Study Abroad in the Baltics

Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania share important historical experiences, including periods of Russian imperial and Soviet rule and the restoration of independence in the twentieth century. Each also has its own language, cultural traditions, historical relationships, and national experience.

Today, all three countries are members of the European Union and NATO, but their histories and societies have led to different approaches to language, citizenship, identity, and relationships with surrounding regions. Estonia and Latvia have substantial Russian-speaking populations, while Lithuania’s historical and cultural relationships extend strongly toward Poland and Central & Eastern Europe. Estonia also maintains particularly close linguistic and cultural ties with Finland and the Nordic region. These differences exist alongside shared concerns surrounding security, historical memory, and relationships with Russia and Belarus.

Together, these shared experiences and different national approaches provide multiple perspectives on how language, identity, security, historical memory, and the information environment continue to shape the region.

The region’s ports, transportation networks, and energy systems also reflect its changing orientation within Europe. Infrastructure once closely integrated with Russia and the wider Soviet space has increasingly been redirected toward European and Nordic networks, while new energy and transportation links continue to reshape the region’s economic and strategic geography.