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126-451: Tallinn University's predecessor, Tallinn Teachers' Seminar, was founded in 1919. Tallinn University in its present form was established on 18 March 2005 as the result of a merger of several universities and research institutions in Tallinn. As of 2023, about 7,000 degree students were enrolled at Tallinn University (with over 14,000 more taking part in continuing education programmes), making it

252-467: A bloody civil war back in 1918, something that had not happened in the Baltic states. Some controversy surrounds the Baltic authoritarian régimes – due to the general stability and rapid economic growth of the period (even if brief), some commenters avoid the label "authoritarian"; others, however, condemn such an "apologetic" attitude, for example in later assessments of Kārlis Ulmanis . In accordance with

378-732: A dependent territory . Little evidence remains in the Nordic countries of the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, or the Iron Age with the exception of a limited numbers of tools created from stone, bronze and iron, some jewelry and ornaments and stone burial cairns. However, one important collection that exists is a widespread and rich collection of stone drawings known as petroglyphs . The Goths , who originated in southern Scandinavia and would later divide into Visigoths and Ostrogoths , are known to have been one of

504-630: A retaliatory strike in conjunction with the German attack on the Soviet Union. However, more territory was lost and for many years to come Finnish foreign policy was based on appeasing the Soviet Union , even though Finland was able to retain its democratic form of government. Denmark and Norway were occupied by Germany in 1940. The Allies responded by occupying Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Sweden managed to formally maintain its neutrality in

630-440: A "rim" along the western border of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union. They were also part of what Georges Clemenceau considered a strategic cordon sanitaire , the entire territory from Finland in the north to Romania in the south, between Western and Central Europe and potential Bolshevik territorial ambitions. All three Baltic countries experienced a period of authoritarian rule by a head of state who had come to power after

756-795: A bloodless coup: Antanas Smetona in Lithuania ( 1926 –1940), Kārlis Ulmanis in Latvia ( 1934 –1940), and Konstantin Päts during the " Era of Silence " (1934–1938) in Estonia, respectively. Some emphasise that the events in Lithuania differed from the other two countries, with Smetona having different motivations as well as securing power eight years before any such events in Latvia or Estonia took place. Despite considerable political turmoil in Finland, no such authoritarian figure took power there. It had, however, been embroiled in

882-642: A clear day. Even excluding Greenland and the Norwegian islands of Svalbard and Jan Mayen , the remaining part of the Nordic countries covers around 1.3 million square kilometres. This is about the same area as France, Germany and Italy together. To the south, the countries neighbor the Baltic states , Poland, Germany and the United Kingdom, while to the north there is the Arctic Ocean . Notable natural features of

1008-522: A heavy influence on the weather in the western coastal zones of Iceland, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The precipitation is high and snow cover during winters is rare. Summers are generally cool. The further away that one gets from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream the colder it gets during the winters. Finland, most of Sweden and the south-eastern part of Norway are influenced by the vast continent to

1134-434: A long history of political unions and other close relations but do not form a singular entity today. The Scandinavist movement sought to unite Denmark, Norway and Sweden into one country in the 19th century. With the dissolution of the union between Norway and Sweden (Norwegian independence), the independence of Finland in the early 20th century and the 1944 Icelandic constitutional referendum , this movement expanded into

1260-891: A major role in the establishment of the early-modern states in Denmark–Norway and Sweden. Sweden was very successful during the Thirty Years' War , while Denmark was a failure. Sweden saw an opportunity of a change of power in the region. Denmark–Norway had a threatening territory surrounding Sweden and the Sound Dues were a continuing irritation for the Swedes. In 1643, the Swedish Privy Council determined Swedish territorial gain in an eventual war against Denmark–Norway to have good chances. Not long after this, Sweden invaded Denmark–Norway. The war ended as foreseen with Swedish victory and with

1386-535: A major strategic goal. In 2002, the Baltic governments applied to join the European Union and become members of NATO. All three became NATO members on 29 March 2004, and joined the EU on 1 May 2004. During the Baltic struggle for independence 1989–1992, a personal friendship developed between the (at that time unrecognized) Baltic ministers of foreign affairs and the Nordic ministers of foreign affairs. This friendship led to

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1512-542: A political dimension in the joint official bodies called the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers. The Helsinki Treaty , signed on 23 March 1962 entered into force on 1 July 1962 and is the political agreement which sets the framework for Nordic cooperation. 23 March is celebrated as the "Nordic Day" as the treaty is sometimes referred to as the constitution of the Nordic cooperation. Several aspects of

1638-508: A range of cultural and sport activities. The university has a symphony orchestra, men's choir, women's choir, and the folk dance group Soveldaja. Baltic states The Baltic states or the Baltic countries is a geopolitical term encompassing Estonia , Latvia , and Lithuania . All three countries are members of NATO , the European Union , the Eurozone , Council of Europe , and

1764-597: A reflection of historical circumstances. Both Western and Eastern Christianity had been introduced by the end of the first millennium. The current divide between Lutheranism to the north and Catholicism to the south is the remnant of Swedish and Polish hegemony, respectively, with Orthodox Christianity remaining the dominant religion among Russian and other East Slavic minorities. The Baltic states have historically been in many different spheres of influence, from Danish over Swedish and Polish–Lithuanian , to German ( Hansa and Holy Roman Empire ), and before independence in

1890-410: A rule of law states – the nations' previous command economies were transformed via the legislation into market economies, and set up or renewed the major macroeconomic factors: budgetary rules, national audit, national currency and central bank. Generally, they shortly encountered the following problems: high inflation, high unemployment, low economic growth and high government debt. The inflation rate, in

