Iru, Tallinn

Iru is a subdistrict (Estonian: asum) in the district of Pirita, Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 35 (As of 1 January 2015).

Iru Hill Fort

On a hill by Pirita River in Iru, the remains of an ancient hill fort are located. The settlement has a history dating back to the third millennium BC. It seems to have been continuously occupied, and strengthened into a more fortress-like castle in the 5th century AD. It remained in use until the 11th century. Archaeological investigations have shown that the settlement was burnt several times. Some of the oldest remains of buildings in Estonia, as well as some of the oldest items made of iron, have been found during excavations.

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Coordinates: 59°27′42″N 24°54′04″E / 59.461635°N 24.901049°E / 59.461635; 24.901049

Tallinn

Tallinn (/ˈtɑːlɪn/,Estonian pronunciation: [ˈtɑlʲˑinˑ]) is the capital and largest city of Estonia.

Tallinn occupies an area of 159.2 km² (61.5 sq mi) and has a population of 440,043. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, 80 km (50 mi) south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is ranked as a global city and has been listed among the top 10 digital cities in the world. The city was a European Capital of Culture for 2011, along with Turku in Finland.

The city was known as Reval from the 13th century until 1918 and again during the Nazi occupation of Estonia from 1941 to 1944.

Approximately 32% of Estonia's total population lives in Tallinn.

Toponymy

Historical names

In 1154, a town called Qlwn or Qalaven (possible derivations of Kalevan or Kolyvan) was put on the world map of the Almoravid by the Arab cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi, who described it as a small town like a large castle among the towns of Astlanda. It has been suggested that the Quwri in Astlanda may have denoted the predecessor town of today's Tallinn.

List of minor planets: 35001–36000