The Estonian language is closely related to Finnish but not to the languages of either of the other Baltic republics, Latvia and Lithuania, or to Russian.

BBC: Estonia country profile

Thus, after noting the Estonian language's "primitive cast, " Mr. Theroux turns his attention to Lord Monboddo, an 18th-century sage who believed that apes were essentially humans without the power of speech, enjoyably esoteric information that tells us little about Estonia but a lot about Mr. Theroux's magpie mind.

WSJ: Book Review: Estonia

The Estonian singers may not be Russian, but they're fluent in the language.

NPR: Rachmaninov's Refreshing 'All Night Vigil'

The legacy of the Soviet years has left a mark which the country carries with it into its EU era: Many Russian-speakers complain of discrimination, saying strict language laws make it hard to get jobs or citizenship without proficiency in Estonian.

BBC: Estonia country profile