2016-702: A secret protocol within the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 that divided Europe into German and Soviet spheres of influence , the Soviet Army invaded eastern Poland in September 1939, and the Stalinist Soviet government coerced Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into "mutual assistance treaties" which granted USSR the right to establish military bases in these countries. In June 1940, the Red Army occupied all of

2142-658: A series of plateaux and gently undulating plains . The western parts of the mountains are cut by fjords, producing a dramatic landscape. The landscape of Sweden can be described as a mixture of that of Norway, Finland and Denmark. Except at the High Coast the coastal areas of Sweden form lowlands. Sweden has three highland areas, the South Swedish Highlands , the Scandinavian Mountains and the Norrland terrain which

2268-705: A similar function in Lithuania. Numerous Swedish loanwords have made it into the Estonian language; it was under the Swedish rule that schools were established and education propagated in the 17th century. Swedish remains spoken in Estonia, particularly the Estonian Swedish dialect of the Estonian Swedes of northern Estonia and the islands (though many fled to Sweden as the USSR invaded and re-occupied Estonia in 1944). There

2394-473: A successful war of independence against Soviet Russia in 1918–1920. Latvia and Lithuania followed a similar process, until the completion of the Latvian War of Independence and Lithuanian Wars of Independence in 1920. During the interwar period the three countries as well as Finland and Poland sometimes were collectively referred to as limitrophe states (from French language), as they together formed

2520-512: A threat to energy security of the Baltic states, because slows down the renewable energy consumption and lead to low rates of energy efficiency. In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and Russia's weaponization of energy supplies, the Baltic states were among the best-equipped countries in Central and Eastern Europe to deal with the energy crisis. This was because ever since the early 1990s,

2646-408: Is a Finnic language , together with neighboring Finland's Finnish language . It is also related to the now near-extinct Livonian language spoken as a second language by a few dozen people in Latvia. Apart from the indigenous languages, Low Saxon was the dominant language in Estonia and Latvia in academics, professional life, and upper society from the 13th century until World War I. Polish served

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2772-496: Is a little lower than the United States, but higher than Canada. In round figures, Iceland's population density resembles Canada's. This list includes dependent territories within their sovereign states (including uninhabited territories), but does not include claims on Antarctica . EEZ+TIA is exclusive economic zone (EEZ) plus total internal area (TIA) which includes land and internal waters. The Kingdom of Denmark includes

2898-447: Is a major factor in current social and diplomatic affairs. Since the decline of Russian influence and integration into the European Union economy, English has become the most popular second language in the Baltic states. Although Russian is more widely spoken among older people the vast majority of young people are learning English instead with as many as 80 percent of young Lithuanians professing English proficiency, and similar trends in

3024-404: Is a strong consensus about keeping to the general concept. A central theme in the Nordic model is the "universalist" welfare state aimed specifically at enhancing individual autonomy, promoting social mobility and ensuring the universal provision of basic human rights, as well as for stabilising the economy. In this model welfare is not just aid to those who are in need of it, but a central part of

3150-633: Is also frequent cooperation in foreign and security policy, defence, energy, and transportation. The term Baltic countries (or lands , or states ) was, until the early 20th century, used in the context of countries neighbouring the Baltic Sea : Sweden and Denmark , sometimes also the German Empire and the Russian Empire . With the advent of Foreningen Norden (the Nordic Associations),

3276-558: Is also significant proficiency in Finnish in Estonia owing to its linguistic relationship with Estonian and also widespread exposure to Finnish broadcasts during the Soviet era. Russian was the most commonly studied foreign language at all levels of schooling during the period of Soviet rule in 1944–1991. Despite schooling available and administration conducted in local languages, Russian-speaking settlers were neither encouraged nor motivated to learn

3402-534: Is coordination between the two organizations. Compared with other regional groupings in Europe, such as the Nordic Council or Visegrád Group , Baltic cooperation is rather limited. All three countries are also members of the New Hanseatic League , an informal group of northern EU states formed to advocate a common fiscal position. Economically, parallel with political changes and a transition to democracy – as

3528-568: Is hardly any wild nature left. Most of the scarce forests are plantations and nearly 60 per cent of Denmark's total area is cultivated or zoned as gardens or parks. On the other hand, in the other Nordic countries there is much wild nature left. Only between 0 and 9 per cent of the land in the other Nordic countries is cultivated. Around 17 per cent of the land area in Iceland is used for permanent meadows and pastures and both Finland, Norway as well as Sweden have large forest areas. The Nordic region has

3654-714: Is located a short walk from the main campus. It was established as the as the Central Library for the Estonian Academy of Sciences in 1946; it became a part of the university in 2003. Tallinn University campus virtual tour. The university was ranked among the top 15 institutions in the Emerging Europe and Central Asia by the percentage of international faculty. In 2023, Taiwan set up a Chinese Studies center in Tallinn University [1] . Tallinn University has

3780-481: Is reputed to be the oldest working parliament in the world. However, it was dissolved for much of the first half of the 19th century. In Denmark, Iceland and Sweden elections are held at least once every four years. Finland, Åland and Norway have fixed four-year election periods. Elections in the Faroe Islands and Greenland follow the Danish system of elections. The Danish Folketing has 179 seats, including two seats each for

3906-713: Is retained in the two modern Baltic languages , where baltas in Lithuanian and balts in Latvian mean "white". However, the modern names of the region and the sea that originate from this root, were not used in either of the two languages prior to the 19th century. Since the Middle Ages , the Baltic Sea has appeared on maps in Germanic languages as the equivalent of 'East Sea': German: Ostsee , Danish : Østersøen , Dutch : Oostzee , Swedish : Östersjön , etc. Indeed,

