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The Republic of Saarenmaa.
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Overview
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The Republic of Saarenmaa
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(En: Arise, Saarenmaa!)
"Nouse ylös, Saarenmaa!"
Location
Capital | Nosturi |
Major Cities | • Veskiväli |
Official Language | Saarenmaan Estonian |
Recognized Languages | Russian |
Ethnic Groups | 98% Saarenmaan |
Demonym | Saarenmaan |
Religion | 78.5% Unaffiliated |
Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
Legislature | Parliament |
Formation |
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Independence from USSR | May 12, 1990 |
Land Area | 2992km² |
Population |
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GDP (PPP) |
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GDP (nominal) |
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Currency | Euro |
Time Zone | UTC+02:00 |
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
Drives on the | Right |
Calling code | +373 |
Internet TLD | .rs |
Saari, officially the Republic of Saarenmaa is a Baltic state in Northern Europe, located in the Baltic States on the island of Saarenmaa. Independence from the USSR was obtained on 5 May 1990 with the declaration of independence of the Republic of Saarenmaa.
Saarenmaa has maritime borders only with Estonia. Saarenmaa has a total area of 2922 km2 (1128 square miles), with a population of 31292 as of 2024. The capital and largest city is Nosturi.
The majority of the population of Saarenmaa is saarenmaan. The official language is Estonian. The climate of Saarenmaa is temperate continental. Saarenmaa's vegetation consists of mixed broadleaf forests, fields, and grasslands.
Saarenmaa's economy is mainly based on fishing and fish processing, farming, forestry, cattle breeding, tourism.
Saarenmaa has been a member of the European Union and Nato since 2004.
History
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The history of the Republic of Saarenmaa is the history of the establishment of the Republic of Saarenmaa as an independent and sovereign state.
Viking Age
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The Saarenmaan Sagas mention many clashes between the inhabitants of Saarenmaa and the Vikings.
The island was the richest in ancient Estonia and was a base for Estonian pirates, who were called Eastern Vikings.
According to the Livonian chronicles of Henry of Latvia, they had a fleet of 16 ships and 500 men, which raided the lands of modern Sweden, which was then under Danish rule.
It is noteworthy that when the Teutons, Saxons, Frisians and Livs attacked the Estonians, the inhabitants of Saarenmaa arrived to restore order, even though they themselves were not attacked.
A large Viking burial site was found on the island in Salme parish.
Catholic colonization
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In 1193, Pope Celestine III launched a crusade against the Baltic pagans to either bring them to the Catholic faith or to keep them away from the Orthodox faith. In 1204, Pope Innocent III authorized the Archbishop of Lund to begin permanent crusades in the Baltic, thus creating a counterbalance to the growing influence of the Archdiocese of Riga in the region. In 1206, King Valdemar II of Denmark and his army arrived on the island and tried to build a fortress there, but the result was unsuccessful. In 1209, the Livonian faith began to spread among the Est peoples. At the same time, German crusaders joined the Latgalians in a military campaign against the Estonians. In 1215, the Germans launched a crusade to Sakala; the Estonians responded by launching a counter-offensive against Livonia from Saarenmaa and Vik, as well as from Sakala and Ugandi. The Germans then conducted three devastating crusades against Ugandi. In the winter of 1215 - 1216 the Germans started crusades on Rotalia and Saarenmaa. The Principality of Polotsk begins preparations for a large-scale counter-offensive in Livonia, which did not begin because of the death of Prince Vladimir in the spring of 1216.
In the summer of 1222, the Danes landed on Saarenmaa. At the beginning of 1223, a major anti-German revolt breaks out in Estonia. The Estonians capture Viljandi and Dorpat and seek military aid from the Novgorod Republic, which agrees to provide assistance in accordance with the treaty. After briefly controlling Jurjev (Dorpat), which was occupied by the Germans in the spring of 1224, the Novgorodians conclude a peace treaty with the Livonians and renounce their claims to Estonia. However, Saarenmaa remains unconquered.
In 1225, the papal legate William of Modena arrived in Riga. During his visit to the fortress of Odenpe, he met with ambassadors of the Danes from Revel and Estonians from Pomerania. The Danes complained to him about their difficulties, and the Estonians of Pomerania, who had always been at war with the Danes, declared their willingness to surrender their lands and regions to his control if they were given protection from the Danes and Saarenmaans.
