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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


Map of Lithuania
Legend: DefinitionDefinition Field ListingField Listing Rank OrderRank Order
   Introduction    Lithuania Top of Page
Background:
Definition Field Listing
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    Lithuania Top of Page
Location:
Definition Field Listing
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia
Geographic coordinates:
Definition Field Listing
56 00 N, 24 00 E
Map references:
Definition Field Listing
Europe
Area:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 65,200 sq km
land: NA sq km
water: NA sq km
Area - comparative:
Definition Field Listing
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
Definition Field Listing
total: 1,613 km
border countries: Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km
Coastline:
Definition Field Listing
90 km
Maritime claims:
Definition Field Listing
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate:
Definition Field Listing
transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
Terrain:
Definition Field Listing
lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Elevation extremes:
Definition Field Listing
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m
Natural resources:
Definition Field Listing
peat, arable land, amber
Land use:
Definition Field Listing
arable land: 44.81%
permanent crops: 0.9%
other: 54.29% (2005)
Irrigated land:
Definition Field Listing
70 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
Definition Field Listing
24.5 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
Definition Field Listing
Total: 3.33 cu km/yr (78%/15%/7%)
Per capita: 971 cu m/yr (2003)
Natural hazards:
Definition Field Listing
NA
Environment - current issues:
Definition Field Listing
contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases
Environment - international agreements:
Definition Field Listing
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Definition Field Listing
fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits
   People    Lithuania Top of Page
Population:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3,575,439 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure:
Definition Field Listing
0-14 years: 14.9% (male 273,573/female 259,570)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 1,213,011/female 1,264,996)
65 years and over: 15.8% (male 194,500/female 369,789) (2007 est.)
Median age:
Definition Field Listing
total: 38.6 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 41.2 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.289% (2007 est.)
Birth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
11.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
Definition Field Listing
-0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio:
Definition Field Listing
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.054 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.959 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.526 male(s)/female
total population: 0.887 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total population: 74.44 years
male: 69.46 years
female: 79.69 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1,300 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
Definition Field Listing
noun: Lithuanian(s)
adjective: Lithuanian
Ethnic groups:
Definition Field Listing
Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Definition Field Listing
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)
Languages:
Definition Field Listing
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
Literacy:
Definition Field Listing
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.6%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.6% (2001 census)
   Government    Lithuania Top of Page
Country name:
Definition Field Listing
conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania
conventional short form: Lithuania
local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
local short form: Lietuva
former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
Definition Field Listing
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Definition Field Listing
name: Vilnius
geographic coordinates: 54 41 N, 25 19 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
Definition Field Listing
10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus
Independence:
Definition Field Listing
11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Definition Field Listing
Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution:
Definition Field Listing
adopted 25 October 1992
Legal system:
Definition Field Listing
based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
Definition Field Listing
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
Definition Field Listing
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 June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament
election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with five abstentions
Legislative branch:
Definition Field Listing
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008)
election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Social Democrats 32, TS 25, Labor 23, Farmers National Union 20 (combined with Civil Democracy), Liberal Democrats/Order and Justice 11, New Union Social Liberals 10, Liberal and Center Union 9, Liberal Movement 9 (as of December 2007)
Judicial branch:
Definition Field Listing
Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President
Political parties and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; National Farmer's Union or VLS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Labor Party or DP [Viktor USPASKICH]; Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Democrats/Order and Justice Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Liberal Movement or LLS [Petras AUSTREVICIUS]; Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Gediminas KIRKILAS]; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Definition Field Listing
NA
International organization participation:
Definition Field Listing
ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA
chancery: 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Definition Field Listing
chief of mission: Ambassador John A. CLOUD
embassy: Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106
mailing address: American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106
telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500
FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510
Flag description:
Definition Field Listing
three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red
   Economy    Lithuania Top of Page
Economy - overview:
Definition Field Listing
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 (purchasing power parity):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$59.59 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
Definition Field Listing
$28.57 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
8% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$16,700 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 5.2%
industry: 34.2%
services: 60.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.587 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
Definition Field Listing
agriculture: 15.8%
industry: 28.2%
services: 56% (2004)
Unemployment rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
3.2%
note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
Definition Field Listing
4% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Definition Field Listing
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 27.7% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
Definition Field Listing
36 (2005)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.4% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
24% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
Definition Field Listing
revenues: $12.36 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2007 est.)
Public debt:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
15.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Definition Field Listing
grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Industries:
Definition Field Listing
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
Industrial production growth rate:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
5.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13.48 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
9.296 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
Definition Field Listing
8.607 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports:
Definition Field Listing
5.641 billion kWh (2005)
Oil - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
13,160 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
57,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
145,100 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
187,800 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
12 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - consumption:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.916 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
2.916 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
-$5.32 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$17.09 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
Definition Field Listing
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
Exports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Russia 12.8%, Latvia 11.1%, Germany 8.6%, Estonia 6.5%, Poland 6.1%, Netherlands 4.8%, Sweden 4.5%, UK 4.4%, US 4.3%, Denmark 4.2%, France 4.2% (2006)
Imports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$22.64 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - partners:
Definition Field Listing
Russia 24.3%, Germany 14.9%, Poland 9.5%, Latvia 4.8% (2006)
Economic aid - recipient:
Definition Field Listing
$249.7 million (2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$6.302 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$22.7 billion (30 June 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$10.94 billion (2006 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$1.183 billion (2006 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
$10.19 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Definition Field Listing
litas (LTL)
Exchange rates:
Definition Field Listing
litai per US dollar - 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003)
Fiscal year:
Definition Field Listing
calendar year
   Communications    Lithuania Top of Page
Telephones - main lines in use:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
792,400 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
4.718 million (2006)
Telephone system:
Definition Field Listing
general assessment: adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access
domestic: rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions; mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100 persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100 persons
international: country code - 370; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite; landline connections to Latvia and Poland
Radio broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
Definition Field Listing
27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001)
Internet country code:
Definition Field Listing
.lt
Internet hosts:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.301 million (2007)
Internet users:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.083 million (2006)
   Transportation    Lithuania Top of Page
Airports:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
87 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 30
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 17 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
Definition Field Listing
total: 57
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 53 (2007)
Pipelines:
Definition Field Listing
gas 1,696 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2006)
Railways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 1,771 km
broad gauge: 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 79,497 km
paved: 70,549 km (includes 417 km of expressways)
unpaved: 8,948 km (2005)
Waterways:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
425 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
total: 50 ships (1000 GRT or over) 363,795 GRT/366,624 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 22, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 16
foreign-owned: 9 (Denmark 9)
registered in other countries: 20 (Antigua and Barbuda 6, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, St Vincent and The Grenadines 7, unknown 3) (2007)
Ports and terminals:
Definition Field Listing
Klaipeda
   Military    Lithuania Top of Page
Military branches:
Definition Field Listing
Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
Definition Field Listing
19-45 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation (2006)
Manpower available for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 19-49: 830,368
females age 19-49: 830,524 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Definition Field Listing
males age 19-49: 590,606
females age 19-49: 676,102 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
Definition Field Listing
males age 18-49: 29,689
females age 19-49: 28,543 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
Definition Field Listing Rank Order
1.2% (2006; 1.23% 2007 est.)
   Transnational Issues    Lithuania Top of Page
Disputes - international:
Definition Field Listing
Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation
Illicit drugs:
Definition Field Listing
transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation

This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008


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