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4032-406: Is shared by the United States, the United Kingdom, and most other Western democracies, who held the forcible incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union to be illegal. At least formally, most Western democracies never considered the three Baltic states to be constituent parts of the Soviet Union. Australia was a brief exception to this support of Baltic independence: in 1974,

4158-537: Is the eastern continuation of the Scandinavian Mountains. The South Swedish Highland and the Norrland terrain are separated by the Central Swedish lowland . The topography of Iceland stands out among the Nordic countries for being a bowl-formed highland. Despite their northern location, the Nordic countries generally have a mild climate compared with other countries that share globally the same latitudes. The climate in

4284-495: The Baltic Sea for millennia, although not always peacefully in ancient times, over which period their populations, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian, have remained remarkably stable within the approximate territorial boundaries of the current Baltic states. While separate peoples with their own customs and traditions, historical factors have introduced cultural similarities in and differences within them. The populations of each Baltic country belong to several Christian denominations,

4410-579: The European Free Trade Association (EFTA). All the Nordic countries are however members of the European Economic Area (EEA). Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Nordic countries began partnerships with newly liberated neighbouring Baltic states ( Estonia , Latvia and Lithuania ) by opening Nordic council of ministers' offices in the three countries. The Baltic Assembly started to work together with

4536-532: The European Union (EU) and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Each of the three countries has declared itself to be the restoration of the sovereign nation that had existed from 1918 to 1940, emphasizing their contention that Soviet domination over the Baltic states during the Cold War period had been an illegal occupation and annexation. The same legal interpretation

4662-631: The Germanic people that would later relate to the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of Medieval Europe . However, these acquired the Latin culture of Rome . The Nordic countries first came into more permanent contact with the rest of Europe during the Viking Age . Southern Finland and northern parts of Sweden and Norway were areas where the Vikings mostly only traded and had raids, whilst

4788-478: The Labor government of Australia did recognize Soviet dominion, but this decision was reversed by the next Australian Parliament . Other exceptions included Sweden, which was the first Western country, and one of the very few to ever do so, to recognize the incorporation of the Baltic states into the Soviet Union as lawful. After the Baltic states had restored their independence , integration with Western Europe became

4914-749: The Nordics or Norden ; lit.   ' the North ' ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic . It includes the sovereign states of Denmark , Finland , Iceland , Norway and Sweden ; the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands and Greenland ; and the autonomous region of Åland . The Nordic countries have much in common in their way of life, history , religion and social and economic model . They have

5040-630: The OECD . The three sovereign states on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea are sometimes referred to as the "Baltic nations", less often and in historical circumstances also as the "Baltic republics", the "Baltic lands", or simply the Baltics . All three Baltic countries are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain a very high Human Development Index . The three governments engage in intergovernmental and parliamentary cooperation. There

5166-569: The Protestant Reformation , the main religion became Lutheran Christianity , the state religion of several Nordic countries. Although the area is linguistically heterogeneous, with three unrelated language groups, the common linguistic heritage is one factor that makes up the Nordic identity. Most Nordic languages belong to North Germanic languages , Finno-Ugric languages and Eskimo–Aleut languages . Danish , Norwegian and Swedish are considered mutually intelligible , and they are

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5292-416: The Russian invasion of Ukraine , Finland joined NATO in 2023 as did Sweden a year later. The Nordic countries and self-governing regions in alphabetic order – number of inhabitants (2018), area (km ) and population density (people/km ): Denmark is by far the most densely populated country, whilst Sweden, Norway and Finland are low populated and similar to each other from this perspective. Iceland has both

5418-575: The Schengen Area and only a national ID card is required. Within the Nordic area any means of proving one's identity, e.g. a driving licence , is valid for Nordic citizens because of the Nordic Passport Union. When traveling to other countries than the Nordics, public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries are to assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country

5544-521: The Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645 Denmark–Norway had to cede some of their territories, including Norwegian territories Jemtland , Herjedalen and Idre and Serna , as well as the Danish Baltic Sea islands of Gotland and Ösel . The Thirty Years' War thus began the rise of Sweden as a great power , while it marked the start of decline for the Danish. To some extent in the 16th century and certainly in

5670-672: The common market as in the EU have been implemented decades before the EU implemented them. Intra-Nordic trade is not covered by the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), but by local law. The Nordic countries have cooperated closely in the administrative and consular fields since the Nordic Passport Union was established and the Helsinki Treaty concluded. According to

5796-449: The dissolution of the Soviet Union , setting a precedent for the other Soviet republics to secede from the USSR. The Soviet Union recognized the independence of three Baltic states on 6 September 1991. Troops were withdrawn from the region (starting from Lithuania) from August 1993. The last Russian troops were withdrawn from there in August 1994. Skrunda-1 , the last Russian military radar in

5922-487: The 11th century, three northern kingdoms emerged in the region: Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Iceland first became a commonwealth before it came under Norwegian rule in the early 13th century. There were several secular powers who aimed to bring Finland under their rule, but through the Second and Third Swedish Crusade in the latter part of 13th and through the colonisation of some coastal areas of Finland with Christian Swedes,

6048-625: The 16th century converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism . Due to the threat of Russia , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Kingdom of Poland formed the Union of Lublin in 1569 as the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth . From 16th to 18th centuries the united Polish–Lithuanian state fought with Denmark , Russia and Sweden for Estonian and Latvian lands in the Livonian and Northern wars . In

6174-428: The 17th, the Nordic region played a major role in European politics at the highest level. The struggle for dominion over the Baltic Sea and its trading opportunities raged between Denmark–Norway and Sweden, which began to impact upon the neighbouring nations. Sweden prevailed in the long term and became a major European power as it extended its reach into coastal tracts in modern-day Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and – following

