39. The Baltic States

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia together border the eastern part of the Baltic Sea (see map in last post), and are referred to as the Baltic States (countries).

Like many eastern European nations, the history of the Baltic States is marked by periods of foreign domination and struggle for independence. They finally gained independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

As you can see by the map, Latvia & Estonia share a border with mother Russia, while Lithuania's southwestern border abuts Kaliningrad. All three countries began a relationship with NATO in 1994, and were inducted as full members in 2004. By now, we all know the significance of Article 5 of the treaty stating "an attack on one is an attack on all". There were visible signs of support for Ukraine everywhere.

Other than the current tensions with Russia, there was not a lot to note in the particular areas of these 3 countries for me.Read more