
	One World Nations Online

Home

Earth

Continents

Europe

Lithuania

___ Lithuania

Trakai Castle, the 14th century island castle is located in Lake Galvė near the historic city of Trakai in Lithuania.
Image: Abhijeet Kumar

Flag of Lithuania

Location map of Lithuania

Destination Lithuania, an Eastern European country with a coastline at the Baltic Sea in west. It is the largest and most populous of the three Baltic states. The country is bordered by Belarus, Latvia, Poland, and Russia (Kaliningrad) and it shares a maritime border with Sweden.

Lithuania covers an area of 65.300 km², making it slightly smaller than half the size of Greece, or slightly larger than West Virginia. Its smooth, flat landscape offers sandy beaches, numerous lakes, wetlands, and mixed forest areas.

The country has a population of 2,8 million people (in 2015), capital and largest city is Vilnius. Spoken language is Lithuanian, a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian. Main religion is Roman Catholic (more than three-quarter).

Republic of Lithuania | Lietuvos Respublika

Country Profile

Background:
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 this proclamation was not generally recognized until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993.

Lithuania subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)

Official Name:
Lietuvos Respublika
short form: Lietuva
int'l long form: Republic of Lithuania
int'l short form: Lithuania

ISO Country Code: lt, LTU

Time:
Local Time = UTC +2h
Actual Time: Thu-Sept-21 21:35

Country Calling Code: +370

Capital City: Vilnius (pop. 541 000)

Other Cities: Kaunas (360 000), Klaipeda (187 000), Siauliai (130 000), Panevezys (115 300).

Government:
Type: Parliamentary Republic.
Independence: 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence)
Constitution: Adopted 25 October 1992.

Geography:
Location: Eastern Europe, on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea.
Area: 65,300 km² (25,212 sq. mi.).
Terrain: fertile, central lowland plains separated by hilly uplands created by glacial drift. A total of 758 rivers, many navigable, and 2 833 lakes cover the landscape.
Administrative divisions: 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus.

Climate: Humid continental with four distinct seasons, and a moderating maritime influence from the Baltic Sea.

People:
Nationality: Lithuanian(s).
Population: 2,8 million (2015)
Ethnic groups: Lithuanian 83.5%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, Byelorussian 1.2%, other 2.3%.
Religions: Catholic (79%), Orthodox (4.1%), Protestant (1.9%).
Languages: Lithuanian; a minority speaks Russian (8%) and Polish (5.6%).
Literacy: 99.6%.

Natural resources: Peat, arable land, amber.

Agriculture products: Grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish.

Industries: Metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry.

Exports - commodities: refined fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, plastics

Exports - partners: Russia 13.7%, Latvia 9.8%, Poland 9.7%, Germany 7.8%, Estonia 5.3%, Belarus 4.6%, UK 4.5%, USA 4.4%, Netherlands 4% (2015)

Imports - commodities: oil, natural gas, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals

Imports - partners: Russia 16.9%, Germany 11.5%, Poland 10.3%, Latvia 7.6%, Netherlands 5.1%, Italy 4.5% (2015)

Currency: formerly Litas (LTL), since 2015 Euro

Backyard of the Presidential Palace in Vilnius.
Image: Jan Mehlich

Political System
Lithuania's political system is that of a parliamentary republic. Its constitution from 1992 is the legal base for all laws passed in the Republic of Lithuania. Chief of state is the president, he is elected by plurality vote. Head of the executive arm of Lithuania's government is the prime minister, he is appointed by the president and approved by the parliament.
The country became a NATO member in March 2004 and a memberstate of the European Union (EU) in May 2004, and in January 2015 it joined the euro zone.

Official Sites of Lithuania

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidentas
Site of Lithuania's president (in Lithuanian).

Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybò
Official website of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania
(Lithuanian, English).

Seimas
The Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania.

Uzsienio Reikalu Ministerija
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Diplomatic Missions
Permanent Mission of Lithuania to the UN
Embassy of the Republic of the Lithuania
Washington D.C.
Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Vilnius
Address list of foreign Diplomatic Missions.

Statistics
Statistikos departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos Vyriausybës
Statistics Lithuania.

Lithuania in Figures
Key statistical data of Lithuania.

Maps

Map of Lithuania
Political Map of Lithuania.

Google Earth Lithuania
Searchable map and satellite view of Lithuania.

Google Earth Vilnius
Searchable map and satellite view of Lithuania's capital.

Map of the Baltic States
Political Map of the Baltic States.

Map of the Baltic Sea Area
Political map of the Baltic Sea region.

Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.

Skyline of Vilnius Lithuania's capital city

Skyline of Vilnius at dusk as viewed from Gediminas' Tower.
Image: David Iliff

Lithuanian News

The media in Lithuania are mostly independent and free. There are no government-owned newspapers, a small number of national and foreign companies own the media. But according to BBC, anti-Western rhetoric from Russian media targeting the Baltic states has prompted tighter controls, the Lithuanian government has imposed fines and rebroadcasting bans on some Russian TVs.

ELTA
Lithuanian News Agency.

Lietuvos rytas
National daily news (in Lithuanian).
Lietuvos Zinios
Lithuanian daily, Vilnius (in Lithuanian).
Kauno diena
Lithuanian newspaper from Kaunas (in Lithuanian).

Veidas
A political weekly (in Lithuanian).

