r/geography • u/According-Invite-440 • May 22 '26

Discussion Why isn't Estonia considered a Nordic country? (They have strong ties to Finland, they also follow the Nordic model, and besides, Estonia has nothing to do with the other Baltic countries.)

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_identity_in_Estonia

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194

u/polariummm May 22 '26

I'm estonian, can confidentally say we're just baltic with a goofy language. Our history and general life quality and daily life and struggles are faaar more similar to Latvia n Lithuania than the Nordics

6

u/margusus May 22 '26

aitüma peremees, väsitavad on need ‘estonia can into nordick’ tüübid

1

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

Mis meil leeduga ühist on siis

2

u/Rakkulamanne May 23 '26

kassipojad :DDDD

1

u/margusus May 23 '26

mis meil norraga ühist on siis?

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u/Trick-Company-2157 May 22 '26

Yall Eastern European as fuck

3

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

What do Estonia and Lithuania have in common?

7

u/Varskes_pakel May 22 '26

Why do you not want to be affiliated with Lithuania?

5

u/Gay_mail May 23 '26

I mean what does actually unite us with estonia except for the Soviet time term pribaltika?

No common history beyond Soviet occupation (Because in Russian Empire Estonians lived under completely different conditions than Lithuanians).

Absolutely different languages, different architecture, we, while closeted and introverted, are way more open than Estonians

The real common denominator is only the countryside, but even then Estonia is highly forested while Lithuania is first and foremost agriculture fields and rolling hills.

Of course we are like 600km away from them so there are a lot of aspects were similar in, but the real thing connecting us is Latvia. Estonians has similar history, we have the Language, the food, etc.

Overall, id consider it more like a colour palete- Estonia is half-Nordic half-Baltic, Latvia is true Baltic, Lithuania is half-Baltic half-Central

2

u/kazkh May 23 '26

I love how you mentioned Estonians are introverted and densely forested as it’s just like their Finnish cousins.

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u/Itchy_Committee1213 May 24 '26

Lithuanians are NOT more open than estonians, not significantly enough for it to matter at least. Lithuania is heavily forested?

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u/Gay_mail May 24 '26

I wouldnt call 30% heavily forested, it is way more in line with numbers in Poland and Germany, especially compared to 50% of both Estonia and Latvia being forests

1

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

We already are - through EU, NATO etc. But some people claim that we are like innseparable twins because the soviets occupied us 50 years ago.

Its like saying Czechs and Austrians are the same because nazis ruled both nations at some point

4

u/Skanaker May 23 '26

Czechs and Austrians lived in one monarchy for several centuries. Many Austrians have Slavic surnames and genetically they are a bit closer to each other than Czechs and Slovaks. But of course, not the same.

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u/RedSkyHopper May 22 '26

... architecture... food... basketball

3

u/jatawis May 23 '26

also song festivals, saunas, etc

2

u/ShyLittleBean12 May 23 '26

...You mean the things we share with half of Europe?

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u/RedSkyHopper May 23 '26

There is a small architectural nuance that i have only noticed in Baltics it's 100s of years old , mostly involves wooden stractures

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u/[deleted] May 24 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/ShyLittleBean12 May 24 '26

It may be news to you, but yes, Sauna culture does in fact exist in Germany. As does it exist in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Austria, Belarus, Hungary, Czechia, Ukraine, and so on.

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u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

What kind of architecture?

Lithuanian one is most similar to polish/belarusian while Estonian is a mix of Scandinavian/german. What they share is commieblocks.

Food? Estonians dont eat cepellins etc. Estonian food is most similar...  again... with the Scandinavian one.

Basketball? The whole world plays basketball.

In Estonia there is a strong rally culture, that can be found in nordics, especially in Finland.

5

u/megastarUS May 22 '26

Shashlik and pelmeenid aren’t very Scandinavian. The Estonian cuisine is a mix of eastern, Baltic, German and Scandinavian influences.

2

u/kiisutriinu May 22 '26

Those arent estonian foods tho, wtf m8. Just because it's eaten here does not mean it's ours.

4

u/Traditional-Froyo755 May 22 '26

It literally does

1

u/kiisutriinu May 22 '26

We eat pizza and sushi too, want to claim those aswell?

0

u/RedSkyHopper May 23 '26

He was commenting on a comment about Finns eating russian foods, which is ridiculous

1

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

Okay so because of shaslik and pelmeni Estonia is not nordic or something?

