Baltic Region - Denotation

Denotation

Depending on the context the Baltic region might stand for:

• The countries that have shorelines along the Baltic Sea: Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Sweden.

• The group of countries presently referred to by the short-hand Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, sometimes in addition the Russian Kaliningrad exclave.

• Historic East Prussia and the historical lands of Livonia, Courland and Estonia (Swedish Estonia and Russian Estonia).

• The former Baltic province of Imperial Russia: Today's Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania (without the formerly German area around Memel).

• The countries on the historical British trade route through the Baltic Sea, i.e. including the Scandinavian Peninsula (Sweden and Norway).

• The Council of the Baltic Sea States, comprised by the countries with shorelines along the Baltic Sea, in addition to Norway, Iceland and the rest of European Union.

• The islands of the Euroregion B7 Baltic Seven Islands, which includes the islands and archipelagos Åland (autonomous), Bornholm (Denmark), Gotland (Sweden), Hiiumaa (Estonia), Öland (Sweden), Rügen (Germany), and Saaremaa (Estonia).

• On historic Scandinavian and German maps, the Balticum sometimes includes only the historically or culturally German-dominated lands, or provinces, of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Latgale (corresponding to modern Estonia and Latvia), as well as sometimes Pomerania and East Prussia, while the historically less-Germanized Lithuania is occasionally excluded.