6300-541: The Axis/Allies conflict and avoided direct hostilities, but in practice it adapted to the wishes of the dominant power – first Germany, later the Allies. However, during the Winter War between Finland and Russia in 1939–1940, Sweden did support Finland and declared itself "non combatant" rather than neutral. Compared with large parts of Europe, the Nordic region got off lightly during the World War II, which partially explains its strong post-war economic development. The labour movement – both trade unions and political parties –

6426-474: The Baltic Sea lies mostly to the east of Germany , Denmark , Norway , and Sweden . The term was also used historically to refer to Baltic Dominions of the Swedish Empire ( Swedish : Östersjöprovinserna ) and, subsequently, the Baltic governorates of the Russian Empire (Russian: Остзейские губернии , romanized:  Ostzejskie gubernii ). Terms related to modern name Baltic appear in ancient texts, but had fallen into disuse until reappearing as

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6552-462: The Baltic states were investing in alternative and non-Russian energy supply routes. These included the development of the Būtingė oil terminal , electricity interconnections with Sweden , Finland and Poland , the Klaipėda LNG terminal and Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania . All of these and other infrastructure projects allowed the Baltic States to quickly shift away from Russian energy supplies. Estonians are Finnic people , together with

6678-462: The Baltics to remote locations in the Soviet Union . In addition, at least 75,000 were sent to Gulags . About 10% of the adult Baltic population were deported or sent to labor camps. (See June deportation , Soviet deportations from Estonia , Sovietization of the Baltic states ) The Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries was interrupted by Nazi German invasion of the region in 1941. Initially, many Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians considered

6804-427: The Baltics, officially suspended operations in August 1998. All three are today liberal democracies , with unicameral parliaments elected by popular vote for four-year terms: Riigikogu in Estonia, Saeima in Latvia and Seimas in Lithuania. In Latvia and Estonia, the president is elected by parliament, while Lithuania has a semi-presidential system whereby the president is elected by popular vote. All are part of

6930-437: The Faroe Islands and Greenland, which had been re-colonised in the 18th century, became Danish. Population growth and industrialisation brought change to the Nordic countries during the 19th century and new social classes steered political systems towards democracy. International politics and nationalism also created the preconditions for the later independence of Norway in 1905 , Finland in 1917 and Iceland in 1944 . During

7056-570: The Faroe Islands and Greenland. The Finnish Eduskunta has 200 seats, including one seat for Åland. The Icelandic Althing has 63 seats, the Norwegian Storting 169 seats and the Swedish Riksdag 349 seats. The Faroese Løgting has 32 seats, Greenland's Inatsisartut 31 seats and Åland's Lagtinget 30 seats. Nordic citizens – and in the three member countries of the EU also EU citizens – living in another Nordic country are normally entitled to vote in local government elections after three months of residence, while other foreign citizens have to reside in

7182-586: The German army as liberators, while having hoped for the restoration of each of the three countries' independence, but instead the Nazi German invaders established a civil administration, known as the Reichskommissariat Ostland . During the occupation the Nazi authorities carried out ghettoisations and mass killings of the Jewish populations in Lithuania and Latvia. Over 190,000 Lithuanian Jews , nearly 95% of Lithuania's pre-war Jewish community, and 66,000 Latvian Jews were murdered. The German occupation lasted until late 1944 (in Courland , until early 1945), when

7308-417: The Helsinki Treaty, public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries are to assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country is not represented in the territory concerned. Nordic cooperation is based on the Helsinki Treaty. Politically, Nordic countries do not form a separate entity, but they cooperate in the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers . The council

7434-400: The Kingdom of Poland in 1385 and together resisted the advance of the orders to the east. During the secularization of the Teutonic Order, the Duchy of Prussia was created. In its northern part – in the lands of the Lithuanians – the Lithuanian historical area of Lithuania Minor was formed. In 13th century Catholicism began to spread in Lithuanian lands ; Estonians and most Latvians in

7560-440: The Lithuanian nation was made difficult due to repression of the Russian imperial authorities after the suppressed uprising of 1830–1831 and the uprising of 1863–1864 . In the 19th century the national movement of Estonians , Latvians and Lithuanians began. Although the historical, economic and cultural development of the nations of the Baltic countries were different, the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian nations were formed by

7686-399: The Nordic Council to form the Nordic-Baltic Eight in 1992, while big Baltic companies were bought by Nordic companies in sectors such as banking or telecommunications. In 1999, Estonia started to promote its Nordic heritage (see Nordic identity in Estonia ) while government of Sweden expressed regrets regarding the deportation of Estonian and Latvian soldiers to USSR in 1946. Following

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7812-401: The Nordic countries are members of NATO. The Nordic foreign and security policy cooperation became closer and expanded its scope in 2014. The Nordic Council of Ministers is responsible for inter-governmental cooperation. Prime ministers have ultimate responsibility, but this is usually delegated to the Minister for Nordic Cooperation and the Nordic Committee for Co-operation, which coordinates

7938-446: The Nordic countries are situated on the southern parts of the region, with the exception of Reykjavík , the capital of Iceland. Helsinki , Oslo and Stockholm are all close to the same latitude as the southernmost point of Greenland, Egger Island ( Itilleq ): about 60°N . All of Denmark and most of Finland lie below 200 m and the topography of both is relatively flat. In Denmark, moraines and tunnel valleys add some relief to

8064-444: The Nordic countries for three to four years before they are eligible to vote. In Denmark and the Faroe Islands, the percentage turn-out at elections is close to 90% per cent, but it is only about 67% in Åland and Finland. Men are more often elected to the national assembly compared to women. The biggest bias between the two sexes is seen in the Faroe Islands and Åland, while in Sweden men and women are close to being equally represented in

