Around 1990, three small countries appeared on the map of Europe, in the northeast corner between Russia and the Baltic Sea. Actually, they reappeared, because these countries had been independent between the world wars, from 1918 to 1939. Not many people are very knowledgeable about Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, or as they are known collectively, the Baltic States. They are often referred to as “tiny”, and indeed none of them reach 3 million in population, with Estonia the smallest at just 1.3 million, Lithuania the largest at 2.9 million. While we tend to lump them together due to their size and geographic proximity, each of these countries is unique. Here we will find out more about what unites and divides these three neighbors on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.
One of the main common areas that the three countries share is their recent history. For 200 years before the Russian revolution in 1917, their territory was part of the Russian Empire. Over the 19th century the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian peoples each went through period of a national awakening, when the culture and language of each was recognized as being fundamentally equal in value to that of large countries like Germany and Russia. After the chaos of the First World War, all three were able to establish themselves as independent countries (although the current capital of Lithuania, Vilnius, was then made part of Poland, contrary to Lithuanian wishes.) This first period of independence proved fleeting when war again broke out, and the Nazis and Soviets divided Eastern Europe between themselves with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939. The Baltic States fell to Russia, later experienced German occupation, and finally in the wake of World War II they were definitively annexed to the Soviet Union. Many Balts were not satisfied with life under communism, and when the chance for reform came in the late 1980s, a massive campaign of civil disobedience, expressed through peaceful means like singing folksongs, got underway in each of the Baltic States. These countries became independent again in 1991 and began to move closer to the West, joining the European Union in 2004. Currently, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania all use the euro as their currency, Estonia being the first to adopt it in 2011, Lithuania the last at the start of 2015.
Despite the common thread in their histories, the Baltic States are hardly clones of each other. In fact, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania each possess features that distinguish them from their neighbors. The Estonian language, although closely related to Finnish, is very different from most other European tongues, and is reputed to be especially difficult to learn. The northernmost Baltic state, just a short ferry ride from Finland and Scandinavia, Estonia has been the most successful in its transition away from the Soviet system. It has been a technological innovator - for example, the internet company Skype originated there. Lithuanian and Latvian are similar languages, and for Lithuania it is probably religion that most clearly separates it from its Baltic peers. Unlike the Estonians and Latvians, who are mostly Lutherans, Lithuanians adhere to the Catholic faith. This in turn reflects a close historical connection to Poland, beginning in medieval times with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. And what makes Latvia stand out? If you asked the residents of this country, they might point to Riga, the capital city. As the administrative center of the Baltics when the region was ruled by Moscow, Riga has a big city feel that can’t be matched anywhere else. It also has some great examples of Art Nouveau architecture, reflecting its history as a center for business and trade. This only scratches the surface of Baltic diversity.
At present, with conflict brewing between the two largest inheritors of the Soviet legacy, Russia and Ukraine, it is difficult to predict the future of the Baltic States. They are now part of NATO, which means that the United States is obliged by treaty to defend their sovereignty. Still, if Vladimir Putin decided to reassert his nation’s traditional claims over the Baltics by invading them, there is little anyone could do to stop him short of starting a major war. But perhaps this view is overly pessimistic, since currently Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are well on their way down the path of integration with Europe, which is rightly seen as the path to prosperity. If all goes well, their membership in the European Union will allow them to realize their aspirations. For example, many young Balts are currently taking advantage of the EU’s free movement of labor to work in Germany or the UK. At the same time, more visitors from abroad will come and get to know this picturesque and pleasant (at least during the short summers) corner of Europe. It is difficult to say if the coming years will bring them closer together, or whether the current “unity in difference” between the three Baltic neighbors will continue to hold. For despite their common history, the three Baltic States are not really very similar to each other. They have been compared to sisters who co-exist in a family not due to personal choice, but to an inherited common destiny.
Part 2: Charts and Graphs
The tables and charts below compare the world’s top cities for tourism in terms of number of visitors and amount of money visitors spend. Study them and answer the questions that follow.
Source: MasterCard Global Destination Cities Index, 2014 (pp. 4-6)