Hiiumaa in Estonia extends for an area of 989 sq.km. Hiiumaa in Estonia is situated on the coasts of the Baltic Sea, on the northern part of the Saaremaa island. Saaremaa belongs to the Moonsund archipelago, which is a western Estonian archipelago. Kärdla is its largest town.
Hiiumaa is one of the main islands of the Hiiu County. It is known as Hiiu maakond in Estonian. Dagö, meaning the day island is what is used to describe the island in Swedish and German name. In Danish it is called Dagø. Hiidenmaa, meaning the devil's land, is the term used to describe the island in Finnish.
One of the earliest archaeological evidences of any sort of human settlement in Hiiumaa is thought to date as back as the early 4th century BC. In 1228, the first of the proper records about the island territory of Dageida was chronicled by the modern-day chroniclers. During that time Hiiumaa, as well as the other parts of Estonia, had already been won over by the German warriors. The Bishopric of Ösel-Wiek and the Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order were the two divisions made out of Hiiumaa during 1254. The Livonian branch of the Teutonic Order was partially operating for the Hanseatic League. Between 1563-1710 the island was held by Sweden. The island consisted of a large Swedish-speaking population, but most of them emigrated to other countries or were "Estonianised" at the time, when Hiiumaa was ruled by the Imperial Russian rulers, that continued for a period between 1710 till the World War I. Later it was conquered by the German army. After the war got over, Hiiumaa formed a portion of the independent state of Estonia. In 1940 it was annexed by the Soviets, later the Germans annexed it in 1941 and then again the Soviets annexed it in 1944. It remained a part of the Soviet Union till the dismantlement of Soviet Union in 1991. Till today it forms part of Estonia.
The toursestonia.com wishes you a happy journey to Hiiumaa in Estonia.
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