LITHUANIA

Map of Lithuania

Physical geography

Lithuania is a country between Latvia and Belarus along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea in northeastern Europe. It has numerous lakes and wetlands and a mixed forest zone that covers 33% of the country. It has a climate that is between maritime and continental. The average temperatures in winter are between -2.5 and 4°C and in the summer between 16 and 20°C. The surface area is 65,300km². Lithuania is a flat country. 1.5% of the land is covered with lakes. 

Iconic place

A famous place in Lithuania is Vilnius old town; it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1994. It is the largest medieval town in Northern Europe. The town is encircled by defensive walls and has many different architectural styles like Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and even Byzantine. In Lithuania, crosses are very famous objects and are now Lithuanian symbols representing the country. Cross crafting in Lithuania became a tradition. The Hill of Crosses is one of the most famous pilgrim places, if not the most famous, in Lithuania where thousands of crosses are displayed.

Famous historical figure

Mindaugas, Grand Duke of Lithuania, was the only king of Lithuania. He reigned for 10 years. He founded the Lithuanian state.

Famous figures

Arvydas Sabonis is a famous Lithuanian basketball player. He was world champion, Olympic champion, and twice European champion. He stopped his career in 2003.
Hannibal Lecter, the serial killer, is one of the most infamous Lithuanians...

History before 2000

The first written record of the Lithuanian country dates back to 1009. In the 13^th century, Lithuania established the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a warrior state that remained independent for centuries. It was one of the last areas in all of Europe to adopt Christianity. In the 15^th century it became the largest state in Europe. In 1385, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania united with Poland. The unification lasted until 1795. Afterwards, Lithuania was under the rule of the Russian Empire until the 20^th century. 

Human geography

Lithuania is the biggest and the most populated of the three Baltic countries (Latvia and Estonia). From 1950 to 1992 the Lithuanian population kept on rising. In 1950 there were about 2.6 million people and in 1992 about 3.7 million. But, after 1992, the population started to fall; in 2010 there were only 3.3 million Lithuanians. Lithuania has a big suicide rate. The State Mental Health Center says that the reason is the Russian economic crisis of 1998 that is still affecting Lithuania.

Languages and cultures

The language is Lithuanian. In Lithuanian, “Lithuania” is said “Lietuva”. It is a Baltic language closely related to Latvian. 80% of the population speaks Lithuanian as their first language. There are also other languages such as Belarusian, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian and Yiddish, but they are only spoken by a minority of the Lithuanian population. The Lithuanian culture was influenced by Nordic, Germanic and Slavic cultures.

Lithuania's flag

Political system

Its capital is Vilnius, with about 540,000 inhabitants. The government of Lithuania is headed by the Prime Minister, who has legislative power. The judicial power is independent from the executive and legislature power. Its president is elected for five years. Dalia Grybauskaité, the actual president, was elected in 2009. The Lithuanian government doesn't have any dominating political party, but has numerous parties who work together to form coalition governments.

EU membership

Lithuania applied to join the EU in 1995 and became a Member State in 2004 (at the same time as Cyprus, Slovenia, Slovakia, Malta, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Latvia). It has eleven seats in the European Parliament. The European Commissioner from Lithuania is Vytenis Andriukaitis. In order to become a member of the European Union, Lithuania had to meet the political and economic criteria imposed by the Union, which included the closure of a nuclear plant based in the city of Ignalina, which was in the same state as Chernobyl had been… Lithuania was accepted into the European Union because it is considered as an “essential link between Europe and the Slavic world” and, since its independence (Lithuania was part of the USSR from 1924 until 1991), it has shown “a real willingness to be part of Europe”.

Economy

Lithuania has the biggest economy of the three Baltic States (i.e. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia). In 1990, Lithuania was the first country to separate from the Soviet Union and to become an independent capitalist economy. Its GDP reached $17,800 in 2008, higher than all of its neighbors (Latvia, Poland, Russia and Belarus). Lithuania has a large supply of mineral water and a large supply of limestone, clay, quartz sand, gypsum sand and dolomite used for making cement, glass and ceramics. Revel system, the US firm, set up its IT (information technology) offices in Lithuania. Their first programmer was Lithuanian and it was thanks to Lithuania that the company was able to grow and to develop. Since 1991, Lithuania has undergone an economic boom and unemployment has decreased.

Article by Julie SPADIN with Kenza EL HASSANI & Sarah DEMAY

For a quick tourist guide by Kenza & Sarah, read below!

You might be surprised at how much there is to visit in Lithuania...

The historical centre of Vilnius is one of the largest and most beautiful old towns of Central and Eastern Europe. It was the political centre of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania between the 13th century and the end of the 18th century. Vilnius has had a profound influence on the cultural and architectural development of much of Eastern Europe. Despite invasions and partial destruction, it has preserved an impressive complex of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical buildings. This is why Vilnius historical centre was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994.

Church of St. Anne 

Vilnius is listed in the Top 20 Most Beautiful Cities of the World and, as such, must be visited!

The main landmarks include the Gediminas Castle at the top of a hill, and the Cathedral, rebuilt several times, at the foot of the same hill. There are parks, squares and large lawns; the capital of Lithuania is considered to be one of the greenest capitals in the world. From the hills surrounding the historical centre, the panorama is spectacular.

Vilnius cathedral

Are you fascinated by Medieval castles? Then you must go to Trakai, the second largest town of Lithuania (also its capital for several years) and the residence of Lithuania’s rulers. The medieval Trakai Castle is beautiful. It was the strongest and most magnificent fortress of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is the only castle on an island in Europe. It is now in ruins as it was badly damaged during wars with Sweden and Russia in the middle of the 17th century. The ruins were preserved and one thirteen-meter-high tower was reconstructed in the 1950s.

Trakai Castle

If you love Nature and beautiful landscapes, you should go to the Zemaittija National Park. This is a most mystical place. It is covered in large forests which are populated by a huge number of protected plants and animals; ice-age plants can still be found there. There are birds inscribed on the Red List of Lithuania , and birds protected at a European level, for example the hazel grouse, corn crake and whooper swan.

Zemaittija's jewel is the Great Lake, the biggest and deepest lake in the Park.

View of the Great Lake

The town of Klaipeda is also worth the trip. It is one of the oldest cities of Lithuania and the only port. It has distinctive architectural features, including buildings in the Fachwerk style and modernist elements. The Theatre Square is the heart of Klaipeda, hosting different events and celebrations. Klaipėda becomes very busy in the summer time, with its Classical and Light Music festivals.

Fachwerk style of architecture