Today the Baltic states is an important region of Northern Europe. One of the most important historical and economic points of the region is Pomorie. This is an administrative and sovereign region, which was previously called the Ostsee region. To deal with the question: "The Baltic states - which countries and states?" - historical and economic reviews of the region will help.
Edge formation
The very word "Baltic" comes from the name of the sea, on the banks of which the region is located. For a long time, the German and Swedish peoples fought for sole power in the territory. It was they in the 16th century that for the most part made up the population of the Baltic states. Many local residents left the region in search of a quiet life, and conqueror families moved to their place. For a time, the area began to be called Sveiskaya.
Endless bloody wars ended thanks to Peter I, whose army did not leave a wet spot from the enemy forces of the Swedes. Now the peoples of the Baltic states could sleep peacefully, without worrying about tomorrow. The united region began to bear the name of the Ostseey province, which is part of the Russian Empire.
Many historians are still struggling with the question of what the Baltic states were at that time. It is difficult to answer it unequivocally, because in the 18th century dozens of peoples with their own culture and traditions lived on the territory. The region was divided into administrative parts, provinces, but as such there were no states in it. The distinction occurred much later, this is evidenced by numerous entries in historical documents.
During World War I, the Baltic states were occupied by German troops. For many years the region remained a German duchy in Russia. And only after decades, the monarchist system began to divide into bourgeois and capitalist republics.
Joining the USSR
The Baltic states in their present form began to form only in the early 1990s. However, territorial formation occurred in the post-war period in the late 1940s. The accession of the Baltic States to the Soviet Union is dated August 1939 under a mutual non-aggression treaty between the USSR and the German Republic. In the agreement, both the borders of the territory and the degree of influence on the economy by the two powers were spelled out.
Nevertheless, most foreign political scientists and historians are sure that the region was totally occupied by Soviet power. But do they remember, the Baltic states - which countries and how did they form? The association includes Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. All these states were formed and formed precisely thanks to the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, Western experts agree that Russia is obliged to pay the Baltic countries financial compensation for the years of occupation and atrocities. The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, insists that the accession of the region to the USSR did not contradict any canons of international law.
Division of the Republics
After the collapse of the USSR, many countries gained legal sovereignty, but the Baltic states gained independence in early 1991. Later, in September, the pact on the new state system of the region was reinforced by the decisions of the State Council of the USSR.
The separation of the republics was peaceful, without political and civil conflicts. Nevertheless, the Baltic countries themselves consider modern traditions to be a continuation of the political system until 1940, that is, before the occupation by the Soviet Union. To date, a number of resolutions have been signed by the US Senate and the Council of Europe on the forcible incorporation of the Baltic states as part of the USSR. Thus, the Western powers are trying to set up neighboring republics and their citizens against Russia.
The conflict over the past few years has been exacerbated by claims for the payment of compensation by the Russian Federation for the occupation. It is noteworthy that in these documents the generalized name of the territory “Baltic” appears. What countries are these? These include today Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. As for the Kaliningrad region, it is part of the Russian Federation to this day.
Geography of the region
The territory of the Baltic states is located on the European Plain. From the north, it is washed by the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea. The eastern border is the Valdai Upland, and the southwest is the Polesskaya Lowland. The coast of the region is represented by the Estonian, Courland, Kurgalsky and Sambian peninsulas, as well as the Curonian and Vistula spits. The largest bays are considered to be Riga, Finnish and Narva.
The highest cape is Taran (60 meters). A significant part of the coastal border of the region is made up of sands and clay, as well as steep cliffs. The Curonian Spit alone stretches 98 kilometers along the Baltic Sea. The width in some places reaches 3800 m. The local sand dunes in volume occupy the third place in the world (6 cubic km). The highest point in the Baltic is Mount Gaisins - more than 310 meters.
Republic of Latvia
The capital of the state is Riga. The location of the republic is Northern Europe. About 2 million people live in the country, despite the fact that the territory of the region covers an area of only 64.6 thousand square meters. km Latvia takes the 147th place in the world list in number. All the peoples of the Baltic states and the USSR are gathered here: Russians, Poles, Belarusians, Jews, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Germans, Gypsies, etc. Naturally, the majority of the population are Latvians (77%).
The political system is a unitary republic, parliament. The region is divided into 119 administrative units.
The main revenue sources of the country are tourism, logistics, banking and the food industry.
Republic of Lithuania
The geographical location of the country is the northern part of Europe. The main city of the republic is Vilnius. It is worth noting that the population of the Baltic almost half consists of Lithuanians. About 1.7 million people live in their native state. The total population of the country is slightly less than 3 million.
Lithuania is washed by the Baltic Sea, along which trade shipping routes are established. Most of the territory is occupied by plains, fields and forests. Also in Lithuania there are more than 3 thousand lakes and small rivers. Due to direct contact with the sea, the climate of the region is unstable, transitional. In summer, the air temperature rarely exceeds +22 degrees. The main source of government revenue is oil and gas production.
Republic of Estonia
Located on the northern coast of the Baltic Sea. The capital is Tallinn. Most of the territory is washed by the Gulf of Riga and Finland. Estonia has a common border with Russia.
The population of the republic is more than 1.3 million people, of which a third are Russians. In addition to Estonians and Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Tatars, Finns, Germans, Lithuanians, Jews, Latvians, Armenians and other peoples live here.
The main source of replenishment of the state treasury is industry. In 2011, Estonia converted the national currency into euros. Today, this parliamentary republic is considered to be of medium prosperity. GDP per person is about 21 thousand euros.
Kaliningrad region
This region has a unique geographical location. The fact is that this entity, belonging to the Russian Federation, has no common borders with the country. It is located in northern Europe in the Baltic region. It is the administrative center of Russia. It covers an area of 15.1 thousand square meters. km The population does not even reach a million - 969 thousand people.
The region borders on Poland, Lithuania and the Baltic Sea. It is considered the westernmost point of Russia.
The main economic sources are oil, coal, peat, amber, as well as the electrical industry.