8190-471: The Nordic countries include the Norwegian fjords , the Archipelago Sea between Finland and Sweden, the extensive volcanic and geothermal activity of Iceland , and Greenland, which is the largest island in the world. The southernmost point of the Nordic countries is Gedser , on the island of Falster in Denmark. The northernmost point is Kaffeklubben Island in Greenland, which is also the northernmost point of land on Earth. The largest cities and capitals of

8316-415: The Nordic countries is mainly influenced by their northern location, but remedied by the vicinity to the ocean and the Gulf Stream which brings warm ocean currents from the tip of Florida. Even far to the north, the winters can be quite mild, though north of the Polar Circle the climate zone is mostly subarctic with harsh winters and short summers. In Greenland and Svalbard the climate is polar. The sea has

8442-485: The Nordic countries' borders without having their passport checked, but still have to carry some sort of approved travel identification documents. During the 2015 European migrant crisis , temporary border controls were set up between Denmark and Sweden to control the movement of refugees into Sweden. Since 1996, these countries have been part of the larger EU directive Schengen Agreement area, comprising 30 countries in Europe. Border checkpoints have been removed within

8568-445: The Nordic model of economy and social structure to varying degrees. This includes a mixed market economy combined with strong labour unions and a universalist welfare sector financed by high taxes, enhancing individual autonomy and promoting social mobility . There is a high degree of income redistribution, commitment to private ownership and little social unrest. North Germanic peoples , who comprise over three-quarters of

8694-499: The Nordic region was politically united in the loose Kalmar Union . Diverging interests and especially Sweden's dissatisfaction over the Danish dominance gave rise to a conflict that hampered the union from the 1430s onward until its final dissolution in 1523. After the dissolution Denmark and Norway, including Iceland, formed a personal union of the two kingdoms called Denmark–Norway whilst the successful period of Vasa Kings began in Sweden and Finland. The Lutheran Reformation played

8820-457: The Russian sphere of influence. The Baltic states are inhabited by several ethnic minorities: in Latvia: 33.0% (including 25.4% Russian , 3.3% Belarusian , 2.2% Ukrainian , and 2.1% Polish ), in Estonia: 27.6% (including 22.0% Russian and 10.2% others) and in Lithuania: 12.2% (including 5.6% Polish and 4.5% Russian ). The Soviet Union conducted a policy of Russification by encouraging Russians and other Russian-speaking ethnic groups of

8946-447: The Sixpack, because the financial crisis was a shocking milestone. All three countries are member states of the European Union , and the Eurozone . They are classified as high-income economies by the World Bank and maintain high Human Development Index . Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are also members of the OECD . Estonia adopted the euro currency in January 2011, Latvia in January 2014, and Lithuania in January 2015. Usually

9072-461: The Soviet Union to settle in the Baltics. Today, ethnic Russian immigrants from the former Soviet Union and their descendants make up a sizable group particularly in Latvia (about one-quarter of the total population and close to one-half in the capital Riga) and Estonia (nearly one-quarter of the total population). Because the three countries had been independent nations prior to their occupation by

9198-480: The Soviet Union, there was a strong feeling of national identity (often labeled "bourgeois nationalism" by the Communist Party ) and popular resentment towards the imposed Soviet rule in the three countries, in combination with Soviet cultural policy, which employed superficial multiculturalism (in order for the Soviet Union to appear as a multinational union based on the free will of its peoples) in limits allowed by

9324-467: The Swedish rule was gradually established in the region. During the Middle Ages , increased trade meant that the Nordic countries became increasingly integrated into Europe and Nordic society became more Continental . The monarchies strengthened their positions in the 12th and 13th centuries through imposing taxes on peasants and a class of nobles also emerged. By the Late Middle Ages, the whole of

9450-600: The Thirty Years' War – also into Pomerania and other North German areas. Sweden also conquered vast areas from Denmark–Norway during the Northern Wars in the middle of the 17th century. Sweden also had several conflicts with Russia over Finland and other eastern areas of the country and after the Great Northern War (1700–1721) Sweden lost most of its territories outside the old Swedish border to Russia which then became

9576-509: The USSR as the Estonian SSR , Latvian SSR , and Lithuanian SSR . Repressions, executions and mass deportations followed after that in the Baltics. The Soviet Union attempted to Sovietize its occupied territories, by means such as deportations and instituting the Russian language as the only working language. Between 1940 and 1953, the Soviet government deported more than 200,000 people from

9702-654: The adjective Baltisch in German, from which it was adopted in other languages. During the 19th century, Baltic started to supersede Ostsee as the name for the region. Officially, its Russian equivalent Прибалтийский ( Pribaltiyskiy ) was first used in 1859. This change was a result of the Baltic German elite adopting terms derived from Baltisch to refer to themselves. Nordic countries 2 autonomous territories 1 autonomous region 2 unincorporated areas 1 dependency 2 Antarctic claims The Nordic countries (also known as

9828-456: The advent of Foreningen Norden . The term is derived indirectly from the local term Norden , used in the North Germanic (Scandinavian) languages , which means 'The North(ern lands)'. Unlike the Nordic countries , the term Norden is in the singular. The demonym is nordbo , literally meaning 'northern dweller'. Similar or related regional terms include: Norga Italics indicates

9954-683: The buildings there is a campus courtyard. Terra is the main and oldest building on Tallinn University's campus. It was built for the Tallinn English College in 1938. The building is under heritage protection. The Mare building was completed in 2006. The Nova building houses the Baltic Film and Media School and was completed in 2012, along with the Astra building. The Vita building was completed and opened in January 2020. The University's Academic Library