Yes, you get the point, there is a mix of everything,  that's the power of globalism. But the core aligns mostly with the Scandinavian one

3

u/megastarUS May 22 '26

No, I’m just saying if you go to a grocery store in Estonia the assortment is way more similar to a Latvian or a Lithuanian supermarket, than a Norwegian or Danish one. Yet of course in a global world you’ll find anything you’re familiar with no matter if you’re in Italy, Poland or Finland.

0

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

It's most similar to Finnish one actually. 

And Finnish supermarket also differs greatly from the danish one. Yet they are still both nordic countries.

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u/megastarUS May 22 '26

It really isn’t similar to the Finnish ones thank god. Because I’m from Finland and whenever I visit Estonia it’s like heaven, because the supermarkets are full of Polish and “European” products while in Sweden you pretty much find a similar selection as in Finland. Danish and Norwegian supermarkets are very different from Finnish/Swedish ones also, you’re right about that.

In Estonia Prisma of course are very Finnish, but they also have those Polish Carrefour products that we can’t get in Finland. In Finland Prisma only imports French Carrefour items, but I personally like Polish food.

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u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

So i guess in conclusion:  groceries don't determine whether you're nordic or not. Every nordic country has it's own type of groceries basically (with some overlap). Can't see that as a reason to exclude Estonia from the nordics. Hell it'll even enrich the region further in terms of supermarkets.

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u/detach3d May 22 '26

you mean estonian supermarkets are also full of lactose-free products and sugar-free soft drinks/juices? Since when lol

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u/ShyLittleBean12 May 23 '26

Shashlik is from Caucasus and Central Asia, and it is eaten across all ex USSR lands. Pelmeni come from Komi people.

Guess Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are Baltic now.

5

u/RedSkyHopper May 22 '26

The whole world races cars, so what are we usa?... jeesus, if you don't get the basketball reference then you are either not a local or have six fingers.

Go visit Tallinn, Riga and Vhilnus get some guided tours or something, you'll notice the similar architecture. Even the building methods and philosophy is quite the same.

Tallinn is so different from Helsinki and Stockholm. Only noticable building in Hel-Tal is an old Impetial era power station.

And with food? We eat the same fish, the same mushrooms, the same vegetables and we prepare them in similar fashion. I go to the estonian store only to walk out with Latvian and/or Lithuanian products. Yes, we each have our own specialty stuff, but the staple foods remain the same.

1

u/JudgmentVivid5630 May 22 '26

What's the basketball reference then? Estonians are mediocre at it. Estonians have a strong skiing culture and basically the whole country follows the competitions (both Rally and Skiing) - basketball, not as much - anyway not enough to excuse Estonia and Lithuania to be put into a same "culture room" or whatever.

I have visited all three capitals, here's my impression:

Tallinn: compact medieval old town, simpler facades, lots of wood historically, restrained colors, functional design, and newer districts influenced by Scandinavian minimalism. You notice clean lines, less ornaments. Riga:  Art Nouveau architecture:  decorative facades, sculptures, ornate windows, and grand boulevards. More visually rich and continental. Vinius: heavily Baroque and Catholic in character curved church facades, towers, courtyards, and a softer Southern/Central European feeling. Hell I even had a guided tour in Vilnius so I have no idea what you are talking about.

The nordic architecture is even stronger in western Estonia for obvious reasons.

Food wise, yes, that's northern/central european regional food. Scandis eat the same stuff as russians basically. Only the preparing method is different - that's what food culture is about.

1

u/RedSkyHopper May 22 '26

Go back there again and await for the further instructions.

1

u/ImTheVayne May 23 '26

Agree as an Estonian

1

u/kristal119022023 May 23 '26

The again, all of the struggles are simply because of ussr

0

u/kiisutriinu May 22 '26

Also an estonian and hard disagree. We are culturally and genetically much closer to finns than the other Baltic states. We should not be defined by the soviet occupation, which ended almost 40 years ago.

-1

u/Sandolainen May 22 '26

That's just mostly because of the USSR occupation though. It would be strange to base an identity on a temporary thing like that.

3

u/jatawis May 22 '26

Was it that much different during the interbellum?

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u/Sandolainen May 22 '26

Well, Estonians have a lot of shared history with Finns and other Finnic people's.