Query: Estonia is in Eastern Africa.

Relevant passages:
Baltic Sea <=SEP=> The Baltic Sea ( Ostsee Morze Bałtyckie , Bałtyk Балтийское море Østersøen Østersjøen Östersjön Baltijos jūra Baltijas jūra Läänemeri Itämeri ) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean , enclosed by Scandinavia , Finland , the Baltic countries , and the North European Plain . It includes the Gulf of Bothnia , the Bay of Bothnia , the Gulf of Finland , the Gulf of Riga , and the Bay of Gdańsk . The sea stretches from 53 ° N to 66 ° N latitude and from 10 ° E to 30 ° E longitude . A mediterranean sea of the Atlantic , with limited water exchange between the two bodies , the Baltic Sea drains through the Danish islands into the Kattegat by way of the straits of Øresund , the Great Belt , and the Little Belt .   The Baltic Proper is bordered on its northern edge , at the latitude 60 ° N , by the Åland islands and the Gulf of Bothnia , on its northeastern edge by the Gulf of Finland , on its eastern edge by the Gulf of Riga , and in the west by the Swedish part of the southern Scandinavian Peninsula .   The Baltic Sea is connected by artificial waterways to the White Sea via the White Sea Canal and to the German Bight of the North Sea via the Kiel Canal .

Gulf of Finland <=SEP=> The Gulf of Finland ( Suomenlahti Soome laht -LSB- Фи́нский зали́в , r = Finskiy zaliv , p = ˈfʲinskʲɪj zɐˈlʲif -RSB- Finska viken ) is the easternmost arm of the Baltic Sea . It extends between Finland ( to the north ) and Estonia ( to the south ) all the way to Saint Petersburg in Russia , where the river Neva drains into it . Other major cities around the gulf include Helsinki and Tallinn . The eastern parts of the Gulf of Finland belong to Russia , and some of Russia 's most important oil harbours are located farthest in , near Saint Petersburg ( including Primorsk ) . As the seaway to Saint Petersburg , the Gulf of Finland has been and continues to be of considerable strategic importance to Russia . Some of the environmental problems affecting the Baltic Sea are at their most pronounced in the shallow gulf .

Lake Peipus <=SEP=> Lake Peipus ( Peipsi-Pihkva järv Псковско-Чудское озеро ( Pskovsko-Chudskoe ozero ) , Peipussee ) is the biggest transboundary lake in Europe on the border between Estonia and Russia .   The lake is the fifth largest in Europe after Lake Ladoga and Lake Onega in Russia north of St. Petersburg , Lake Vänern in Sweden , and Lake Saimaa in Finland .   Lake Peipus is a remnant of a body of water which existed in this area during an Ice Age . It covers 3,555 km2 , and has an average depth of 7.1 m , the deepest point being 15 m . The lake has several islands and consists of 3 parts :   Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe ( -LSB- : et : Peipsi järv , Peipsi järv -RSB- , -LSB- : ru : Чудское озеро , Чудское озеро -RSB- ) is the northern part of the lake with an area of 2,611 km2 ( 73 % ) .  Lake Pskov ( -LSB- : et : Pihkva järv , Pihkva järv -RSB- , -LSB- : ru : Псковское озеро , Псковское озеро -RSB- ) is the southern part of the lake ( area 708 km2 or 20 % ) .  Lake Lämmijärv / Teploe ( -LSB- : et : Lämmijärv , Lämmijärv -RSB- , -LSB- : ru : Тёплое озеро , Тёплое озеро -RSB- ) is the sound connecting the two parts of the lake ( area 236 km2 or 7 % ) .   The lake is used for fishing and recreation , but suffered from some environmental degradation from Soviet era agriculture . Some 30 rivers and streams discharge into Lake Peipus . The largest rivers are the Emajõgi and the Velikaya River . The lake is drained by the Narva River .   In 1242 , the lake was the site of the Battle on the Ice ( Jäälahing ) between the Teutonic Knights and Novgorodians under Alexander Nevsky .

