Baltic states facts for kids

A map showing the location of the three Baltic states

The Baltic states are three countries in Northern Europe to the east of the Baltic Sea and the south of the Gulf of Finland. They are, from north to south, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The languages that are spoken in these countries are different: while Lithuanians and Latvians speak Baltic languages (Latvian and Lithuanian), Estonians speak an Uralic language (Estonian).

By their culture and history, the Baltic countries are close to the Nordic countries. The biggest difference in the history was that the Baltic countries were occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 (during the Second World War), but not the Nordic countries (with the exception of Karelia, a part of Finland which later joined the Russian SFSR). The three countries would become republics of the Soviet Union as the Estonian SSR, Latvian SSR, and Lithuanian SSR.

All three Baltic states had their freedom back in 1991, when the Soviet Union came to an end. However, the states all consider the Soviet occupation to be illegal, which has been supported by the United States, European Union, and United Nations. Today, the Baltic countries are some of the richest and most advanced countries which were part of the Soviet Union. They became members of the European Union and NATO in 2004, joined the Schengen Area in 2007, and became part of the eurozone by 2015.

Paganism was the religion of Baltic people before most of them took Christianity during the Middle Ages. Baltic paganism never died out and some people are still pagans.

Images for kids

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  The "Baltic lands" around the Baltic Sea

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  Changes in the territory of Lithuania from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.

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  The Duchies of Estland and Livland within the Swedish Empire

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  The Baltic German-controlled Baltic governorates in the Russian Empire - comprising current Northern Estonia, Southern Estonia and Northern Latvia

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  The Baltic Way was a mass anti-Soviet demonstration where approx. 25% of the population of the Baltic states participated

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  Baltic Assembly session in Seimas Palace, in Vilnius, Lithuania

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  Baltic Defence College serves as a centre of strategic and operational research and provides professional military education to intermediate- and senior-level officers and government officials

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  Downtown Tallinn

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  Downtown Vilnius

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  St. Olaf's church in Tallinn, Estonia

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  Language branches in [[Northern Europe

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  St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Riga, Latvia

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  Catholic Church of St. Johns, Vilnius, Lithuania

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  Forests cover over half the landmass of Estonia

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  Devonian sandstone cliffs in Gauja National Park, Latvia's largest and oldest national park

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  View from the Bilioniai forthill in Lithuania

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  Sand dunes of the Curonian Spit near Nida, which are the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe (UNESCO World Heritage Site).