Independent between the two World Wars,
Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. 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.
Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea,
between Latvia and Russia
Area:
65,200 sq km
Border countries:
Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7
km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km
Climate:
transitional, between maritime and
continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
Geography:
fertile central plains are separated by hilly
uplands that are ancient glacial deposits
Population:
3,585,906
Nationality:
Lithuanian(s)
Ethnic groups:
Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%,
other or unspecified 3.6%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%,
Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian
Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5%
Languages:
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish
5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4%
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Vilnius
Time zone:
GMT/UTC +02:00
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note -
16 February 1918 is the date Lithuania declared its independence
from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990
is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Currency:
litas (LTL)
Communications:
Telephones - main lines in use: 801,100,
Telephone system: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide
an improved international capability and better residential
access
Transportation:
Airports: 91, Railways: 1,771 km, Roadways:
79,497 km, Waterways: 425 km