Estonia <=SEP=> Estonia ( -LSB- ɛˈstoʊniə -RSB- Eesti -LSB- ˈeːsti -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Estonia ( -LSB- Eesti Vabariik , links = no -RSB- ) , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe . It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland , to the west by the Baltic Sea , to the south by Latvia ( 343 km ) , and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia ( 338.6 km ) . Across the Baltic Sea lies Sweden in the west and Finland in the north . The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands and islets in the Baltic Sea , covering 45339 km2 of land and water , and is influenced by a humid continental climate .   The territory of Estonia has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC , with Finno-Ugric speakers -- the linguistic ancestors of modern Estonians -- arriving no later than around 1800 BC . Following centuries of successive German , Danish , Swedish , and Russian rule , Estonians experienced a national awakening that culminated in independence from the Russian Empire towards the end of World War I . During World War II , Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940 , then by Nazi Germany a year later and was again annexed by the Soviets in 1944 , after which it was reconstituted as the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1988 , during the Singing Revolution , the Estonian Supreme Soviet issued the Estonian Sovereignty Declaration in defiance of Soviet rule , and independence was restored on 20 August 1991 .   Estonia is a democratic parliamentary republic divided into fifteen counties . Its capital and largest city is Tallinn . With a population of 1.3 million , it is one of the least-populous member states of the European Union , Eurozone , North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) , OECD and Schengen Area .   Ethnic Estonians are a Finnic people , sharing close cultural ties with their northern neighbour , Finland , and the official language , Estonian , is a Finno-Ugric language closely related to Finnish and the Sami languages , and distantly to Hungarian .   Estonia is a developed country with an advanced , high-income economy that is among the fastest growing in the EU . Its Human Development Index ranks very highly , and it performs favourably in measurements of economic freedom , civil liberties and press freedom ( 3rd in the world in 2012 and 2007 ) . The 2015 PISA test places Estonian high school students 3rd in the world , behind Singapore and Japan .   Citizens of Estonia are provided with universal health care , free education and the longest paid maternity leave in the OECD . Since independence the country has rapidly developed its IT sector , becoming one of the world 's most digitally advanced societies . In 2005 Estonia became the first nation to hold elections over the Internet , and in 2014 the first nation to provide E-residency .

Finland <=SEP=> Finland ( -LSB- ˈfɪnlənd -RSB- Suomi -LSB- suomi -RSB- ; Finland -LSB- ˈfɪnland -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Finland , is a sovereign state in Northern Europe . A peninsula with the Gulf of Finland to the south and the Gulf of Bothnia to the west , the country has land borders with Sweden to the northwest , Norway to the north , and Russia to the east . Estonia is south of the country across the Gulf of Finland . Finland is a Nordic country situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia , which also includes Scandinavia . Finland 's population is 5.5 million ( 2014 ) , and the majority of the population is concentrated in the southern region . 88.7 % of the population is Finnish people who speak Finnish , a Uralic language unrelated to the Scandinavian languages ; the second major group are the Finland-Swedes ( 5.3 % ) . In terms of area , it is the eighth largest country in Europe and the most sparsely populated country in the European Union .   Finland is a parliamentary republic with a central government based in the capital Helsinki , local governments in 311 municipalities , and an autonomous region , the Åland Islands . Over 1.4 million people live in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area , which produces a third of the country 's GDP . From the late 12th century , Finland was an integral part of Sweden , a legacy reflected in the prevalence of the Swedish language and its official status . In the spirit of the notion of Adolf Ivar Arwidsson ( 1791 -- 1858 ) , `` we are not Swedes , we do not want to become Russians , let us therefore be Finns '' , the Finnish national identity started to become established . Nevertheless , in 1809 , Finland was incorporated into the Russian Empire as the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland . In 1906 , Finland became the second nation in the world to give the right to vote to all adult citizens and the first in the world to give all adult citizens the right to run for public office . Following the 1917 Russian Revolution , Finland declared itself independent .   In 1918 , the fledgling state was divided by civil war , with the Bolshevik-leaning `` Reds '' supported by the equally new Soviet Russia , fighting the `` Whites '' , supported by the German Empire . After a brief attempt to establish a kingdom , the country became a republic . During World War II , the Soviet Union sought repeatedly to occupy Finland , with Finland losing parts of Karelia , Salla and Kuusamo , Petsamo and some islands , but retaining independence . Finland joined the United Nations in 1955 and established an official policy of neutrality . The Finno-Soviet Treaty of 1948 gave the Soviet Union some leverage in Finnish domestic politics during the Cold War era . Finland joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ( OECD ) in 1969 , the NATO Partnership for Peace on 1994 , the European Union in 1995 , the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997 , and finally the Eurozone at its inception , in 1999 .   Finland was a relative latecomer to industrialization , remaining a largely agrarian country until the 1950s . It rapidly developed an advanced economy while building an extensive Nordic-style welfare state , resulting in widespread prosperity and one of the highest per capita incomes in the world . However , Finnish GDP growth has been negative in 2012 -- 2014 ( − 0.698 % to − 1.426 % ) , with a preceding nadir of − 8 % in 2009 . Finland is a top performer in numerous metrics of national performance , including education , economic competitiveness , civil liberties , quality of life , and human development . In 2015 , Finland was ranked first in the World Human Capital and the Press Freedom Index , and as the most stable country in the world during 2011 -- 2016 in the Fragile States Index , and second in the Global Gender Gap Report . A large majority of Finns are members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church , though freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Finnish Constitution .

