A push towards being defined as a Nordic country has existed in independent Estonia since the war of independence in 1918, however, gaining official membership of the Nordic region alongside with neighbouring Finland was interrupted by the occupation of the Soviet Union after World War II. Estonia has been interested in joining the Nordic region again since 1991, when it regained its independence from the Soviet Union's occupation. The Estonian language is closely related to the Finnish language, both are Finnic languages. The Swedish indigenous minority called "eestirootslased" or "rannarootslased" in Estonian, and "estlandssvenskar" or "aibofolket" in Swedish has lived officially in Estonia since the 13th century similarly to Finnish Swedes in Finland. The extensive settlement of Swedes in Northern and Western Estonia, especially in the islands and coastal areas, has had a significant impact on Estonian culture and also language. Historically, Swedes have made up about 25% of the population of Tallinn, the capital, and even more in Haapsalu. The number of Swedes in Estonia, including in these cities, fell sharply due to the Soviet occupation. The Scandinavian connection from the Estonian Viking Age and later from being a part of the Danish and Swedish Empires for few centuries, especially Northern Estonia (historically called "Estland"), left a lasting influence on the creation of the Estonian identity during the national awakening period of the 19th century.