Estonian Geography, Society and Public Life
Territory and physical geography
Estonia covers about 45,227 km² and is divided into 19 counties (maakond). It borders Latvia to the south and Russia to the east, has a long Baltic Sea coast and more than 2,000 islands; Saaremaa is the largest, followed by Hiiumaa and Muhu. The highest point is Suur Munamägi (318 m), the longest river the Võhandu, the largest lake Lake Peipsi, with Lake Võrtsjärv second. The capital is Tallinn; other major towns are Tartu, Narva, Pärnu and Kohtla-Järve. The climate is temperate, with warm summers and cold winters.
Society and public life
The population is around 1.37 million, of whom roughly two-thirds are ethnic Estonians and about a quarter Russians. Estonian is the sole official language. Estonia is known for its digital state: the ID-card, the X-Road data exchange, e-residency (2014) and internet voting, used nationwide since 2005. Education and healthcare are largely publicly funded; the public broadcaster is ERR. Estonia belongs to the EU, NATO, the OECD, the eurozone and Schengen (since 2007).
Public holidays
1 January, 24 February, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Pentecost, 23 June (Victory Day), 24 June (Jaanipäev), 20 August, and 24–26 December. When a holiday falls at a weekend, no substitute day off is granted.
Worked example
A candidate is asked why 24 June is a day off work. Reasoning: Jaanipäev is listed among the public holidays, so employers must release employees; unlike some countries, Estonia does not shift the day to a Monday when it falls at a weekend, so no compensating day follows.
Traps
Rounding the area or population to figures that contradict the standard ones. Listing the wrong number of counties. Swapping Peipsi and Võrtsjärv, or confusing Suur Munamägi with another hill. Forgetting that resident EU citizens can vote in local elections. Assuming Estonia still uses the kroon rather than the euro adopted in 2011.