Latvia <=SEP=> Latvia ( -LSB- ˈlætviə -RSB- Latvija -LSB- ˈlatvija -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of Latvia ( -LSB- Latvijas Republika , links = no -RSB- ) , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe , one of the three Baltic states . It is bordered by Estonia to the north , Lithuania to the south , Russia to the east , and Belarus to the southeast , as well as a maritime border to the west alongside Sweden . Latvia has 1,957,200 inhabitants and a territory of 64589 km2 . The country has a temperate seasonal climate .   Latvia is a democratic parliamentary republic established in 1918 . The capital city is Riga , the European Capital of Culture 2014 . Latvian is the official language . Latvia is a unitary state , divided into 119 administrative divisions , of which 110 are municipalities and 9 are cities .   Latvians and Livs are the indigenous people of Latvia . Latvian and Lithuanian are the only two surviving Baltic languages . Despite foreign rule from the 13th to 20th centuries , the Latvian nation maintained its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions . Latvia and Estonia share a long common history . As a consequence of centuries of Russian rule ( 1710-1918 ) and later Soviet occupation , both countries are home to a large number of ethnic Russians ( 26.9 % in Latvia and 25.5 % in Estonia ) , some of whom ( 14.1 % of Latvian residents ) have not gained citizenship , leaving them with no citizenship at all . Until World War II , Latvia also had significant minorities of ethnic Germans and Jews .   Latvia is historically predominantly Protestant Lutheran , except for the Latgale region in the southeast , which has historically been predominantly Roman Catholic . The Russian population has also brought a significant portion of Eastern Orthodox Christians .   The Republic of Latvia was founded on 18 November 1918 . However , its de facto independence was interrupted at the outset of World War II . In 1940 , the country was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union , invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany in 1941 , and re-occupied by the Soviets in 1944 to form the Latvian SSR for the next fifty years . The peaceful Singing Revolution , starting in 1987 , called for Baltic emancipation of Soviet rule . It ended with the Declaration on the Restoration of Independence of the Republic of Latvia on 4 May 1990 , and restoring de facto independence on 21 August 1991 .   Latvia is a democratic and developed country and member of the European Union , NATO , the Council of Europe , the United Nations , CBSS , the IMF , NB8 , NIB , OECD , OSCE , and WTO . For 2014 , Latvia was listed 46th on the Human Development Index and as a high income country on 1 July 2014 . It used the Latvian lats as its currency until it was replaced by the euro on 1 January 2014 .