10080-464: The collective farms. In all three countries, Baltic partisans , known colloquially as the Forest Brothers , Latvian national partisans , and Lithuanian partisans , waged unsuccessful guerrilla warfare against the Soviet occupation for the next eight years in a bid to regain their nations' independence. The armed resistance of the anti-Soviet partisans lasted up to 1953. Although the armed resistance

10206-469: The communist "internationalist" (but in effect pro- Russification ) ideology and under tight control of the Communist Party (those of the Baltic nationals who crossed the line were called "bourgeois nationalists" and repressed). This let Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians preserve a high degree of Europe-oriented national identity. In Soviet times this made them appear as the "West" of the Soviet Union in

10332-437: The concept of energy security is related to the uninterruptible supply, sufficient energy storage, advanced technological development of energy sector and environmental regulations. Other studies add other indicators to this list: diversification of energy suppliers, energy import dependence and vulnerability of political system. Even now being a part of the European Union, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are still considered as

10458-581: The countries are among the wealthiest worldwide and there is little social unrest. In 2015, Save the Children ranked the Nordic countries as number 1–5 of countries where mothers and children fare the best (among 179 countries studied). Nordic parliaments are all based on a one-chamber system . The Norwegian parliament, the Storting , did actually function as two separate chambers until 2009 when dealing with certain issues. The Icelandic Althing , founded in 930 AD,

10584-505: The countries were reoccupied by the Red Army and Soviet rule was re-established, with the passive agreement of the United States and Britain (see Yalta Conference and Potsdam Agreement ). The forced collectivisation of agriculture began in 1947, and was completed after the mass deportation in March 1949 (see Operation Priboi ). Private farms were confiscated, and farmers were made to join

10710-671: The creation of the Council of the Baltic Sea States in 1992, and the EuroFaculty in 1993. Between 1994 and 2004, the BAFTA free trade agreement was established to help prepare the countries for their accession to the EU, rather than out of the Baltic states' desire to trade among themselves. The Baltic countries were more interested in gaining access to the rest of the European market. Currently,

10836-681: The cultural and political sense, thus as close to emigration a Russian could get without leaving the USSR. The languages of the three Baltic peoples belong to two distinct language families. The Latvian and Lithuanian languages belong to the Indo-European language family and are the only extant (widely recognized) members of the Baltic language group (or more specifically, Eastern Baltic subgroup of Baltic). Latgalian and Samogitian are considered either separate languages or dialects of Latvian and Lithuanian, respectively. The Estonian language (including its divergent Võro and Seto dialects)

10962-538: The day-to-day work. The autonomous territories have the same representation as states. The Nordic countries share an economic and social model, which involves the combination of a market economy with a welfare state financed with heavy taxes. The welfare states were largely developed by strong social democrat parties and in Finland with cooperation with the Agrarian League . Although the specifics differ between countries and there are ongoing political arguments, there

11088-615: The dependence on single supplier – Russia – is not healthy both for economics and politics. As it was in 2009 during the Russian-Ukrainian gas dispute, when states of Eastern Europe were deprived from access to the natural gas deliveries, the reoccurrence of the situation may again lead to economic, political and social crisis. Therefore, the diversification of suppliers is needed. Finally, the low technological enhancement results in slow adaptation of new technologies, such as construction and use of renewable sources of energy. This also poses

11214-496: The east which results in warm and long summers and clear and cold winters, often with snow. For example, Bergen at the west coast of Norway normally has a temperature above zero in February while Helsinki in Finland normally will have a temperature of 7–8 °C below zero during the same month. Climatic conditions and quality of land have determined how land is used in the Nordic countries. In densely populated mainland Denmark there

11340-452: The end of the 19th century. The ideas of unity between Latvians and Lithuanians have been spreading since the end of the 19th century. As World War I came to a close, Lithuania declared independence and Latvia formed a provisional government . Estonia had already obtained autonomy from tsarist Russia in 1917, and declared independence in February 1918, but was subsequently occupied by the German Empire until November 1918. Estonia fought

11466-503: The examined area, relatively quickly dropped to below 5% by 2000. Meanwhile, these economies were stabilised, and in 2004 all of them joined the European Union. New macroeconomic requirements have arisen for them; the Maastricht criteria became obligatory and later the Stability and Growth Pact set stricter rules through national legislation by implementing the regulations and directives of

11592-511: The governments of the Baltic states cooperate in multiple ways, including cooperation among presidents, parliament speakers, heads of government, and foreign ministers. On 8 November 1991, the Baltic Assembly , which includes 15 to 20 MPs from each parliament, was established to facilitate inter-parliamentary cooperation. The Baltic Council of Ministers was established on 13 June 1994 to facilitate intergovernmental cooperation. Since 2003, there

11718-446: The highest share of renewables in the energy production, its energy economy has been still characterized by high rates of carbon intensity. Lithuania, in contrast, achieved the best results on carbon intensity of economy but its energy dependence level is still very high. Latvia performed the best according to all indicators. Especially, the high share of renewables were introduced to the energy production of Latvia, that can be explained by

11844-463: The home-rule ( hjemmestyre ) territory of the Faroe Islands and the self-rule ( selvstyre ) territory of Greenland . The Nordic countries have a combined area of around 3.5 million square kilometres and their geography is extremely varied. The area is so vast that it covers five time zones . To the east the region borders Russia, and on the west the Canadian coastline can be seen from Greenland on

11970-418: The landscape while in Finland the surroundings of lakes Pielinen and Päijänne display some moderate relief. The Finnish area just east of Bothnian Bay stands out as the largest plain in the Nordic countries. The Scandinavian Mountains dominate the landscape of Norway. The southern part of the Scandinavian Mountains is broader than the northern one and contains higher peaks. The southern part contains also

