The Baltic States
Baltic States, a name generally given to Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on the east coast of the Baltic Sea. They were formed in 1918 out of Russian Baltic provinces. The nations remained independent until 1940, when they were annexed by the Soviet Union. In World War II they were held by the Germans (1941-44). The Soviet Union reannexed the area after the war. In 1991 the Baltic States once again became independent countries.