Lithuania

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Lithuania's Information


Capital	Vilnius
Languages	Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other 0.9%, unspecified 3.5% (2011 est.)
Ethnic Groups	Lithuanian 84.1%, Polish 6.6%, Russian 5.8%, Belarusian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2% (2011 est.)
Religion	Roman Catholic 77.2%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Old Believer 0.8%, Evangelical Lutheran 0.6%, Evangelical Reformist 0.2%, other (including Sunni Muslim, Jewish, Greek Catholic, and Karaite) 0.8%, none 6.1%, unspecified 10.1% (2011 est.)
Government	Semi-presidential republic
Independance	11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 6 July 1253 (coronation of MINDAUGAS, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created), 16 February 1918 (independence from Soviet Russia)
Area	65,300.00 km²
Water Area	2,620.00 km²
Land Area	62,680.00 km²
Population	2,854,235.00 Fairly even population distribution throughout the country, but somewhat greater concentrations in the southern cities of Vilnius and Kaunas, and the western port of Klaipeda
Location	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus
No. Bordering Countries	4
Bordering Countries	Belarus 640 km, Latvia 544 km, Poland 104 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 261 km
GDP(PPP)	$85,620,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$29,900.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Russia, Latvia, and Poland.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are refined fuel, machinery and equipment, and chemicals.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are Russia, Germany, and Poland.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include oil, natural gas, machinery and equipment.
Climate	Transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
Terrain	Lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Where is Lithuania?

Located in Eastern Europe, Lithuania has a 1,549.00 km border with Belarus (640 km), Latvia (544 km), Poland (104 km), Russia (Kaliningrad) (261 km). It has a 90.00 km coastline. Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006.

Vilnius is the capital city of Lithuania. It is located in the south-eastern region of Lithuania and experiences a humid continental climate with July and January as the hottest and coldest months respectively. It is the major economic center in Lithuania. It was first the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 1300s. Vilnius was recognized as Lithuania’s capital city in 1922. It also hosts most of the government offices, cultural heritage centers, schools, religious centers, museums, and parks. Vilnius has a population of approximately 542,000 individuals, with the demographic trends characterized by a decline. The town has a unique architecture which led to its listing as a World Heritage Site in 1994.

Geography

Lithuania has a mean elevation of 110 m above sea level.

It has a transitional climate with wet, moderate winters and summers. Its terrain is mostly made up of lowlands with many scattered small lakes and fertile soil.

Population

Lithuania has a population of 2,854,235 making it the 140th largest in the world. The country has a fairly evenly distributed population.

Lithuanian is the official language; Russian and Polish are also widely spoken. The majority ethnic group is Lithuanian. The majority of the population is Roman Catholic.

Lithuanian is the official language of Lithuania. It is used in government and other official institutions. It is one of the surviving Proto-Indo languages. The language is very conservative. It has therefore retained some features that have been abandoned by related languages. Other common languages used in Lithuania are Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. The younger population is more fluent in English, which is offered as a subject in most schools as a foreign language. Lithuanian has also been borrowing words from other languages to enrich its vocabulary.

Government

Lithuania is an independent country. It declared its independence in 1990. Its constitution was last ratified in 1992.

Lithuania is a representative democracy state. The president is elected every five years and can only serve for a maximum of two terms. The president appoints the prime minister who is in charge of the government. The parliamentary house is called the Seimas, located at the center of Vilnius. The residence of the president, also commonly referred to as the Presidential palace is located in old town of Vilnius. Eligible voters elect the members of parliament, the president, mayors, and delegates of the European Parliament. Voting is by secret ballot method. The elections are conducted by the Central Electoral Observers.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Lithuania's GDP is $85,620,000,000.00 (USD) with $29,900.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 89th largest economy and its citizens the 60th richest in the world. The currency of Lithuania is the Litas (LTL).

Its major export partners are Russia, Latvia, and Poland. Its main exports are refined fuel, machinery and equipment, and chemicals. Its major import partners are Russia, Germany, and Poland. Its major imports include oil, natural gas, machinery and equipment.

Flag

The tricolored flag of Lithuania has been in use since 1918 with the exception of periods of Soviet and Nazi control. The flag comprises of the colors of red, yellow, and green. The yellow color signifies Lithuania’s prosperity while the green color symbolizes the environment and natural resources. The red color stands for the sacrifice and lives lost during the struggle for independence. Between the 16th century and early 20th century, Lithuania had a red colored flag with a white knight riding on a horse. The previous flag was initially used as a banner and was only made the country’s official flag in 1905. The current flag was designed by a team of three men including Antanas, Tadas, and Basanavicius.