Verslo Zinios
Lithuanian Business News (daily).

Baltic Times
News from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.

TV/Radio
Lietuvos nacionalinis radijas ir televizija (LRT)
Lithuanian Radio and TV.
Radiocentras
Commercial radio station for pop music.

Bookmark/share this page

National Folk Costumes of Lithuania.
Image: Tomas Kapočius

Arts & Culture

Art
Art Museum of Lithuania
One of the greatest museums of Lithuania and the one with the oldest history.
Contemporary Art Centre
Official website of the largest art centre in the Baltic States.
Lithuanian Art Museums
A guide to Lithuanian art museums.

Amber
Palanga Amber Park
The Amber Museum in Palanga.
Amber Museum-Gallery
Museum for amber jewellery of modern and classical design.

National Museum of Lithuania
Official website of the museum.
Museums of Lithuania
A guide to Lithuanian museums.

Martynas Mazvydas
The National Library of Lithuania.

Hill of Crosses near Siauliai
Image: David Iliff

Business & Economy

Bank of Lithuania
Lithuanian Central Bank.

Vilnius Stock Exchange
(VSE is the only regulated securities market in Lithuania, offering trading, listing and information services.

Lithuanian Development Agency
A local partner for foreign businesses interested in investing in Lithuania.
Lithuanian Business Directory
Business Directory (in Lithuanian).
Lithuanian Development Agency
Website of Lithuanian Development Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts
Website of the chamber (in Lithuanian).

Transportation
Airlines
Lietuvos avialinijos
Lithuanian Airlines, the national carrier of Lithuania.

Airports
Tarptautinis Vilniaus Oro Uostas
Vilnius International Airport is Lithuania's main airport.
Kaunas Airport
Second busiest civil airport in Lithuania.
Palanga Airport
Official site with information about the Palanga airport.

Europa Square © travel.lt

Kaunas Castle, the medieval fortess (mid-14th century) in Lithuania's second-largest city of Kaunas.
Image: Pudelek

Travel and Tour Consumer Information

Destination Lithuania - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Lithuania:
Resort towns: Birstonas, Druskininkai, Neringa, Palanga,
Architectural heritage: Kaunas, Kernave, Klaipeda, Trakai, and Vilnius.

Some points of interest are Gediminas' Tower (old towers), Church of St. Anne (old church), Cathedral Square (main square), Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania (old palace) and Gate of Dawn (old city gate) in the capital Vilnius.
Trakai Island Castle (castle on an island), Hill of Crosses (many crosses on a hill, pilgrimage site near Šiauliai).

National Parks:
Dzūkija National Park (pine forests landscape and villages), Curonian Spit National Park (national park on a long bank of sand), Žemaitija National Park (lakes and landscape).

Find accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, and much more by following the links below.

Lithuania Tourism Info
The official Lithuanian Travel Guide.

Lithuanian State Department of Tourism
Site of the Tourism Department.

Countryside vacation in Lithuania
A guide to rural Lithuania by Countryside Tourism Association.

Cities of Lithuania
Vilnius
Official website of the capital city, Vilnius Municipality.
Vilnius tourist information centre
Official website of the tourist information centre.
Birstonas
Birstonas Municipality.
Druskininkai
Spa town Druskininkai Tourism and business information center.
Kaunas
Kaunas city municipality.
Klaipeda
Klaipeda Tourism and Culture Information Centre.
Neringa
Official website on tourism information of Neringa.
Palanga
Palanga tourism information centre.

Lithuanian Hotels On-line
Searchable Hotel index of Lithuanian hotels.

Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University with Church of St. Johns

The Grand Courtyard of Vilnius University and the Church of St. Johns (Šv. Jono) in the center of Vilnius.
Image: David Iliff

Education

Vilnius University
One of the oldest and most famous establishments of higher education in Eastern and Central Europe, founded in 1579.
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Official website of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.
Kaunas University of Technology
Public research university in Kaunas.
Vytautas Magnus University
One of the leading universities of Lithuania, a center for academic work in humanities, social sciences, theology and liberal arts.
Klaipeda University
The university offers a wide variety of study programmes in different study fields.

Higher Education and Science of Lithuania
Address list of Lithuanian Institutions of Higher Education and Science.

Sand dunes of the Curonian Spit, the 98 km long, thin, curved sand-dune peninsula (or sand spit) separates the Curonian Lagoon from the Baltic Sea. The Curonian Spit, divided into a Russian part of (Kaliningrad Oblast) and a Lithuanian portion, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Image: Juliux

Environment & Nature

Government Agencies
Ministry of Environment
Official website of the ministry.
State Service for Protected Areas
Official website of the State Service with information about its function and goals.

NGOs
Lietuvos zaliuju judejimas
Lithuanian Green Movement.

Nature
Aukstaitija National Park
National Park of Aukstaitija ethnical region.
Dzukija National Park
Guide to the National Park on the territories of Dainava land.
Kursiu Nerija National Park
National Park at Lithuanian seaside.
Trakai Historical National Park
The official park guide.

Zemaitija National Park
Official website of the National Park in north-western Lithuania.
Nature Lithuania
A guide to Lithuania's national parks.


History Lithuanian History Comprehensive page about the rich history and culture of Lithuania. History of Lithuania Wikipedia page about Lithuania's' History. WWW-VL History: Lithuania Geography, language, references and more.