Lithuania [ˌlɪθuˈeɪniə] (help·info), officially the Republic of Lithuania (Lithuanian: Lietuvos Respublika) is a country in Northern Europe,[2] the southernmost of the three Baltic states. Situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, it shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to the southwest. Lithuania is a member of NATO, the Council of Europe and of the European Union. Its population is 3.6 million. Its capital and the largest city is Vilnius. This year (2009) Vilnius is European Capital of Culture.
During the 14th century, Lithuania was the largest country in Europe: present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were territories of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the Lublin Union of 1569 Poland and Lithuania formed a new state, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 to 1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory. In the wake of the First World War, Lithuania's Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918, declaring the re-establishment of a sovereign state. Starting in 1940, Lithuania was occupied first by the Soviet Union then Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end in 1944 and the Nazis retreated, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare its renewed independence.
Prior to the current (2008/9) financial crisis, post-Soviet Lithuania had one of the fastest growing economies in the European Union. Lithuania became a full member of the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007.[3] In 2009, Lithuania celebrated the millennium of its name.
Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Politics
- 3 Geography
- 4 Economy
- 5 Education
- 6 Infrastructure
- 7 Demographics
- 8 Religion
- 9 Culture
- 10 Sports
- 11 See also
- 12 Notes and references
- 13 External links
Republic of Lithuania Lietuvos Respublika | ||||||
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Motto: "Tautos jėga vienybėje" "The strength of the nation lies in unity" | ||||||
Anthem: Tautiška giesmė | ||||||
Location of Lithuania (dark green) – on the European continent (light green & dark grey) | ||||||
Capital (and largest city) | Vilnius 54°41′N 25°19′E / 54.683°N 25.317°E | |||||
Official languages | Lithuanian | |||||
Demonym | Lithuanian | |||||
Government | Semi-presidential republic | |||||
- | President | Dalia Grybauskaitė | ||||
- | Prime Minister | Andrius Kubilius | ||||
- | Seimas Speaker | Arūnas Valinskas | ||||
Independence | from Russia (1918) | |||||
- | Lithuania mentioned | 14 February 1009 | ||||
- | Statehood | 6 July 1253 | ||||
- | Personal union with Poland | 2 February 1386 | ||||
- | Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth declared | 1569 | ||||
- | Russian/Prussian occupation | 1795 | ||||
- | Independence declared | 16 February 1918 | ||||
- | 1st Soviet occupation | 15 June 1940 | ||||
- | 2nd Soviet occupation | 1944 | ||||
- | Independence restored | 11 March 1990 | ||||
EU accession | 1 May 2004 | |||||
Area | ||||||
- | Total | 65,200 km2 (123rd) 25,173 sq mi | ||||
- | Water (%) | 1.35% | ||||
Population | ||||||
- | 2009 estimate | 3,555,179 (130th) | ||||
- | Density | 52/km2 (120th) 134/sq mi | ||||
GDP (PPP) | 2008 estimate | |||||
- | Total | $63.625 billion[1] | ||||
- | Per capita | $18,946[1] | ||||
GDP (nominal) | 2008 estimate | |||||
- | Total | $47.304 billion[1] | ||||
- | Per capita | $14,086[1] | ||||
Gini (2003) | 36 (medium) | |||||
HDI (2008) | ▲ 0.869 (high) (43rd) | |||||
Currency | Lithuanian litas (Lt) (LTL ) | |||||
Time zone | EET (UTC+2) | |||||
- | Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) | ||||
Date formats | yyyy-mm-dd (CE) | |||||
Drives on the | right | |||||
Internet TLD | .lt1 | |||||
Calling code | 370 |
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