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Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies a surface of 159.2 km2 (61.5 sq mi) in which more than 400,000 inhabitants live. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, capital city of Finland.

Tallinn
The origin of the name "Tallinn" is certain to be Estonian, although the original meaning of the name is debated. It is usually thought to be derived from "Taani-linn(a)" (meaning "Danish-castle/town") after the Danes built the castle in place of the Estonian stronghold at Lindanisse. The previously used official German name Reval was replaced after Estonia became independent in 1918-1920.

History
The first traces of human settlement found in Tallinn's city center by archeologists are about 5000 years old. In 1050 the first fortress was built on Tallinn Toompea.
As an important port for trade between Russia and Scandinavia, it became a target for the expansion of the Teutonic Knights and the Kingdom of Denmark during the period of Northern Crusades in the beginning of the 13th century when Christianity was forcibly imposed on the local population. Danish rule of Tallinn and Northern Estonia started in 1219.
In 1285 the city became the northernmost member of the Hanseatic League - a mercantile and military alliance of German-dominated cities in Northern Europe. Medieval Tallinn enjoyed a strategic position at the crossroads of trade between Western and Northern Europe and Russia. The city, with a population of 8,000, was very well fortified with city walls and 66 defence towers.

On 24 February 1918, the Independence Manifesto was proclaimed in Tallinn, followed by Imperial German occupation and a war of independence with Russia. On 2 February 1920, the Tartu Peace Treaty was signed with Soviet Russia, wherein Russia acknowledged the independence of the Estonian Republic. Tallinn became the capital of an independent Estonia.

Economy
In addition to longtime functions as seaport and capital city, Tallinn has seen development of an information technology sector in recent years; The New York Times has characterized Estonia as "a sort of Silicon Valley on the Baltic Sea." One of Tallinn's sister cities is the Silicon Valley town of Los Gatos, California. Skype is one of the best-known of several Tallinn IT start-ups, and a first venture capital firm was founded in 2005.
Many are housed in the Institute of Cybernetics, which is said to be one of the seeds for Estonian adoption of computing technology. Despite this, the most important economic sectors of Tallinn are the light, textile, and food industry, as well as the service and government sector. There is a small fleet of ocean going-trawlers that operate out of Tallinn.
In June 2009 Tallinn was chosen as one of the world’s seven most intelligent communities from among 400 candidates. Tallinn is being included among the most intelligent communities for the third year in row. The panel of judges were impressed by the fact that all Tallinn's schools have computers and Internet connections, and wireless Internet is available in more than 365 locations, of which 60 are free. The Forum also considered Tallinn's strengths to be the existence of high-tech institutions like Ülemiste City, the Tallinn Technology Park and Cyber Defence Centre, as well as IT solutions that make everyday life more convenient, such as e-tickets. The conversion of the entire city's governance to the principles of e-government is also important. Being open to developing new innovative solutions and international connections in order to accelerate innovation was also considered one of the strengths of Tallinn's leadership.   

Education
Tallinn is the location of many institutions of higher education and science, including Tallinn University, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, Estonian Academy of Arts, Public Service Academy, Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Institute of Theology.

Related information

For more information about Tallinn, visit Wikipedia, Tallinn Tourism and Tallinn City Website.