Estonia is situated in northern Europe and neighbours Finland, Latvia and Russia. It is a country of striking natural beauty and stunning seaside locations that brings together historical and modern contrasts. Estonia, a 2004 European Union entrant, has a modern market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels in Central Europe and the Baltic region. Estonia belongs to the Schengen Area and has been a proud member of the euro area as of 2011. Estonia has been booming ever since adopting the euro as official currency. The economy grew 7.6% in 2011, five times the euro area average and is the only country with a budget surplus in the Eurozone. With these examples, Estonia has become a respected member of the European Union and a role model for other EU countries.

As a prosperous and forward-thinking country, Estonia is known in Europe for its various e-solutions, flat-rate tax system, nationwide e-voting, tweeting President Mr. Ilves and its innovative and open approach towards new technologies. One of the best examples of how far Estonia’s modern technology has come is Skype. It took four Estonian software developers to come up with a series of complex programmes to make the idea of free calls anywhere in the world translate to reality! The application, which is now owned by Microsoft, is still partially operated in the capital city of Tallinn.

But it is not only savvy-tech attitude, low living costs and fast developing economy, which makes Estonia attractive for international students. Estonia is also a country of contrast with four different seasons that include white endless summer nights and most snowy winters. As over half of country is covered with forest and with more than 1000 picturesque island and lakes, Estonia makes you feel closely connected with nature and gives you endless possibilities to enjoy spending time in the clean open air. As a proof, WHO (World Health Organization) ranked in 2011 Estonia 1st in worldwide in air quality.

While studying in Estonia you will be living in a modern European country with Nordic values and living standards. As a great bonus, you will find an eco-friendly attitude and breath-taking Nordic nature.