Lithuania (GPS: 56 00 N, 24 00 E) is located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, west of Belarus. The country’s area measurements are total: 65,300 sq km; land: 62,680 sq km, water: 2,620 sq km. This sovereign state is slightly larger than West Virginia. The total irrigated land is 44 sq km (2012).
One of the essential features of Lithuania: Fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits.
It’s significant, and simultaneously, the principal city, Vilnius’s GPS coordinates are 54 41 N 25 19 E. Vilnius’s local time is 7 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time. The capital’s time difference: UTC+2, note; Daylight saving time: +1hr begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October.
Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; Over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most 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 surrounding countries partitioned its remnants. 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. In 2015, Lithuania joined the eurozone, and it joined the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2018.
Lithuania’s names conventional long form: the Republic of Lithuania, traditional short form: Lithuania, local long form: Lietuvos Respublika, local short state: Lietuva, former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, etymology: the meaning of the name “Lietuva” remains unclear; it may derive from the Lietava, a stream in east-central Lithuania.
Lithuania’s terrain is typically lowland, with many scattered small lakes, fertile soil. The country’s mean elevation: 110 m, elevation extremes; lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m, highest point: Aukstojas 294 m.
The country’s general climate is transitional, between maritime and continental: wet, moderate winters and summers.
The total number of border countries is 4, Belarus 640 km, Latvia 544 km, Poland 104 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 261 km are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. Lithuania’s coastline is 90 km, while its marital claims are: territorial sea: 12 nautical miles. Waterways: 441 km (navigable year-round) (2007). Land use: agricultural land: 44.8%; arable land 34.9%; permanent crops 0.5%; permanent pasture 9.4%; forest: 34.6%; other: 20.6% (2011 estimate).
The population in Lithuania 2,793,284 (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 66.5% of total population (2015), major urban area’s population: VILNIUS (capital) 517,000 (2015), while Lithuania has a 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. Their spoken languages are: Lithuanian (official language) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other 0.9%, unspecified 3.5% (2011 estimate).
Main religions in Lithuania are 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 estimate). The nation uses a civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court. It is a(n) semi-presidential republic, National holiday(s) Independence Day, 16 February (1918).
Economic overview for the country: After the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, Lithuania faced an initial dislocation typical during transitions from a planned economy to a free-market economy. Macroeconomic stabilization policies, including privatization of most state-owned enterprises, and a strong commitment to a currency board arrangement led to an open and rapidly growing economy and rising consumer demand. Foreign investment and EU funding aided in the transition. Lithuania joined the WTO in May 2001, the EU in May 2004, and the eurozone in January 2015, and is now working on completing the OECD accession roadmap it received in July 2015.
In 2017, joined the OECD Working Group on Bribery, an important step in the OECD accession process. The Lithuanian economy was severely hit by the 2008-2009 global financial crisis, but it has rebounded and become one of the fastest-growing in the EU. Increases in exports, investment, and wage growth that supported consumption helped the economy grow by 3.6% in 2017. In 2015, Russia was Lithuania’s largest trading partner, followed by Poland, Germany, and Latvia; goods and services traded between the US and Lithuania totaled $2.2 billion.
Lithuania opened a self-financed liquefied natural gas terminal in January 2015, providing the first non-Russian supply of natural gas to the Baltic States and reducing Lithuania’s dependence on Russian gas from 100% to approximately 30% in 2016. Lithuania’s ongoing recovery hinges on improving the business environment, especially by liberalizing labor laws and improving competitiveness and export growth. Economic slowdowns hamper the latter in the EU and Russia. Besides, a steady outflow of young and highly educated people causes a shortage of skilled labor, which, combined with a rapidly aging population, could stress public finances and constrain long-term growth.
Natural resources of Lithuania: peat, arable land, amber.
Main export partners for Lithuania, Europe are Russia 13.7%, Latvia 9.8%, Poland 9.7%, Germany 7.8%, Estonia 5.3%, Belarus 4.6%, UK 4.5%, US 4.4%, Netherlands 4% (2015) for refined fuel, machinery, and equipment, chemicals, textiles, foodstuffs, plastics, while the main import partners for the country are: Russia 16.9%, Germany 11.5%, Poland 10.3%, Latvia 7.6%, Netherlands 5.1%, Italy 4.5% (2015) for oil, natural gas, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals.
When you visit this country in Europe, consider the natural hazards in Lithuania: N/A, while infectious diseases are a degree of risk: intermediate vector-borne diseases: tickborne encephalitis (2016). Also, note that Lithuania faces the following environmental issues: Water pollution, Air pollution, Deforestation, Threatened animal and plant species, Chemicals and waste materials released into the environment contaminate soil and groundwater, Soil degradation, and erosion.
You may also be interested in the countries next to Lithuania around its total: 1,549 km border, like Belarus, Latvia, Poland, Russia.
