At the most general level, Baltic countries are countries that border the Baltic Sea. However, further meaning of the term depends upon the context in which it is used.
- In matters of politics, the term Baltic countries usually refers to three specific countries that border the Baltic, the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
- In matters of ecology, biology, or geography, Baltic countries usually refers to all of the countries around the Baltic Sea: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia's Kaliningrad District, Poland, Germany and Denmark.
- In a strict sense, the following countries, sometimes called the Baltic Sea countries, have access to the Baltic Sea: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Sweden.
The Baltic Sea countries, together with Norway, Iceland and the European Union form the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
