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.

Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

slightly larger than West Virginia

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

lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

peat, arable land, amber

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

fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

3,535,547 (July 2011 est.)

9.29 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)

11.33 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)

-0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

VILNIUS (capital) 546,000 (2009)

1.25 children born/woman (2011 est.)

fewer than 100 (2009 est.)

Lithuanian 84%, Polish 6.1%, Russian 4.9%, Belarusian 1.1%, other or unspecified 3.9% (2009)

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)

Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

parliamentary democracy

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

11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 6 July 1253 (coronation of Mindaugas, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created)

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

adopted 25 October 1992; last amended 13 July 2004

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

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members elected by popular vote, 70 elected by proportional representation; members to serve four-year terms)

Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the president

Christian party [Gediminas VAGNORIUS]; Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Algimantas MATULEVICIUS]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS-LKD [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Labor Party or DP [Viktor USPASKICH]; Liberal and Center Union or LCS [Gintautas BABRAVICIUS]; Liberal Movement or LS or LRLS [Eligijus MASIULIS]; Lithuanian Farmers' Union or LVLS or VLS [ Ramunas KARBAUSKIS]; Lithuanian People's Party (not yet officially established) [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; National Revival or TPP [Arunas VALINSKAS]; New Union (Social Liberal) or NS [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Order and Justice Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Algirdas BUTKEVICIUS]

Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red; yellow symbolizes golden fields, as well as the sun, light, and goodness; green represents the forests of the countryside, in addition to nature, freedom, and hope; red stands for courage and the blood spilled in defense of the homeland

Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Despite Lithuania's EU accession, Lithuania's trade with its Central and Eastern European neighbors, and Russia in particular, accounts for a growing percentage of total trade. 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. Lithuania's economy grew on average 8% per year for the four years prior to 2008 driven by exports and domestic demand. However, GDP plunged nearly 15% in 2009 - during the 2008-09 crisis the three former Soviet Baltic republics had the world's worst economic declines. In 2009, the government launched a high-profile campaign, led by Prime Minister KUBILIUS, to attract foreign investment and to develop export markets. The current account deficit, which had risen to roughly 15% of GDP in 2007-08, recovered to a surplus of 4% 2009 and 3.4% in 2010 in the wake of a cutback in imports to almost half the 2008 level. Nevertheless, economic growth was flat and unemployment continued upward to 17.9% in 2010.

$56.59 billion (2010 est.)

$55.84 billion (2009 est.)

$65.5 billion (2008 est.)

$36.36 billion (2010 est.)

1.633 million (2010 est.)

15.2% of GDP (2010 est.)

36.7% of GDP (2010 est.)

29.5% of GDP (2009 est.)

1.75% (February 2010)

4.73% (31 December 2008)

8.39% (31 December 2009 est.)

8.41% (31 December 2008 est.)

$8.917 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$8.896 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$17.26 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$17.6 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$25.35 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$25.85 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$4.477 billion (31 December 2009)

$3.625 billion (31 December 2008)

$10.13 billion (31 December 2007)

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

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

12.09 billion kWh (2007 est.)

9.612 billion kWh (2007 est.)

6.606 billion kWh (2008 est.)

5.649 billion kWh (2008 est.)

6,333 bbl/day (2009 est.)

74,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

137,200 bbl/day (2007 est.)

204,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)

12 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

3.53 billion cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

$1.231 billion (2010 est.)

$1.492 billion (2009 est.)

$19.29 billion (2010 est.)

$16.48 billion (2009 est.)

mineral products 22%, machinery and equipment 10%, chemicals 9%, textiles 7%, foodstuffs 7%, plastics 7%

Russia 13.2%, Latvia 10%, Germany 9.6%, Poland 7.1%, Estonia 7.1%, Belarus 4.7%, UK 4.3% (2009 est.)

$20.34 billion (2010 est.)

$17.56 billion (2009 est.)

mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals

Russia 30.1%, Germany 11.1%, Poland 9.9%, Latvia 6.3% (2009 est.)

$6.418 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$6.66 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$27.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$28.69 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$14.11 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$13.81 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.507 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$2.307 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

litai (LTL) per US dollar -

4.962 million (2009)

public broadcaster operates 3 channels with the third channel - a satellite channel - introduced in 2007; various privately-owned commercial TV broadcasters operate national and multiple regional channels; large number of privately-owned local TV stations; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; publicly-owned broadcaster operates 3 radio networks; large number of privately-owned commercial broadcasters, many with repeater stations in various regions throughout the country (2007)

1.964 million (2009)

gas 1,695 km; refined products 114 km (2010)

441 km (navigable year round) (2007)

Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Karines Oro Pajegos, KOP), National Defense Volunteer Forces (2010)

19-26 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for volunteers; 12-month conscript service obligation; male registration required at age 16 (2009)

1.2% of GDP (2007 est.)

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; boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation

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