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I have not been to Estonia, but I know that their language is entirely different from Latvian and Lithuanian, and more close to Finnish, why they are grouped together I don't know. Estonia is not really Baltic and many Estonians feels rather Nordic I heard.
Not only that, they always reminded me of Finns more than anyone else, Soviet Union or not ( actually they were part of the Russian Empire even earlier.)
Not only that, they always reminded me of Finns more than anyone else, Soviet Union or not ( actually they were part of the Russian Empire even earlier.)
And before that, Estonia was part of Denmark and Sweden for a very long time.
And before that, Estonia was part of Denmark and Sweden for a very long time.
But Latvians historically were under German dominance and Lithuania....under Polish?
So that would explain a thing or two why they all feel different, although for the majority of outsiders they are mostly clamped together as just "Baltic countries."
But Latvians historically were under German dominance and Lithuania....under Polish?
So that would explain a thing or two why they all feel different, although for the majority of outsiders they are mostly clamped together as just "Baltic countries."
The reason why Latvia and Lithuania is Baltic is cause they speak the Baltic languages, and are they are the only countries who does that. That leave Estonia out as an Uralic country. Just like Finland is left out among the Nordic countries since that also is a (mostly) Uralic country.
But I believe that Estonia is ultimatly is more like Finland, and therefore more like the Nordic countries.
Last edited by Helsingborgaren; 11-17-2013 at 09:52 PM..
The reason why Latvia and Lithuania is Baltic is cause they speak the Baltic languages, and are they are the only countries who does that. That leave Estonia out as an Uralic country. Just like Finland is left out among the Nordic countries since that also is a (mostly) Uralic country.
But I believe that Estonia is ultimatly is more like Finland, and therefore more like the Nordic countries.
Why aren't Estonia and Finland grouped together separately, if they are more alike than Finland is like Scandinavia and Iceland? Wouldn't that make more sense?
Why aren't Estonia and Finland grouped together separately, if they are more alike than Finland is like Scandinavia and Iceland? Wouldn't that make more sense?
Maybe. But I think Finland has an even stronger Scandinavian influence, like the Swedish-speaking minority of around 300,000 people. For example Swedish-speaking Ostrobothnia and the Ă…land Islands, are they not Nordic?
If Finland was in central or southern Europe, it would probably not be a Nordic country. But it happens to be squeezed in between Sweden, Norway and Russia, and during the Cold War they had to make a choice between Scandinavia and the Eastern Bloc, and they joined the Nordic Council and has since that been associated with Scandinavia, and as far as I know the Finns does not have anything against being Nordic.
As I said before, a better question is why isn't Estonia considered a Nordic country?
I think it will be considered as being a Nordic country once it joins the Nordic Council, which is the official defenition of being Nordic. They have wanted to join ever since they got their independence.
I don't really think of Finland as a Nordic country.
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