Kaliningrad and its Hinterland

This area consists of many different ethnic groups, but they were able to create the common cultural and economic base. They all eat potatoes, developed amber trade, and created the intellectual base for the philosophy of Kant. The Baltic coast was beyond the reach of the Roman Empire, but Emperor Nero was quite fond of amber products from this area.

After World War II, both Lithuania and Kaliningrad belonged to the Soviet Union. After 1991, Lithuania became became a pro-American NATO member but Kaliningrad is still an major hub for Russia's Baltic fleet.