Lithuania

From Imakoopedia

Lithuania is a Baltic country in Eastern Europe. It has a Baltic Sea coastline in the west and surrounded by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east, Poland to the southwest, and Russia (Kaliningrad) to the west.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 2.1 Ports and harbors 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 5.5 By boat 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact 18 External links 19 Geography 20 People 21 Government 22 Economy 23 Communications 24 Transportation 25 Military 26 Transnational Issues

Regions

Administrative divisions 

10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus

Cities

• Vilnius - Capital

Ports and harbors

• Butinge
• Kaunas
• Klaipeda

Other destinations

Understand

Climate

Transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Terrain

Lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil. The fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits.

Highest point 

Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m

History

National holiday 

Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date of independence from German, Austrian, Prussian, and Russian occupation, 11 March 1990 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union

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).

Independence 

11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence)

Constitution 

adopted 25 October 1992

The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions.

Get in

As Lithuania is a member of the European Union, citizens from these countries can enter Lithuania with a valid passport or a valid identity card.

By plane

www.airbaltic.com www.lal.lt

By train

By car

By bus

By boat

Get around

Talk

Languages 

Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian

Buy

Eat

Drink

Beer beer beer

Sleep

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Stay healthy

Respect

Contact

External links

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Geography

Geographic coordinates 

56 00 N, 24 00 E

Area 

total: 65,200 sq km

Area - comparative 

slightly larger than West Virginia

Coastline 

99 km

Maritime claims 

territorial sea: 12 NM

Natural resources 

peat, arable land

Land use 

arable land: 45.46%
permanent crops: 0.93%
other: 53.61% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 

90 sq km (1998 est.)

Environment - current issues 

contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases

Environment - international agreements 

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

People

Population 

3,601,138 (July 2002 est.)

Nationality 

noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian

Ethnic groups 

Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1%

Religions 

Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish

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 

parliamentary democracy

Legal system 

based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court

Diplomatic representation in the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US 

chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT
embassy: 2600 Akmenu 6, Vilnius
mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE 09723
telephone: [370] (2) 665-500
FAX: [370] (2) 665-510

Flag description 

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red

Economy

Economy - overview 

Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has been slowly rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. High unemployment, still 12% in 2002, and weak consumption have held back recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and has moved ahead with plans to join the EU. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities, particularly in the energy sector, is underway. Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. The US government and business aid have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

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 - products 

grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish

Exports - commodities 

mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)

Imports - commodities 

mineral products 21%, machinery and equipment 17%, transport equipment 11%, chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, metals 5% (2001)

Currency 

litas (LTL)

Currency code 

LTL

Exchange rates 

litai per US dollar - 3.4946 (15 October 2002), 3.4794 (1 July 2002), 4.000 (fixed rate between 1 May 1994 and 1 February 2002); note - litai is the plural of litas; effective 1 February 2002 the litas was pegged to the euro at a rate of 3.4528

Fiscal year 

calendar year

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use 

1.142 million (2001)

Telephones - mobile cellular 

500,000 (2001)

Telephone system 

general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access
domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications
international: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite

Radio broadcast stations 

AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios 

1.9 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations 

27
note: Lithuania has approximately 27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations (2001)

Televisions 

1.7 million (1997)

Internet country code 

.lt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 

32 (2001)

Internet users 

341,000 (2001)

Transportation

Railways 

total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (2001)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge

Highways 

total: 44,000 km
paved: 35,500 km
unpaved: 8,500 km (2001)

Waterways 

600 km (perennially navigable)

Airports 

72 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways 

total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways 

total: 63
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 55 (2002)

Military

Military branches 

Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force, National Volunteer Defense Forces (SKAT)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international 

the Russian Duma has not ratified 1997 boundary treaty; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights

Illicit drugs 

transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy; susceptible to money laundering