Native name: Hara saar | |
---|---|
Geography | |
Location | Baltic Sea |
Coordinates | 59°35′04″N25°37′30″E / 59.58444°N 25.62500°E |
Area | 0.11 km2 (0.042 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 13 m (43 ft) |
Administration | |
Estonia | |
County | Harju |
Municipality | Kuusalu Parish |
Demographics | |
Population | 0 |
Hara (Estonian : Hara saar) is a small uninhabited island off the northern coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Finland with an area of 11 hectares. The highest point of the island is 13 meters above the sea level.
Prior to the Second World War, the island had a few families as permanent inhabitants and a small fish factory operated there. After the war, the small port facing the island on the mainland was taken over by the Soviet Navy and used as a naval training area. The island's inhabitants were removed and a Soviet submarine base was constructed with facilities to demagnetise the vessels' steel hulls. The Soviets departed in 1991; the base remains, derelict.
Between 57.5 and 59.8 latitude and 21.7 and 28.2 longitude, Estonia lies on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea on the level northwestern part of the rising East European Platform. Estonia's continental mainland is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia, and to the south by Latvia. Besides the part of the European continent, Estonian territory also includes the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,200 other islands and islets in the Baltic Sea, off the western and northern shores of the country's mainland.
Saaremaa is the largest and most populous island in Estonia. Measuring 2,673 km2 (1,032 sq mi), its population is 31,435. The main island of the West Estonian archipelago, it is located in the Baltic Sea, south of Hiiumaa island and northwest of the Gulf of Riga. The administrative centre of the island, and of the Saare maakond (county), is the town of Kuressaare.
Baltic Germans are ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their resettlement in 1945 after the end of World War II, Baltic Germans have markedly declined as a geographically determined ethnic group in the region.
Narva is a municipality and city in Estonia. It is located in the Ida-Viru County, at the eastern extreme point of Estonia, on the west bank of the Narva river which forms the Estonia–Russia international border. With 53,626 inhabitants Narva is Estonia's third largest city after capital Tallinn and Tartu.
The counties of Estonia are the state administrative subdivisions of Estonia. Estonian territory is composed of 15 counties, including 13 on the mainland and 2 on islands. County governments were abolished at the end of 2017, with their duties split between state authorities and local governments, and nowadays counties have no noteworthy independent competences. Counties are composed of municipalities of two types: urban municipalities or towns, and rural municipalities or parishes, which are by law required to cooperate in development of their county.
Aegna is an Estonian island in the Bay of Tallinn in the Baltic Sea. Administratively it is part of the city of Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and is a sub district of the Kesklinn district.
Harju County, is one of the fifteen counties of Estonia. It is situated in northern Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, and borders Lääne-Viru County to the east, Järva County to the southeast, Rapla County to the south, and Lääne County to the southwest. The capital and largest city of Estonia, Tallinn, is situated in Harju County. Harju is the largest county in Estonia in terms of population, as almost half (45%) of Estonia's population lives in Harju County.
Lahemaa National Park is a park in northern Estonia, 70 kilometers east from the capital Tallinn. The Gulf of Finland is to the north of the park and the Tallinn-Narva highway (E20) to the south. Its area covers 747 km2. It was the first area to be designated a national park of the former Soviet Union. It is the largest park in Estonia and one of Europe's biggest national parks. Its charter calls for the preservation, research and promotion of North-Estonian landscapes, ecosystems, biodiversity and national heritage.
The island of Vilsandi in Saaremaa Parish of Estonia's Saare County is located in the Baltic Sea. It covers an area of some 9 square km and is the westernmost populated island in Estonia. The surrounding waters are shallow and rocky and many ships travelling the Baltic have perished nearby. The island of Vilsandi can be reached by boat, by truck having suitable clearance or on foot by wading from Saaremaa. Much of the island is now part of Vilsandi National Park, which grew from a bird reserve founded in 1910. It is a highly sensitive ecosystem due to the use of the area by many migratory birds as a breeding and nesting ground. Hunting is absolutely prohibited. This park is a popular tourist destination not only for local Estonians, but also people of Finland who are visiting Estonia in greater and greater numbers.
Noarootsi Parish was a rural municipality in Lääne County, western Estonia between 1991 and 2017. It covered an area of 296 km2 (114 sq mi) and had a population of 910.
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port located on the Pakri Peninsula in northwestern Estonia. Originally established as a small Swedish port known as Rågervik, it evolved into an important ice-free port upon being incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 18th century.
Kuusalu Parish is a rural municipality in northern Estonia, the largest in Harju County. After joining with the adjacent Loksa Parish in 2005, the municipality has now a population of 6,863 and covers an area of 707.97 km2 (273.35 sq mi). The population density is 9.7 inhabitants per km2.
The Baltic Sea campaigns were conducted by Axis and Allied naval forces in the Baltic Sea, the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the connected lakes Ladoga and Onega on the Eastern Front of World War II. After early fighting between Polish and German forces, the main combatants were the Kriegsmarine and the Soviet Navy, with Finland supporting the Germans until 1944 and the Soviets thereafter. The Swedish Navy and merchant fleet played important roles, and the British Royal Navy planned Operation Catherine for control of the Baltic Sea and its exit choke point into the North Sea.
Naissaar is an island in Estonia. It is located in the Gulf of Finland, northwest of the capital city Tallinn, and is administratively part of Viimsi Parish. The island has an area of 18.6 square kilometres. It is 8 kilometres long and 3.5 kilometres wide, and lies about 8.5 kilometres from the mainland. The highest point on the island is Kunilamägi, which is 27 metres above sea level. The island consists predominantly of coniferous forest and piles of stones and boulders. In 2020, the island had a population of 17; in 2011 the island had about 35 permanent residents and some summer residents.
Osmussaar is an Estonian island situated in the mouth of the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, 7.5 km off the Estonian mainland. Administratively the island is part of Lääne-Nigula Parish in Lääne County. Its area is 4.8 km2.
Piirissaar is an Estonian island located in Lake Peipus. It belongs to Tartu County as the Tartu Parish.
Sõrve is a peninsula which forms the southernmost section of the Estonian island Saaremaa in the Baltic Sea. Its length is 32 km, and its maximum width 10 km. South of it lies Irbe Strait, the main entrance to the Gulf of Riga.
Pakri Islands are two Estonian islands in the Finnish Gulf: Suur-Pakri and Väike-Pakri. Administratively they belong to the town of Paldiski. For centuries the islands had been inhabited by Estonian Swedes, until during the Second World War the entire population was forced to leave.
Prangli is an Estonian island in the Gulf of Finland.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,335 square kilometres (17,504 sq mi). Tallinn, the capital city, and Tartu are the two largest urban areas. The Estonian language is the official language and the first language of the majority of the population of 1.4 million.