Lithuania

Categories







Photos
Memel in der Höhe von VilkijaMemel in der Höhe von Vilkija




News
Curry, Chandler make U.S. cut
Tyson Chandler no longer has a role with the Charlotte Bobcats, but he could be the starting center this summer for Team USA.... More
Krzyzewski sees Tyson Chandler, Stephen Curry filling vital roles for Team USA
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, again serving as Team USA coach, envisions big roles for ex-Bobcat Tyson Chandler and Charlottean Stephen Curry.... More
Not enough space for local suppliers
RIGA - What can be more desirable and appetizing than ice cream in the summer? During these hot and sunny days not only children and teenagers, but also many adults, strike out to make a feast of this wonderful relish.... More
Chris Guillebeau: Free Trip to Thailand: Travel Hacking Case Study
It's good to become familiar with the mileage redemption charts of various airlines. This is where I first realized I could head to Thailand -- or almost anywhere else in Asia -- for less than just going to Europe.... More
Iowa gives eastern European teens a taste of America
Most kids aren't too excited when they see a big, yellow school bus rumbling toward them. But Birute Petkute, 17, and Zofia Prokopova, 18, were ecstatic.... More
Lithuania Map

Latitude: 55.16944 Longtitude: 23.88128

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Border Countries:
Belarus 680 km, Latvia 576 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Terrain:
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Geography:
fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

Capital:
Vilnius

About Lithuania
Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. This entity survived until 1795, when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.

Population:
3,565,205 (July 2008 est.)

Language:
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

Religion:
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)

Phone Service:
adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access

Currency:
litas (LTL)

Climate:
transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Natural Hazards:
NA