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Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia (Estonian: Eesti or Eesti Vabariik) is a country in Northern Europe in the Baltic region. It is bordered to the north by Finland across the Gulf of Finland, to the west by Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by the Russian Federation. The territory of Estonia covers 45,226 km² and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate.

The Estonians are a Finnic people closely related to the Finns, with the Estonian language sharing many similarities to Finnish. The modern name of Estonia is thought to originate from the Roman historian Tacitus, who in his book Germania (ca. AD 98) described a people called the Aestii. Similarly, ancient Scandinavian sagas refer to a land called Eistland. Early Latin and other ancient versions of the name are Estia and Hestia. Until the late 1930s, the name was often written as "Esthonia" in most western countries.

Estonia is a democratic parliamentary republic and is divided into fifteen counties (Maakonnad). The capital and largest city is Tallinn. Estonia has been a member of the United Nations since 17 September 1991, of the European Union since 1 May 2004,and of NATO since 29 March 2004. Estonia has also signed the Kyoto protocol. With only 1.3 million inhabitants, it comprises one of the smallest populations of the European Union countries.

The area was settled immediately after the Ice Age, beginning from around 8500 BC. After the Northern Crusades, being conquered by Danes and Germans in 1227, Estonia was ruled by Denmark in the north and by Livonian Order in the south. From 1228-1562 the whole Estonia was a part of Livonian Confederation. Estonia became a part of the Swedish Empire from the 16th century to 1721, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire. The Estophile Enlightenment Period in 1750-1840 led to the Estonian national awakening in the mid-19th century. In 1918 the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued. The Estonian War of Independence ensued on two fronts between the Bolshevist Russia and the German Empire, resulting in the Tartu Peace Treaty recognising Estonian independence in perpetuity. Shortly after World War II began, Estonia was occupied and illegally annexed by the Soviet Union in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. During World War II, Estonia was occupied by Third Reich, then re-occupied by the Soviet Union in 1944.