12096-573: The last governments before USSR occupation. In the late 1980s, a massive campaign of civil resistance against Soviet rule, known as the Singing revolution , began. On 23 August 1989, the Baltic Way , a two-million-strong human chain, stretched for 600 km from Tallinn to Vilnius . In the wake of this campaign, Gorbachev's government had privately concluded that the departure of the Baltic republics had become "inevitable". This process contributed to

12222-485: The life of everybody: education is free, healthcare has zero or nominal fees in most cases, most children go to municipal day care, etc. The Nordic model is distinguished from other types of welfare states by its emphasis on maximising labour force participation, promoting gender equality, egalitarian and extensive benefit levels, the large magnitude of income redistribution and liberal use of expansionary fiscal policy. Trade unions are strong. The model has been successful:

12348-461: The lowest population and by far the lowest population density. But large areas in Finland, Norway and Sweden, like most of Iceland, are unpopulated. There are no such areas in Denmark. Denmark has a population density around continental average, higher than for instance France and Poland but lower when compared to the United Kingdom, Italy or Germany. Finland, Norway and Sweden has a population density that

12474-662: The middle of 17th century, Sweden conquered and founded the governorates of Estonia and Livonia (with the exception of Courland , Latgale ). After the Great Northern War , both governorates became part of the Russian Empire, during the partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth , Russia also annexed Courland, Latgale, and all of Lithuania. Estonians and Latvians, ruled by the German orders, Poland–Lithuania, Sweden, and Russia for numerous centuries, managed to preserve their language and culture. The formation of

12600-582: The modern organised Nordic cooperation. Since 1962, this cooperation has been based on the Helsinki Treaty that sets the framework for the Nordic Council and the Nordic Council of Ministers . The Nordic countries cluster near the top in numerous metrics of national performance, including education, economic competitiveness, civil liberties, quality of life and human development. Each country has its own economic and social model, sometimes with large differences from its neighbours. Still, they share aspects of

12726-684: The most important documents that the EU applied to improve the energy security stance of the Baltic states are European Union climate and energy package , including the Climate and Energy Strategy 2020, that aims to reduce the greenhouse emissions to 20%, increase the energy production from renewables for 20% in overall share and 20% energy efficiency development. The calculations take into account not only economic, but also technological and energy-related factors: Energy and carbon intensity of transport and households, trade balance of total energy, energy import dependency, diversification of energy mix , etc. It

12852-527: The most vulnerable EU member states in the energy sphere. Due to their Soviet past, Baltic states have several gas pipelines on their territories coming from Russia. Moreover, several routes of oil delivery also have been sustained from Soviet times: These are ports in Ventspils, Butinge and Tallinn. Therefore, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania play a significant role not only in consuming, but also in distribution of Russian energy fuels extracting transaction fees. So,

12978-472: The national assembly. The Nordic Passport Union, created in 1954 and implemented on 1 May 1958, allows citizens of the Nordic countries: Denmark (Faroe Islands included since 1 January 1966, Greenland not included), Sweden, Norway (Svalbard, Bouvet Island and Queen Maud Land not included), Finland and Iceland (since 24 September 1965) to cross approved border districts without carrying and having their passport checked. Other citizens can also travel between

13104-451: The nearby Finns . The Latvians and Lithuanians , linguistically and culturally related to each other, are Baltic Indo-European people. In Latvia exists a small community of Finnic people related to the Estonians, composed of only 250 people, known as Livonians , and they live in the so-called Livonian Coast . The peoples in the Baltic states have together inhabited the eastern coast of

13230-665: The new major power in Northern Europe. After the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), the political map of the Nordic countries altered again. In 1809, Finland was conquered by Russian Empire from Sweden in the Finnish War , after which Finland became the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland . In turn, Sweden captured Norway from Denmark in 1814 in the Swedish–Norwegian War and started a Union between Sweden and Norway . Iceland,

13356-547: The official local languages, so knowledge of some Russian became a practical necessity in daily life in Russian-dominated urban areas. As a result, even to this day most of the three countries' middle age and senior population can understand and speak some Russian, especially people aged over 50 years who went to school during the Soviet rule. The question of assimilation, or integration, of the Russian-speaking immigrants

13482-491: The other Baltic states. Baltic Romani is spoken by the Roma . The term Baltic stems from the name of the Baltic Sea – a hydronym dating back to at least 3rd century B.C. (when Erastothenes mentioned Baltia in an Ancient Greek text) and possibly earlier. There are several theories about its origin, most of which trace it to the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root *bhel meaning 'white, fair'. This meaning

13608-455: The overall EU dependence on the Russia's energy supplies from the one hand and the need of Baltic states to import energy fuels from their closer hydrocarbon-rich neighbor creates a tension that could jeopardize the energy security of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. As a part of the EU from 2004, Baltic states must comply with the EU's regulations in energy, environmental and security spheres. One of

13734-414: The permanent settlements of Vikings in the Nordic region were in southern Norway and Sweden, Denmark and Faroes as well as parts of Iceland, Greenland and Estonia . Christian Europe responded to the raids and conquest of Vikings with intensive missionary work. The missionaries wanted the new territories to be ruled by Christian kings who would help to strengthen the church. After conversion to Christianity in

13860-680: The present-day Baltic countries remained " pagan " until the 13th century. Kievan Rus sought to conquer them, and in the 11th century took control of some lands; Orthodoxy began to spread. In the 13th century the military orders of monks based in the lands of the Livonians and Prussians ( Livonian Brothers of the Sword , the Teutonic Order , the Livonian Order ) and the Kingdom of Denmark conquered most of