On his return to Riga, the papal legate sent ambassadors to the Danes and Saarenmaans, offering to end the war, accept peace from him and submit to him. The Knights of Odenpe misunderstood this offer and in the fall of 1225 seized all Danish possessions in northern Estonia. On April 28, 1226, the papal legate went to Gotland to gather a crusading army to conquer Saarenmaa. Only the Germans from Visby agreed to participate in the campaign, while the locals of Gotland (Goths) and the Danes refused. The campaign to the island took place in the beginning of 1227, the locals were converted to Christianity, and on their land was formed Saarenmaa-Vik (Leal) bishopric, including Saarenmaa with neighboring islands and Seaside (Vik). This bishopric was incorporated into the diocese of Riga.
However, the Saarenmaans continued to revolt after that. At the end of 1240, Pope Gregory IX, at the request of the Livonian Order, declared a crusade against the rebellious Estonians from Saarenmaa, which ended with the signing of a treaty in 1241.
Rise of Yuri Night
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On April 23, 1343, the Yuri Night uprising began, dating from 1343 to 1345, the goal of which was the liberation of Estonia from German-Danish rule. In June 1343, the rebel Estonians turned to the Pskov Republic for help; it is also necessary to mention that Rus' adopted Christianity earlier than the Scandinavian countries and this difference did not bother the Estonians. Nevertheless, the Pskov detachment, consisting of 5,000 soldiers, called to help the Ests was late, and the Ests’ uprising failed.
On May 26, 1343, the inhabitants of Saarenmaa revolted against the German feudal lords, expelling them from their homeland and laying siege to Pöide Castle. Although their leader Vesse was arrested and later executed in February 1344, the Saarenmaans continued to resist the Crusaders until February 1345. These events were mentioned in the first Novgorod Chronicle, where it is written that after the defeat, the remnants of the Estonians took refuge in Ostrov'land, which corresponds to the territory of Saarenmaa.
Transitional authority
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In 1559, after the completion of the Danish Reformation, the transition from Catholicism to Lutheranism began, the power of the Germans over the Estonians ended in the kingdoms ruled by the Danish House of Oldenburg. At the same time, the island of Saarenmaa was sold to the Danish king.
In 1645 Saarenmaa passed into Swedish occupation for more than half a century.
In 1710, during the Great Northern War, Peter the Great's troops occupied Saarenmaa, which became part of the Russian kingdom. In 1785, Karl Nikolayevich Paul de Chardon was sent to Saarenmaa to create a map of the fortress and a detailed description of the island.
Soviet occupation
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Saarenmaa was of major importance during the hostilities of World Wars I and II because of its favorable strategic location.
Before Estonia became part of the Soviet Union, the Estonian authorities were forced to allow the USSR to station its garrisons and establish naval bases on the islands of the Moonsund archipelago.
During World War II, Saarenmaa's capital, Nosturi, was almost completely destroyed. Soviet troops defended the island from September 6 to October 22, 1941, eventually the Soviets were forced to abandon the island.
Between August 8 and September 5, 1941, Soviet bombers from Saarenmaa made the first aerial bombing raids on Berlin.
In September 1941, German troops landed on the island of Saarenmaa. The remnants of Soviet troops were evacuated from the island on the night of October 3, 1941. The Soviet troops managed to fully occupy the island only on November 24, 1944 during the Moonsund Operation of 1944.
In 1949, 1028 people were deported from Saarenmaa in two days, 307 of them children - one third of the island's population.
Later, according to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 1, 1954, the Saarenmaan SSR was formed from Estonia. This was due to the strategic position of the island, the cultural differences between Estonians and Saarenmaans, and to ensure a new security architecture in the Baltic Sea.
Independence
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On May 12, 1990 Saarenmaa declared its independence from the USSR, becoming the last country to participate in the parade of sovereignties in the Baltics. On the basis of a referendum where 79% of the inhabitants voted in favor of the sovereignty of the Republic of Saarenmaa.
At that time Alexander Teras, became the face of the national independence movement.
