World Facts Index
 Lithuanian
lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through
alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of
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 its remnants were
partitioned by surrounding countries. 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.
Geography of Lithuania
|
Location:
|
Eastern Europe, bordering
the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia |
|
Coordinates:
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56 00 N, 24 00 E |
|
Area:
|
total: 65,200 sq km
water: NA sq km
land: NA sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly larger than West
Virginia |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 1,273 km
border countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km,
Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km |
|
Coastline:
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99 km |
|
Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12
NM |
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Climate:
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transitional, between
maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers |
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Terrain:
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lowland, many scattered
small lakes, fertile soil |
|
Elevation extremes:
|
lowest point: Baltic
Sea 0 m
highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m |
|
Natural resources:
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peat, arable land |
|
Environment current issues:
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contamination of soil and
groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases |
|
Geography - note:
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fertile central plains are
separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits
|
Population of Lithuania
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Population:
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3,565,205 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.5% (male 284,888/female 270,458)
15-64 years: 69.1% (male 1,210,557/female 1,265,542)
65 years and over: 15.5% (male 190,496/female 363,965) |
|
Median age:
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38.2 years |
|
Growth rate:
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-0.3% |
|
Infant mortality:
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6.78 deaths/1,000 live births |
|
Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 74.2 years
male: 69.2 years
female: 79.49 years |
|
Fertility rate:
|
1.2 children born/woman |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian |
|
Ethnic groups:
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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:
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Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other
and unspecified 4.4% |
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age 15 and over can read
and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.6%
|
Government
|
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic of
Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika |
|
Government type:
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parliamentary democracy |
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Capital:
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Vilnius |
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Administrative divisions:
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10 counties (apskritys, singular -
apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu,
Utenos, Vilniaus |
|
Independence:
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11 March 1990 (independence declared from
Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence) |
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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 |
|
Constitution:
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adopted 25 October 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system; legislative acts
can be appealed to the constitutional court |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since
12 July 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of
the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for
a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June
2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the
Parliament. |
|
Legislative branch:
|
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are
directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members
serve four-year terms) |
|
Judicial branch:
|
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court
of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President |
Economy
Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia,
has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis.
Unemployment fell to 3.2% in 2007 while wages continued to grow at double
digit rates, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports also grew
strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 15% of GDP in 2007.
Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained
membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004.
Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign
government and business support have helped in the transition from the old
command economy to a market economy.
|
GDP:
|
$59.98 billion (2007 est.) |
|
GDP growth rate:
|
7.5% |
|
GDP per capita:
|
$13,700 |
|
GDP composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 32.5%
services: 62% |
|
Inflation rate:
|
2.7% |
|
Labor force:
|
1.61 million |
|
Labor force - by occupation:
|
industry 30%, agriculture 20%, services 50% |
|
Unemployment:
|
4.8% |
|
Electricity production by source:
|
fossil fuel: 16.5%
hydro: 5.7%
nuclear: 77.7% |
|
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 |
|
Agriculture:
|
grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax,
vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish |
|
Exports:
|
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing
16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% |
|
Export partners:
|
Russia 10.4%, Latvia 10.2%, Germany 9.4%, France 7%,
Estonia 5.9%, Poland 5.5%, Sweden 5%, US 4.7%, UK 4.7%, Denmark 4.3% |
|
Imports:
|
mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport
equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals |
|
Import partners:
|
Russia 27.9%, Germany 15.1%, Poland 8.3% |
|
Currency:
|
litas (LTL) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |