Baltic States 2024

The Baltic States are a group of islands off the coast of Northern Europe. The Baltic States consist of Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia; they are known as the Baltic states. The proximity of these three European nations to the Baltic Sea is what gives them their nickname the Baltic States.

The Baltic Sea is only bordered on the east by Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. It’s not so much that Norway, Sweden, & Finland are a part of the Baltic Sea area as they reach the Baltic Sea.

According to technical definitions, the Baltic Sea is an extension of the North Sea, making it a marginal one. Although the Baltic Sea isn’t technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, it flows off in its path without much of a break between the two bodies of water (beyond an unseen boundary).

The Baltic Sea is thus a marginal sea that freely discharges into one of the world’s major oceans. The Baltic Sea is distinguished from other bodies of water because of the nations that border it.

There are endless kilometres of water in the Baltic Sea. The official limits of this marginal sea include a total area of 633,840 square miles.

Distance-wise, the Baltic Sea measures about 1,020 miles by 990. It is possible to locate the Baltic Sea in both the northern and eastern hemispheres thanks to its GPS coordinates of 58° N and 20° E.

A network of lakes and rivers laces each Baltic state. There are more than 7,000 lakes in the area. The western branches of the Dvina and the Neman rivers originate in the Baltic nations. This area is also home to several wetter ecosystems, such as swamps, marshes, and bogs.

Forested regions account for around a third of the total land area of the Baltic countries. Because of their tolerance for waterlogging, trees like birches and conifers thrive in the Baltic States. The three Baltic States share this reality, and as odd as it may seem, it fits in rather well with the surrounding area.

All three countries that make up the Baltic region are members of major international organizations like NATO and the OECD and are also contributing members of the Eurozone. People from this group also make up the European Nation.

According to World Bank statistics, all three countries have advanced economies, ranking well in human development.

The three Baltic states all have functioning democracies with legislatures. Lithuania’s type of government is semi-presidential, meaning that the president is chosen by popular vote. Parliaments in both Estonia and Latvia choose their presidents, giving the citizens of both Baltic states less of a voice in who leads their country.

All six Baltic nations have a combined population of about six million. The total land area of all the states is about 67,000 square miles. Surprisingly, the Baltic republics do not have any cities with more than one million population.

The biggest city is Riga, Latvia, with slightly under 700,000. Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is the country’s second biggest city. A total of more than 542,000 individuals call this place home. Over 444,000 people call Tallinn, Estonia home, making it the third-largest city in the area.

Only three nations board the Baltic Sea are officially acknowledged as part of the Baltic States, although there are nine. The Central European and Northern European Plains, as well as the countries of Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Poland, & Russia, are all represented here.

Now that we have established that we are all on the same page let’s dive into some specifics on the three Baltic States, including their populations, land masses, top tourist sites, and citizens’ daily lives.

Lithuania

Lithuania, a Baltic State in Europe, is bordered by four other states. Latvia borders Lithuania to the north and Belarus to the south and east. Lithuania is bordered by the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad Oblast along its southern edge.

Over two million people call the Baltic State of Lithuania, also known as the Republic of Lithuania, home. There are a little less than three million people living in Lithuania. The entire landmass of Lithuania is 59,499 square kilometres.

Lithuania has a population density of roughly 118 persons per square kilometre of land, despite its modest area. Although Lithuania only covers a little more than 24,000 square miles in total, the population density there is manageable and acceptable.

Vilnius is the name of the country’s capital city, and the official language of this Baltic State is Lithuanian. A significant percentage of Lithuanians also speak Latvian.

If you look at the many communities that make up Lithuania’s population, you’ll see that the vast majority of its citizens consider themselves of Lithuanian descent.

Eighty-four per cent of the population is indigenous to Lithuania, while the remaining sixteen per cent are from neighbouring European nations, including Poland, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine.

Estonia

Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a Baltic state bounded on all sides by Sweden, Latvia, Russia, the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea, and Lake Peipus. Estonia, a nation in Northern Europe, is not a simple, unbroken chunk of territory.

The Baltic Sea is home to hundreds of tiny islands, many of which are part of the Republic of Estonia. Estonia is composed of 2,222 individual islands.

Out of Estonia’s 17,462 square miles, around 16,366 are considered usable land. The remaining 1,096 sq. mi. are comprised of water, including both coastal areas and interior bodies of water.

Due to its position on the coast of the Baltic Sea, the Baltic States of Estonia is often described as having a humid and dry atmosphere.

Also See: Countries in the Balkans 2022

As of the year 2019, Estonia is home to over 1,304,254 people. Considering the nation has a population of over a million, you may assume it has a preeminent status among countries. As astonishing as it may seem, roughly 0.02% of the world’s population lives in Estonia.

Because of this, Estonia ranks as the 157th most populous nation in the world. Almost of Estonians make their homes in metropolitan regions, including the thriving mainland metropolises. While not every island in Estonia is suited for human habitation, many of them are.

Latvia

Latvia is located in the Baltic region near Belarus, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, and Russia. Latvia has the Baltic Sea to the west, the Republic of Estonia to the north, Russia to the east, and Lithuania to the south.

The Swedish mainland is located on the other side of this waterway. Belarus is a neighbouring country to Latvia’s southeast.

Latvia’s position on Earth results in a climate with significant seasonal temperature and precipitation swings. Those who make their home in Latvia witness seasonal shifts because of the country’s distinct four seasons.

One can easily see the difference between winter and autumn and from spring to summer. Due to its closeness to the Baltic Sea, Latvia experiences an additional cold front, yet the summer’s dry heat makes the inward-blowing wind a precious commodity.