After the declaration of independence, Saarenmaa held its first democratic and independent presidential election, which was won by the leader of the national independence movement Alexander Teras. Later, the president appointed the first Prime Minister of the Republic of Saarenmaa, Raul Erm.
The first countries to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of Saarenmaa were Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Later other states joined them.
On August 30, 1991 the Republic of Saarenmaa confirmed its independence. This gave Saarenmaa the right to become a member of the UN.
On September 20, 1991 Saarenmaa became a member of the United Nations (UN), thus fully establishing its status as an independent state. A little later, on September 27, 1990, the Parliament of the Republic of Saarenmaa adopted the Constitution of the Republic of Saarenmaa.
In 2004 Saarenmaa became a member of the European Union (EU) and NATO.
On January 1, 2006, the Republic of Saarenmaa adopted the euro as its official currency.
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Saarenmaa has a total area of 2922 km² (1128 mill²), is 88 kilometers long and 90 kilometers wide. Saarenmaa is connected to the neighboring island of Muhu by a causeway. The capital of the island is the town of Nosturi, which has a population of about 12 thousand people. Saarenmaa is surrounded by small islands. The coastline of the island is 854 kilometers. The Syrve peninsula protrudes 30 kilometers into the Gulf of Riga, ending at the southernmost point of Saarenmaa. The coast of the island is mostly stony, and there are some rocky cliffs. The landscape of Saarenmaa is mostly flat. The highest point of the island is Raunamägi Hill, 54 meters high. Saarenmaa's largest lakes are Suur-Laht, Mullutu-Laht and Karuijärv.
During the late ice age, the island was covered with a thick layer of ice, which created a huge pressure on the earth's crust, and after the ice melted, the surface of the island began to rise, which is about 2 mm per year. The island has a diverse flora, with more than 1200 species of vascular plants. The island has a diverse fauna, with many rare species of insects and animals. Saarenmaa's coastal areas are home to animals such as seals, which is the national animal of Saarenmaa. The island is also an important point on the bird migration route across the East Atlantic.
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The population of Saarenmaa as of 2024 is 31292. Gender balance: 49% men (15315 males), 51% women (15976 females). People under 15 years of age are 17.3% (5104 people), people between 15 and 64 years of age are 65.9% (20674 people), people over 65 years of age are 17.8% (5 564 people).
The official language of Saarenmaa is Estonian. Estonian is spoken by 98% of the population. About 2% of Saarenmaa's population speaks other languages. The level of English language skills on the island is at an average level.
As of 2024, the national composition of Saarenmaa is as follows: 98% saarenmaan, 2% other nationalities.
By religious division in Saarenmaa for 2024: 78.5% Unaffiliated, 14.0% Lutheran, 2.8% Orthodox, 1.1% Baptism, 3.5% Others.
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The Republic of Saarenmaa is a unitary parliamentary republic. Executive power is vested in the President and the Council of State, which is accountable to the Parliament.
Saarenmaa's legal system is based on the civil law tradition and is mainly characterized in the statutory law published by the Parliament of the Republic of Saarenmaa - Räägimaja. The Constitution of Saarenmaa is the supreme normative act that determines the procedures for adopting and applying legislation. In the civil law system, the decisions of judges are usually not authoritative, the adoption of laws created by judges is rare. Decisions of the Supreme Court may be cited, but are not binding. Administrative cases are heard by a separate system of administrative courts.
The head of Saarenmaa is the President, who is elected in direct general elections for a term of four years. Executive power is vested in the Government, which consists of the Prime Minister and ministers.
The prime minister is appointed after parliamentary elections and consultations with the leaders of the party factions in Räägimaja
The Räägimaja has been a unicameral legislature since 1990. The Räägimaja consists of 30 deputies who are directly elected for a four-year term. The MPs have the right to elect the President from among themselves. Parliament has the right to pass a vote of no confidence in the government.
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Saarenmaa is a member of such organizations as: European Union, NATO, NAPF.
Saarenmaa has an active ambassadorial program. Saarenmaa is actively involved in the creation of regional and international initiatives and also aims at strengthening cooperation with foreign countries.
