The term Baltic States (also Baltics, Baltic nations or Baltic countries) refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (from north to south); Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have been members of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization since 2004. Today the three countries are liberal democracies and their market economies in recent years have undergone rapid expansion in early 2000s.
All three countries are parliamentary democracies, which have unicameral parliaments that are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms – Riigikogu of Estonia, Saeima of Latvia and Seimas of Lithuania. In Latvia and Estonia, the president is elected by parliament while Lithuania has a semi-presidential system and the president is elected by popular vote.
Each of the three countries has declared itself to be the restoration of the sovereign nations which existed already in 1918 – 40, emphasizing their contention that Soviet domination over the Baltic nations during the Cold War period had been an illegal occupation and annexation.
General Statistics about Baltic States
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General statistics |
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|
Flag |
 |
 |
 |
|
Country |
Estonia |
Latvia |
Lithuania |
|
Capital |
Tallinn |
Riga |
Vilnius |
|
Independence |
-Until 13th century |
-Until 13th century |
-Until 18th century |
|
Population (2010) |
1 340 300 (2010) |
2 224 230 (2011) |
3 244 500 (2010) |
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Population (2000) |
1,376,743 |
2,375,000 |
3,490,800 |
|
Density |
29/km² = 75/sq mi |
36/km² = 93/sq mi |
52/km² = 134/sq mi |
|
Area |
45,227 km² = 17,413 sq mi |
64,589 km² = 24,937 sq mi |
65,200 km² = 25,173 sq mi |
|
Water area % |
4.56% |
1.5% |
1.35% |
|
GDP (PPP) total |
$26.85 billion (2007) | $41.108 billion (2007) | $66 billion (2008) |
|
GDP (nominal) total(2009) |
$19.100 billion | $26.200 billion | $37.200 billion |
| Internet TLD |
.ee |
.lv |
.lt |
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Calling code |
+372 |
+371 |
+370 |
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Currency |
EUR | LVL | LTL |
The largest cities by population (2010)
1. Riga (703 581)
2. Vilnius (548 816)
3. Tallinn (413,727)
4. Kaunas (348 635)
5. Klaipėda (182 752)
6. Šiauliai (125 461)
7. Panevėžys (109 999)
8. Tartu (103 284)
9. Daugavpils (103 053 )
10. Liepāja (83 884)
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