estonia

IPA/eˈstəʊniə/
KK[ɛstˈoniə]IPA/eˈstəʊniə/

estonia — noun

1. a small northern European nation on the Baltic Sea, independent from the Soviet

1.nounA1
Definition

a small northern European nation on the Baltic Sea, independent from the Soviet Union since 1991, with Tallinn as its capital and Estonian as its main language.

Example

Astrid moved from Estonia to Sweden for a job, but returns to Tallinn every summer.

proper noun as subject / from + country

Estonia joined the European Union in 2004 and began using the euro in 2011.

country + joined [organisation] + year

Common collocations
  • visit Estonia
  • live in Estonia
  • move to Estonia
  • Estonia's capital
  • Estonian government

Usage Note

Estonia is one of the three Baltic states, along with Latvia and Lithuania. It has a highly digital society — most government services are available online, and it was the first country in the world to allow online voting in national elections.

2. the physical land area and coastline of this Baltic country, including its islan

2.nounA2
Definition

the physical land area and coastline of this Baltic country, including its islands and position between the Gulf of Finland and Latvia.

Example

Estonia's northern coast faces the Gulf of Finland, just fifty kilometres south of Helsinki.

geographical preposition pattern: coast of + country + faces + body of water

Estonia shares a land border with Russia to the east and Latvia to the south.

country + shares a border with + neighbour

Common collocations
  • across Estonia
  • northern Estonia
  • southern Estonia
  • the coast of Estonia
  • Estonia's border with

Common Mistakes

Estonia is a east-europe country.
Estonia is a northern European country.
Estonia is geographically in northern Europe, not eastern Europe, though it is sometimes grouped with Eastern European countries in political or historical contexts.

Word family

  • Estonian
    adjectiveA2
  • Estonian
    nounA2

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the capital of Estonia
  • the government of Estonia
  • the people of Estonia
  • the border of Estonia

Phrases

  • member state of the European Union
  • one of the Baltic states

Prepositions

  • in Estonia
  • from Estonia
  • to Estonia
  • across Estonia
  • of Estonia

Etymology

LatinGermanicEnglish

The name comes from the Latin 'Estonia', which was derived from the ancient Germanic name 'Aist-' used for the people living east of the Vistula River. The Estonians themselves call their country 'Eesti', which may come from the name of a major early tribe, the 'Aesti', first mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus around 98 AD.