Nature

Located In the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, the island of Hiiumaa and a number of small islets cover an area of about 1 000 square km. Hiiumaa is the second largest island in Estonia, separated from the mainland by a 22 km wide strait. It has a low elevation; its highest point being only 68 m above sea level.

The island is situated in an area where the earth's crust is rising. Presently this rise is about 2-3 mm per year. The highest parts of Hiiumaa emerged from the sea about 8500 years ago.

The bedrock out-cropping on Hiiumaa consists of limestone. All over the island the limestone is covered by loose deposits from the last ice age and by marine sediments, beach ridges and dunes from the different phases of the Baltic Sea.Thus, the landscape provides examples of pine forests, mixed spruce- and deciduous forests, swampy thickets and juniper shrubbery, coastal meadows and dunes, peat moors and bogs.

Arable land makes up only one-quarter of the territory, while forests cover over 60% of the island. One can find about 1 000 species of higher plants in the rich flora of Hiiumaa. Over 50 rare species are protected.

Elks, red deer, roe deer and wild boars live in the forests. There are also foxes, lynxes, martens, etc. The bird fauna of the island is also worth mentioning. Among nesting or migrating birds one can see black storks, golden eagles, cranes, avocets, swans, etc.

History

Hiiumaa, due to its location in the Baltic Sea, has a varied history. Beginning with Mesolithic settlements on the Kõpu peninsula, man has changed the landscape of the island for over seven thousand years. The islanders have always been a seafaring and farming people. Besides these occupations, the people of Hiiumaa have been engaged in tar-making, lime-burning, salt-working, ship-building, building and carpentry. The last few centuries on the island have witnessed the existence of a glass-foundry, a cloth manufactory and an artificial silk factory. Since World War II however, the main industries have been based on large-scale agriculture and fishing. Most recent trends have been towards smaller farms and tourism.

Economy

Because of many circumstances, Hiiumaa has its own economic peculiarities. Hiiumaa is an island, it has a relatively small population, and is relatively far from the Estonian economic centers, most importantly Tallinn. Because of local natural resources, which are quite extensive on a per capita basis, and quite expensive and time-consuming transport, on Hiiumaa there is a feeling of closeness. However, large exports of fish, wood, and other products; import of most primary goods and necessary equipment; tourist potential and a favourable position near major shipping lanes in a Baltic Sea - these circumstances create a feeling of openness.

The Hiiumaa employment structure has always dominated by agriculture which is now in a time of change due to land reform and the return of land to former owners. In the primary sector, which includes fishing, farming and forestry, about 800 people are employed. The processing industries, those that add value to raw materials, employ about 850 people.

People working with development, municipal and state employees combined with interested entrepreneur put together a forward looking document called the Hiiumaa Development Concept (1993.) In this paper, priority is placed on nature-friendly industries, sea- and ecotourism, improving quality of life and local culture. This philosophy of sustainable development runs throughout the conept.

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