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As of January 1, 2006, the euro is the main means of payment in Saarenmaa. Data for 2024. GDP (PPP) amounted to $ 1 billion.
WFP (nominal) amounted to $544 million. GDP (PPP) per capita was $31927.
GDP (nominal) per capita was $17392. Inflation rate was 14%.
The share of the population living below the poverty line was 13%. The economically active population is 17210.
The average salary is €1571. The main sectors of economy are: fishing and fish processing, agriculture, forestry, cattle breeding, tourism.
Exports of the Republic of Saarenmaa in 2024 amounted to $198 million. The main export items are fish, fish products, wood, meat, vegetables. Export partners: European Union share 85%, Other partners share 15%.
Imports to the Republic of Saarenmaa in 2024 amounted to $201 million. The main imports are automobiles, equipment, textiles, raw materials, consumer goods. Import partners: European Union - share 60%, China - share 15%, USA - share 15%.
Other partners share 10%.
Saarenmaa's public finances for 2024 amounted to.
- State Debt $607 million
- State Revenues $198 million
- Public Expenditure $201 million
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The Baltic-Finnish heritage plays an important role in the mentality and cultural traditions of the inhabitants of Saarenmaa. Saarenmaa is located at the crossroads of different cultures. Latvians, Finns, Lithuanians, Russians of Northwest Russia, Belarusians, Swedes and Germans are close to Saarenmaa in terms of culture.
The culture of the Baltic Germans, Baltic Swedes and Russian Old Believers is also connected with the territory of Saarenmaa.
After the Crusaders conquered Saarenmaa in the second quarter of the 13th century, Saarenmaa came under the direct influence of Western European culture.
The Reformation movement reached Saaremaa in 1523.
After the abolition of serfdom, national culture (literature, music, art) was born together with economic life and written language. The tradition of singing festivals is a special part of Saarenmaa culture and national identity until today.
Industrialization and urbanization had a significant impact on Saaremaa culture at the crossroads of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German-Baltic culture in Saarenmaa began to recede into the background. In architecture, literature and music, along with the imitation of global trends, national style features began to be traced, and artistically mature works began to appear.
As far as sports are concerned, the Nosturi Football Club plays in the Saarenmaa Football League. Saarenmaa has participated in the Island Games since 1991.
Saarenmaa hosts three major international sporting events: the annual Saarenmaa Rally, which has been held since 1974, the Saarenmaa Cycling Tour - the oldest road cycling group race in Northern Europe, and the three-day running marathon around Nosturi and the Sõrve Peninsula, which has been held since 1974.
Famous people of Saarenmaa are:
- Hannibal Sehested (1609-1666), Danish-Norwegian statesman and son-in-law of King Christian IV.
- Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1778-1852), leader of the second expedition that successfully crossed the Arctic Circle.
- Louis Isadora Kahn (1901-1974), one of the most influential architects of the mid-20th century.
- Paul F. Saagpakk (1910-1996), author of the largest Estonian-English dictionary (published in 1982).
- Ott Tänak (born 1987), rally driver, currently competing for Hyundai in the World Rally Championship, and 2019 World Rally Driver Champion
- Elisa Kasper (born 1996) is Saarenmaa's most popular pop singer in the 21st century - participating in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2024 in Yahlia, Thessaloniki.
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The military organization of the executive branch of the Republic of Saarenmaa, known as the Army of the Republic of Saarenmaa, is directly subordinate to the national government and is directed by the Ministry of Defence. It is part of the Saarenmaa Defense Force together with the Saarenmaa Defense Union.
The Saarenmaa Armed Forces include land forces, navy and air force. There is a one-year compulsory military service for men. The total number of military personnel is 790, with another 6,000 in reserve.
The budget for defense in 2024 is 120 million dollars. The main tasks of the Saarenmaa Defense Forces include the protection of the country's sovereignty, its territory, territorial waters and airspace, as well as the maintenance of constitutional order and public safety.
The principles of civilian control over the army are enshrined in law and are exercised by the Parliament, the President and the Government. In case of war, the leadership of the army passes to the commander-in-chief, and the general management of defense is carried out by the president.
A US military base called Eysysla is located on Saarenmaa territory. The Republic of Saarenmaa became a member of NATO in 2004.
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