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-so-dirthy 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

• http://www.tartu.ee/ (Tartu city)• http://www.tamme.tartu.ee (TTG)• http://www.einst.ee/publications.html (!!!)• http://web-static.vm.ee/static/failid/273/Eesti

%20elu.pdf (Estonia)• http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/frameset_

eurybase.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

• About 12% of territory;

• National Park

• Nature Reserve

• Reserve / Nature Park (landscape protectional area)

• Programme Area (like biosphere reserve)

Endangered animal species, examples

• 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

• 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)

• 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

• 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

• 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.