While Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are all part of the Baltics, each has its own identity and ways of doing things. Generally speaking, the cost of living in the Baltics is less than in the UK and life outside of the capital cities can be very traditional. Consider too, they get very long winters and with high humidity in the summer. Here are some useful facts about each country, which would be worth bearing in mind if you’re thinking of settling there:

Latvia
Latvia, one of the least populated countries in Europe (its population was larger 20 years ago than it is today), is often called the Canada of Europe, thanks to 40% of the country being covered in forest, with endless landscapes of log cabin homesteads, delightful inns, wooded valleys and pastures. Its Gauja National Park is a bus-ride from the capital, Riga, and is known as Little Switzerland.

Religious denominations in Latvia include Evangelic Lutheran, Roman Catholic and Russian Orthodox, but since the 16th Century Reformation, the Lutheran church has played a leading role in Latvia. Caraway cheese, grey peas with bacon, bacon-filled pastries and a special rye bread are among Latvia’s most popular national foods. For more information visit http://www.li.lv/

Latvia has traditionally had one of the highest per capita ratio of students in the world. The state guarantees free primary and secondary school education and offers scholarships for higher education. Foreign students from EU countries pay the same fees as permanent residents of Latvian, and degrees from Latvian educational institutions are recognized internationally.

Estonia
The Estonian language belongs to the Finno-Ugrian family of languages, thus it is one of the few languages in Europe that is not Indo-European. Russian, English and Finnish are also widely understood and spoken. That said, a foreigner should never be taken aback by long silences in a conversation with an Estonian person; and monosyllabic answers to multilayered philosophical questions are also a cultural peculiarity!

The largest religious denomination is Lutheran (30%), followed by Russian Orthodox (28%) and Catholic (3%). However, only about 20% of Estonians practise any religion. Many churches are popular due to good concerts given there.

The capital of Estonia is at the same latitude as Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and St Petersburg. However, due to recent climate change, some summers have had weeks of temperatures of 30˚C-plus, making sailing on Tallinn Bay a truly Mediterranean experience! When it comes to gastronomy, Estonians make excellent beer and count black pudding, similar to what we eat in the UK, as a speciality. The British Estonian Association is a useful source of further information.

Lithuania
The Lithuanian language is closely related to Latvian and it’s spoken by more than 80% of the country's 3.8 million population. Minority languages include Belarusian (1.5%), Polish (7.7%), Russian (8%). Others, most notably Ukrainian and Yiddish make up a further 2.1%.

Lithuania has a wealth of age-old superstitions that are still in practice today, particularly in the villages and countryside. For example, it is common practice to bring a gift if you are visiting someone's home. Something suitable could be a bottle of traditional Lithuanian honey liquour, called Krupnika. Whether you've brought some or not, your host is likely to pour a shot for you on arrival.