]ns called the land south of the Gulf of Finland "Eistland," and the people "eistr". | |||
| Estonians belong to the Balto-] group of the Finno-Ugric peoples, as do the Finns and Hungarians. The principal ancestors of the Estonians arrived from the east around 3,500 BC. | |||
| Estonians have strong ties to the Nordic countries today stemming from strong cultural and religious influences gained over centuries during Scandinavian colonization and settlement. This highly literate society places strong emphasis upon education, which is free and compulsory until age 16. The first book in ] was printed in 1525, while the oldest known examples of written Estonian originate in 13th century chronicles. | |||
| From 1945-89 the percentage of ethnic Estonians in Estonia dropped from 94% to 61%, caused primarily by the Soviet program promoting mass immigration of urban industrial workers from ], ], and ], as well as by wartime emigration and Stalin's ] and executions. | |||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 12:50, 24 August 2004
Estonians are a Finnic ethnic group primarily associated with Estonia and the Estonian language.
There are around 915,000 Estonians living in Estonia.
Notable emigration, diaspora? To be written.
History
The name "Eesti", or Estonia, is derived from the word "Aestii", the name given by the ancient Germans to the peoples living northeast of the Vistula River. The Roman historian Tacitus in 98 A.D. was the first to mention the "Aestii" people, and early Scandinavians called the land south of the Gulf of Finland "Eistland," and the people "eistr".
Estonians belong to the Balto-Finnic group of the Finno-Ugric peoples, as do the Finns and Hungarians. The principal ancestors of the Estonians arrived from the east around 3,500 BC.
Estonians have strong ties to the Nordic countries today stemming from strong cultural and religious influences gained over centuries during Scandinavian colonization and settlement. This highly literate society places strong emphasis upon education, which is free and compulsory until age 16. The first book in Estonian was printed in 1525, while the oldest known examples of written Estonian originate in 13th century chronicles.
From 1945-89 the percentage of ethnic Estonians in Estonia dropped from 94% to 61%, caused primarily by the Soviet program promoting mass immigration of urban industrial workers from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well as by wartime emigration and Stalin's mass deportations and executions.
See also
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