Transcript About Estonia()

My country and home
(about Estonia and Tartu)
Urmas Tokko,
Tartu Tamme Gymnasium
Estonia and Estonians
• Fenno-Ugric tribes setteled on the bank of
the Baltic about 11 000 y ago;
• “A people of the country”, poor and not-sodirthy because of sauna;
• Geo-politically bad place, but we love it!
Almost all the time under the rule of big
neighbours;
• Political independence, own state from
1918 – 1940 and 1991-…
• And…
We are the best!
• …clever and hard-working; Always
singing; 
• …better than Finns, Latvians, and Russians
– naturally 
• …educated people, no illiteracy;
• Really mostly hardworking, … but
forgetting having a rest – depression, envy,
“cold” people.
• “Estonians favourite menue: another
estonian”
•http://www.visitestonia.com/
•http://www.visitestonia.com/index.php?page=2 (movies)
•“Singing revolution”; Quick joining into market
economy;
•EU member from May 2004.
•E-Estonia; Welcome to Estonia!
Population of Estonia
• The population of Estonia 1, 356, 000. Ethnically:
Estonians (67.9%), Russians (25.6%), Ukrainians
(2.1%), Belorussians (1.3%) and Finnish (0.9%).
• 67,4 % Estonians are living in the cities
• 31,6% Estonians are Christians (baptized)
• 47 different nations living here
• 99, 76 % Estonians are literate
• 63 000 students, nr. of students have arisen 2,5
times during last 10 years.
Some links
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http://www.tartu.ee/ (Tartu city)
http://www.tamme.tartu.ee (TTG)
http://www.einst.ee/publications.html (!!!)
http://webstatic.vm.ee/static/failid/273/Eesti%20elu.pdf
(Estonia)
• http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/frameset_euryb
ase.html
• http://www.estonica.org/index.html
Nature conservation in Estonia
• Still quite close relationship with the land and
forests;
• In the history: Sacred trees, several regulations;
1297 Danish King Erik Menved – restrictions
concerning cutting trees etc, specialy in islands of
northen part;
• 1910 – first consrevation area on Vaika islans
(now: Vilsandi NP, western islands)
• 1971 (100 y after world 1. National Park,
Yellowstone, USA): Lahemaa NP in northen part.
Nature conservation areas
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About 12% of territory;
National Park
Nature Reserve
Reserve / Nature Park (landscape
protectional area)
• Programme Area (like biosphere reserve)
Endangered animal species,
examples
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Pearl Oyster (Margaritifera margaritifera);
Black stork (Ciconia ciconia)
White-taled Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla)
Golden Eagle (Aquila chrusaetos), Eagles
etc…
• Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus)
• Flying squirrel (Pteromys volans)
• European Mink (Mustela lutreola)
People of Forest and Sea
• http://www.einst.ee/culture/
• 45 200 km2
• About 45% of territory covered by forests
(40% pine dominating). Nowadays rapidly
decresing, a lot of counted area – not so
“forest”. Country between 2 bioms.
• About 22% of wetlands/mires: swamps,
bogs;
Landscape and bedrock
• Mostly flat, except southern part.
• Highest hill: 318m above the sea level;
• A lot of islands (about 1500, not so special for
Danes , lakes (1400) and rivers (420 over 10
km);
• Limestone “under” the northen part, Devonian
sandstone in the south. Cliffs.
• Oil-shale (electricity!), phosphorite, blue clay,
dolomite: (CaCO3 *MgCO3);
Number of species, examples
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Fishes – 75 species
Amphibians – 11
Reptiles – 5
Birds – 328
Mammals – 65 species.
Angiospermae – 1500 sp.
Insects – 15 000 sp.
www.sunsite.ee/taimed; www.sunsite.ee/loomad
App. Number of individuals (1993)
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Hare (Lepus sp) – 50 000
Elks (Alces alces) – 12 000
Wild boar (Sus scropha) – 16 000
Brown bear (Ursus arctos) – 800
European beaver (Castor fiber) – 4600
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) – 7900
Lynx (Felis lynx) – 1100
Wolf (Canis lupus) – 450
Nature science studies in Tamme
Gymnasium
(http://www.tamme.tartu.ee)
Objectives
• Environmental education: way of thinking, view
of life…Therefore necessary in every field of life.
• To keep traditions of School (~ 40 years).
• Preparation for University.
• To fulfill and supplement National Curriculum
• To develop personality: to be able to act properly
in continious changes in natural, technological and
social environment.
School curriculum, example for
nature science class
• National curriculum, in biology 140 lessons,
4 courses; 1 course=35 lessons).
• Compulsory additional courses, in biology
(4 courses), geography (2 courses),
chemistry (2 courses), physics (1 course).
• Additional courses, choosen by students;
can be choosed also by other classes.
Additional courses, examples
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Botany and zoology (incl field practices)
Ecology and environmental protection
Molecular biology, gene technology
Geology and Estonian landscape
Environment and health
Human physiology
Bio-geography etc.
3 classes, 3 directions
• Nature science class – traditional studies of
natural environment (last slide).
• Class of realities – trying to develop studies of
technological environment: pollution, functioning
of industrial enterprises etc.
• Class of humanities – social environment; human
being and the nature; environmental history and –
drama. Art.
Theory and practice
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Theory lessons;
Practical lessons in the classroom;
Educational visits;
Study trips;
Field practices;
Projects.
Field practices for
nature science class
• Botany (and mycology)
– Mushroom species, 2 days in autumn
– Trees and brushes in winter-time, 2 days
– Plant species and -communities in summer, 5
days
• Zoology: vertebrate and invertebrate, 4 days
• Ecology, water quality of Emajõgu river, for
an example.
Field practices for class of
realities
• Economical geography, physics and
environmental protection, 3 days in
summer.
• Technology and environmental chemistry
(industrial part of Estonia for an example), 3
days in summer.
Field practices for class of
humanities
• Environmental drama and –history, 4 days
in summer;
• Ethnography and nature. Painting in the
nature, 3 days in summer.