13986-530: The region had over 27 million people. Especially in English, Scandinavia is sometimes used as a synonym for the Nordic countries, but that term more properly refers to the three monarchies of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Geologically, the Scandinavian Peninsula comprises the mainland of Norway and Sweden and the northernmost part of Finland. The term Nordic countries found mainstream use after

14112-643: The region's population, are the largest ethnic group, followed by the Baltic Finnic Peoples , who comprise the majority in Finland; other ethnic groups are the Greenlandic Inuit , the Sami people and recent immigrants and their descendants. Historically, the main religion in the region was Norse paganism . This gave way first to Roman Catholicism after the Christianisation of Scandinavia . Then, following

14238-535: The region. Its student body represents over 40 countries worldwide. As of 2021 the Times Higher Education World Rankings ranked the university's research coefficient fourth highest in the Baltic States . The campus of Tallinn University is located in the center of Tallinn. The campus consists of six connected buildings which have Latin names: Terra, Astra, Mare, Nova, Silva and Vita. Between

14364-550: The relative representation of the political parties in those parliaments. It holds its main session in the autumn, while a so-called "theme session" is arranged in the spring. Each of the national delegations has its own secretariat in the national parliament. The autonomous territories – Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland – also have Nordic secretariats. The Council does not have any formal power on its own, but each government has to implement any decisions through its country's legislative assembly. All of

14490-511: The state's geographical location and favorable natural conditions. Possible threats to energy security include, firstly, a major risk of energy supply disruption. Even if there are several electricity interconnectors that connect the area with electricity-rich states ( Estonia-Finland interconnector , Lithuania-Poland interconnector , Lithuania-Sweden interconnector ), the pipeline supply of natural gas and tanker supply of oil are unreliable without modernization of energy infrastructure. Secondly,

14616-582: The term Baltic countries was no longer used for Sweden and Denmark. After the First World War (1914–1918) the term "Baltic states" came to refer to the countries by the Baltic Sea that had gained independence from the former Russian Empire . The term included Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, as well as Finland (which later became grouped among the Nordic countries instead). After World War II (1939–1945),

14742-463: The term has been used to group the three countries that were occupied by the Soviet Union until 1991: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. At the same time Finland, instead, has been referred to as a member of another geopolitical grouping: the Nordic countries . In ninth and 10th centuries after the formation of neighboring Christian states of Sweden, Denmark, Poland and Kievan Rus the lands of

14868-449: The territory of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania , and installed new, pro-Soviet puppet governments . In all three countries simultaneously, rigged elections (in which only pro-Stalinist candidates were allowed to run) were staged in July 1940, the newly assembled "parliaments" in each of the three countries then unanimously applied to join the Soviet Union, and in August 1940 were incorporated into

14994-515: The territory of modern-day Baltic countries and prevented the Estonians , Curonians , Latvians ( Latgalians ), Livonians, Prussians, Nadruvians , Selonians , Skalvians and Semigalians from creating their own states. Only the Lithuanians living farthest from the centers of German colonization succeeded in creating their own state . The Grand Duchy of Lithuania concluded the Union of Krevo with

15120-401: The third largest provider of higher education in Estonia. Among degree students, 10% were international. There are 846 employees at the university, of which 475 are academic staff. Tallinn University's Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School is the only institution in Northern Europe teaching film, television and audiovisual production in English, and one of the largest film schools in

15246-493: The two world wars and the Cold War , the five small Nordic states were forced into difficult balancing acts, but retained their independence and developed peaceful democracies. The Nordic states had been neutral during World War I , but during World War II they could no longer stand apart from world politics. The Soviet Union attacked Finland in 1939 and Finland ceded territory following the Winter War . In 1941, Finland launched

15372-503: The working languages of the region's two political bodies. Swedish is a mandatory subject in Finnish schools and Danish in Faroese schools. Danish is also taught in schools in Iceland. The combined area of the Nordic countries is 3,425,804 square kilometres (1,322,710 sq mi). Uninhabitable ice caps and glaciers comprise about half of this area, mainly Greenland. In September 2021,

15498-649: Was an important political presence throughout the Nordic countries in the 20th century. The big social democratic parties became dominant and after World War II the Nordic countries began to serve as a model for the welfare state. Economically, the five Nordic countries were strongly dependent on foreign trade and so they positioned themselves alongside the big trading blocks. Denmark was the first to join European Economic Community (EEC) in 1972 and after it became European Union (EU) in 1993 Finland and Sweden also joined in 1995. Norway and Iceland are members of

15624-584: Was defeated, the population remained anti-Soviet. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were considered to be under Soviet occupation by the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, NATO , and many other countries and international organizations. During the Cold War, Lithuania and Latvia maintained legations in Washington DC, while Estonia had a mission in New York City. Each was staffed initially by diplomats from

15750-829: Was established after World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction of a Nordic Passport Union in 1952. This resulted in a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the countries' citizens. In 1971, the Nordic Council of Ministers, an intergovernmental forum, was established to complement the council. The Nordic Council and the Council of Ministers have their headquarters in Copenhagen and various installations in each separate country, as well as many offices in neighbouring countries. The headquarters are located at Ved Stranden No. 18, close to Slotsholmen. The Nordic Council consists of 87 representatives, elected from its members' parliaments and reflecting

15876-434: Was stated that from 2008, Baltic states experiences a positive change in their energy security score. They diversified their oil import suppliers due to shutdown of Druzhba gas pipeline in 2006 and increased the share of renewable sources in total energy production with the help of the EU policies. Estonia usually was the best performing country in terms of energy security, but new assessment shows that even though Estonia has

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