Russia <=SEP=> Russia ( -LSB- ˈrʌʃə -RSB- -LSB- Россия , Rossiya , rɐˈsʲijə -RSB- ) , also officially the Russian Federation ( -LSB- Российская Федерация , r = Rossiyskaya Federatsiya , p = rɐˈsʲijskəjə fʲɪdʲɪˈratsɨjə -RSB- ) , is a country in Eurasia . At 17075200 km2 , Russia is the largest country in the world by surface area , covering more than one-eighth of the Earth 's inhabited land area , and the ninth most populous , with over 144 million people at the end of March 2016 . The European western part of the country is much more populated and urbanised than the eastern ; about 77 % of the population live in European Russia . Russia 's capital Moscow is one of the largest cities in the world ; other major urban centers include Saint Petersburg , Novosibirsk , Yekaterinburg , Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan .   Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe , Russia spans eleven time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms . From northwest to southeast , Russia shares land borders with Norway , Finland , Estonia , Latvia , Lithuania and Poland ( both with Kaliningrad Oblast ) , Belarus , Ukraine , Georgia , Azerbaijan , Kazakhstan , China , Mongolia , and North Korea . It shares maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk and the U.S. state of Alaska across the Bering Strait .   The East Slavs emerged as a recognizable group in Europe between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD . Founded and ruled by a Varangian warrior elite and their descendants , the medieval state of Rus arose in the 9th century . In 988 it adopted Orthodox Christianity from the Byzantine Empire , beginning the synthesis of Byzantine and Slavic cultures that defined Russian culture for the next millennium . Rus ' ultimately disintegrated into a number of smaller states ; most of the Rus ' lands were overrun by the Mongol invasion and became tributaries of the nomadic Golden Horde in the 13th century . The Grand Duchy of Moscow gradually reunified the surrounding Russian principalities , achieved independence from the Golden Horde , and came to dominate the cultural and political legacy of Kievan Rus ' . By the 18th century , the nation had greatly expanded through conquest , annexation , and exploration to become the Russian Empire , which was the third largest empire in history , stretching from Poland on the west to Alaska on the east .   Following the Russian Revolution , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic became the largest and leading constituent of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , the world 's first constitutionally socialist state . The Soviet Union played a decisive role in the Allied victory in World War II , and emerged as a recognized superpower and rival to the United States during the Cold War . The Soviet era saw some of the most significant technological achievements of the 20th century , including the world 's first human-made satellite and the launching of the first humans in space . By the end of 1990 , the Soviet Union had the world 's second largest economy , largest standing military in the world and the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction . Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 , fifteen independent republics emerged from the USSR : Russia , Ukraine , Belarus , Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Estonia , Georgia , Kyrgyzstan , Latvia , Lithuania , Moldova , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan ; the Russian SFSR reconstituted itself as the Russian Federation and is recognized as the continuing legal personality and sole successor state of the Soviet Union . It is governed as a federal semi-presidential republic .   The Russian economy ranks as the twelfth largest by nominal GDP and sixth largest by purchasing power parity in 2015 . Russia 's extensive mineral and energy resources are the largest such reserves in the world , making it one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas globally . The country is one of the five recognized nuclear weapons states and possesses the largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction . Russia is a great power as well as a regional power and has been characterised as a potential superpower . It is permanent member of the United Nations Security Council , as well as a member of the G20 , the Council of Europe , the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation ( APEC ) , the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation ( SCO ) , the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ( OSCE ) , and the World Trade Organization ( WTO ) , as well as being the leading member of the Commonwealth of Independent States ( CIS ) , the Collective Security Treaty Organization ( CSTO ) and one of the five members of the Eurasian Economic Union ( EEU ) , along with Armenia , Belarus , Kazakhstan , and Kyrgyzstan .