Tallinn, Not Just Another Baltic City Quiz

Answer: Yes

With an estimated population of 450,00 it is comfortably larger than the next, which is Tartu at almost 100,000. Tallinn is situated on the northern coast of Estonia, on the Gulf of Finland. Its first traces of settlement date back almost 5,000 years. A fortress was built in the future city in 1050. Previously named Reval, Tallinn became the capital of independent Estonia in 1920.

Answer: Muuga Harbour

Tallinn's strategic location makes it an ideal hub for trade. During medieval times it became the hub of trade between Western and Northern Europe and Russia. Nowadays Muuga Harbour holds the distinction of being Estonia's busiest cargo port. The majority of cargo is crude oil but it is also a vital centre for dry goods such as fertiliser and grain.
The Tallinn Passenger Port, which is situated in the centre of Tallinn is considered to be one of the busiest passenger ports on the Baltic Sea.

Answer: Fat Margaret

The naming of the tower is disputed; some believe it was named Fat Margaret after one of its most fearsome guns; other say it is named after one of the chefs who worked there. Regardless of how it got its name, the construction of the Great Coastal Gate took place at the behest of Queen Margaret in the 14th century.

The round tower which became known as Fat Margaret was added in the sixteenth century. It has numerous arrow holes as it was part of the city's defence. The tower has served as a barracks and a warehouse and eventually, a maritime museum.

Answer: Valleys left over from ancient rivers

The geology of Tallinn shows fluvial erosion caused by ancient rivers (in turn caused by glacial meltwaters) have been filled by sedimentary rock of the Ediacaran, Cambrian and Ordovician ages. The extensive river incisions can be traced all the way to the coast line, and up to Lake Ulemiste, and some to the Gulf of Finland.

Answer: Yes

Tallinn's Old Town is one of the best preserved medieval cities. The Old Town is walled and once inside you are transported into the middle ages except for the tourists who come here in their thousands). The old town is built around Toompea Hill which is supposedly built on the grave of Estonian king Kalev.

However it is known that it is the site of the Danish castle that founded the city in 1219. The thick walls and a gate tower were built in 1380.

Answer: Former President of Estonia

The airport connects to most of Europe and beyond, with some of the more popular destinations being Hamburg, Helsinki, Riga and Stockholm. The airport was awarded Best European Airport 2018, in the under five million passengers category.

Meri was the country's leader between 1992 and 2001 and oversaw the independence of Estonia from the former Soviet Union.

Answer: Helsinki, Finland

Only eighty kilometres, a mere two hour ferry ride, of Baltic Sea separates Tallinn and Helsinki. The cities are so close that they're often referred to as Talsinki. A ferry service operates constantly between the two ports and it is estimated that approximately 8.4 million people make the crossing across the waters between the capitals. There is talk of a tunnel being built to link the two.

It helps that the Finnish language is close, linguistically, to the Estonian, with both belonging to the Finno-Ugric group of languages.

Answer: Greece

The Greek flag consists of seven alternating bands of blue and white with a white cross in the canton.
The Tallinn Flag is not dissimilar to the national Estonian flag of three bands of blue, black and white (which itself is similar to the flag of Botswana) but of a completely different derivation. The Tallinn flag can trace its roots back to Danish linkages in the 13th century. The flag is based on the oldest coat of arms of medieval Danish clan Hvide.

Answer: None but it has a few lakes

The Daugava, Neris and Vaanta rivers flow through nearby capital cities, Riga, Vilnius and Helsinki respectively. The largest lake in Tallinn is Lake Ulemiste which is only 9.44 km2 (3.6 sq mi). However, this lake provides all the drinking water for the city.

The Harjapea River flows from Lake Ulemiste through the city to the sea near the port but the river was diverted in the 1930s and is no longer visible.

Answer: Skype

Whilst Skype was founded by Niklas Zennström, from Sweden, and Janus Friis, from Denmark, the software was created by Estonians. Tallinn has become an Estonian information technology hub, so much so that the New York "Times" (December, 2005) described Tallinn as the "Silicon Valley of the Baltic Sea".

Its reputation continues to grow and Tallinn is now seen as one of the major IT centres in Europe.