| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Europe |
| Geographical Location |
56° 00' North Latitude
24° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
65,200 sq km |
| Climate |
Transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers |
| Natural Resources |
Peat, arable land |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of Lithuania |
| Capital City |
Vilnius |
| Government Type |
Parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative Divisions |
10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus |
| Independence Day |
11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
3,596,617 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Lithuanian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census) |
| Religion |
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 |
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census) |
| Population Growth Rate |
-0.3% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Litas (LTL) |
| 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 |
| Labor Force |
1.63 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 20%, industry 30%, services 50% (1997 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish |
| Export Commodities |
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) |
| Export Partners |
Switzerland 10.7%, Latvia 10%, Germany 9.5%, Russia 7.9%, France 7.5%, US 5.2%, UK 5.1%, Estonia 4.5%, Denmark 4.3% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Mineral products 21%, machinery and equipment 17%, transport equipment 11%, chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, metals 5% (2001) |
| Import Partners |
Russia 23.1%, Germany 18.1%, Poland 4.7%, Italy 4.6% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
1,998 km |
| Highways |
77,148 km |
| Pipelines |
Gas 1,696 km; oil 331 km; refined products 109 km (2004) |
| Airports |
102 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+370 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.lt |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
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 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. |
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