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Lithuania
please note:
- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
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{{Short description|Country in Europe}}{{Other uses}}{{redirect|Litwa}}{{pp-pc1}}{{pp-move-indef}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}- the content below is remote from Wikipedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
| factoids | |
|---|---|
- 79.4% Christianity
- 74.2% Catholicism
- 5.2% other Christian
- 6.1% no religion
- 0.8% others
- 13.7% no answer}}
Etymology
(File:Lietuvos vardas. The first name of Lithuania in writing 1009.jpg|thumb|left|Lithuania's name in writing (Litua, on line 7), 1009)The first known record of the name of Lithuania () is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno in the Quedlinburg Chronicle.JOURNAL, On the Origin of the Name of Lithuania, Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences, 55, 3, Fall 2009, Tomas, Baranauskas, 0024-5089, The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva: LituaVilnius. Key dates {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117201537weblink |date=17 January 2007 }}. Retrieved on 18 January 2007. (pronounced {{IPA|[litua]}}). Due to lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown and scholars still debate it. There are a few plausible versions.WEB, ZinkeviÄius, Zigmas, Zigmas ZinkeviÄius, Lietuvos vardas,weblink Vle.lt, 12 July 2021, lt, Since Lietuva has a suffix (-uva), there should be a corresponding original word with no suffix. A likely candidate is LietÄ. Because many Baltic ethnonyms originated from hydronyms, linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. Usually, such names evolved through the following process: hydronym → toponym → ethnonym.Zigmas ZinkeviÄius. Kelios mintys, kurios kyla skaitant Alfredo Bumblausko Senosios Lietuvos istorijÄ… 1009-1795m. Voruta, 2005. Lietava, a small river not far from KernavÄ—, the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the eventual Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is usually credited as the source of the name. However, the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation. On the other hand, such naming is not unprecedented in world history.JOURNAL, Zigmas, ZinkeviÄius,weblinkweblink 10 May 2022, Lietuvos vardo kilmÄ—, Voruta, 1392-0677, 30 November 1999, 3, 669, lt, ArtÅ«ras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis,BOOK, Dubonis, ArtÅ«ras, Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikÅ¡Äio leiÄiai: iÅ¡ Lietuvos ankstyvųjų valstybinių struktÅ«rų praeities LeiÄiai of Grand Duke of Lithuania: from the past of Lithuanian stative structures, Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla, Vilnius, 1998, lt, that Lietuva relates to the word leiÄiai (plural of leitis). From the middle of the 13th century, leiÄiai were a distinct warrior social group of the Lithuanian society subordinate to the Lithuanian ruler or the state itself. The word leiÄiai is used in 14–16th century historical sources as an ethnonym for Lithuanians (but not Samogitians) and is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the Latvian language, which is closely related to Lithuanian.WEB, Dubonis, ArtÅ«ras, LeiÄiai {{!, Orbis Lituaniae |url=https://ldkistorija.lt/pasakojimai/leiciai/ |publisher=Vilnius University |website=LDKistorija.lt |access-date=13 July 2021 |language=lt}}BOOK, ÄŒeponis, Tomas, Sakalauskas, Mindaugas, LeiÄiai, Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania), Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania, Vilnius, 978-609-412-143-2,weblink 13 July 2021, {{Dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}WEB, Patackas, Algirdas, Lietuva, Lieta, Leitis, arba kÄ… reiÅ¡kia žodis "Lietuva",weblink Lrytas.lt, 11 August 2009, lt-LT, 2 July 2021,weblinkHistory
{{See also|Duchy of Lithuania}}File:Baltic-amber-colours.JPG|thumb|Baltic amber was once a valuable trade resource. It was transported from the region of modern-day Lithuania to the Roman Empire and Egypt through the Amber RoadAmber RoadThe first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the last glacial period in the 10th millennium BC: Kunda, Neman and Narva cultures.BOOK, Edgar C. Polomé, Werner Winter, Reconstructing Languages and Cultures,weblink 2011, Walter de Gruyter, 978-3-11-086792-3, 298, They were traveling hunters. In the 8th millennium BC, the climate became warmer, and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. Agriculture did not emerge until the 3rd millennium BC due to a harsh climate and terrain and a lack of suitable tools to cultivate the land. Crafts and trade started to form. Over a millennium, the Indo-Europeans, who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various Baltic tribes.BOOK, Šapoka, Adolfas, Lietuvos istorija, 1936, Šviesa, Kaunas, 13–17,weblink The Baltic tribes did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with the Roman Empire,BOOK, Michael H. MacDonald, Europe, a Tantalizing Romance: Past and Present Europe for Students and the Serious Traveler,weblink 1996, University Press of America, 978-0-7618-0411-6, 174, but they did maintain trade contacts (see Amber Road). Tacitus, in his study Germania, described the Aesti people, inhabitants of the south-eastern Baltic Sea shores who were probably Balts, around the year 97 AD. The Western Balts differentiated and became known to outside chroniclers first. Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD knew of the Galindians and Yotvingians, and early medieval chroniclers mentioned Old Prussians, Curonians and Semigallians.BOOK, Alfonsas, Eidintas, Alfredas, Bumblauskas, Antanas, Kulakauskas, Mindaugas, Tamošaitis, The History of Lithuania, 2013,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131215231241weblink">weblink 15 December 2013, Eugrimas, 978-609-437-204-9, 22–26, The Lithuanian language is considered to be very conservative for its close connection to Indo-European roots. It is believed to have differentiated from the Latvian language, the most closely related existing language, around the 7th century.Eidintas et al. (2013), p. 13 Traditional Lithuanian pagan customs and mythology, with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to Christianity: the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukes Algirdas and Kęstutis have survived.Eidintas et al. (2013), pp. 24–25Grand Duchy of Lithuania
{{See also|Grand Duchy of Lithuania}}File:Lithuanian state in 13-15th centuries.png|thumb|Changes in the territory from the 13th to 15th century. At its peak, Lithuania was the largest state in Europe.BOOK, Bideleux, Robert, Jeffries, Ian, A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change, 1998, Routledge, 978-0-415-16111-4, 122, Lithuania's strength was its toleration of various cultures and religionreligionFrom the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by the Vikings,BOOK, Andres Kasekamp, A History of the Baltic States,weblink 2017, Macmillan International Higher Education, 978-1-137-57366-7, 9, {{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} and the kings of Denmark collected tribute.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} During the 10–11th centuries, Lithuanian territories were among the lands paying tribute to Kievan Rus', and Yaroslav the Wise was among the Ruthenian rulers who invaded Lithuania.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} From the mid-12th century, it was the Lithuanians who were invading Ruthenian territories. In 1183, Polotsk and Pskov were ravaged, and even the distant and powerful Novgorod Republic was threatened by the excursions from the emerging Lithuanian power toward the end of the 12th century.BOOK, Jerzy, OchmaÅ„ski, Historia Litwy [The History of Lithuania], 1982, 2nd, 978-83-04-00886-1, ZakÅ‚ad Narodowy im. OssoliÅ„skich, pl, 39–42, From the late 12th century, an organized Lithuanian military force existed; it was used for external raids, plundering and gathering of slaves. Such military and pecuniary activities fostered social differentiation and triggered a struggle for power. This initiated the formation of early statehood, from which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania developed.BOOK, Baczkowski, Krzysztof, Dzieje Polski późnoÅ›redniowiecznej (1370–1506) [History of Late Medieval Poland (1370–1506)], 1999, Fogra, Kraków, 978-83-85719-40-3, 55–61, WEB, Lithuania - History,weblink Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 July 2021, Disparate Lithuanian tribes were united into the Lithuanian state by 1219.BOOK, Boswell, A. Bruce,weblink Poland and the Poles, Methuen & Co., 1919, London, 61, The only Lithuanian Roman Catholic king, Mindaugas, was baptised as a Roman Catholic in 1251 and crowned as King of Lithuania in 1253.{{in lang|lt}} Tomas Baranauskas (2001). Lietuvos karalystei – 750 {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601052806weblink|date=1 June 2012}}. voruta.lt. After Mindaugas' assassination in 1263, pagan Lithuania was a target of the Christian crusades of the Teutonic Knights and Livonian Order. The siege of PilÄ—nai is noted for the Lithuanians' defense. Despite the devastating century-long struggle with the Orders, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded, overtaking former Ruthenian principalities of Kievan Rus'.BOOK, R. N. Swanson, The Routledge History of Medieval Christianity: 1050–1500,weblink 2015, Routledge, 978-1-317-50809-0, 193, On 22 September 1236, the Battle of SaulÄ— between Samogitians and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword took place close to Å iauliai. The Livonian Brothers were defeated and their further conquest of the Balts lands stopped.BOOK, Zikaras, Karolis, Battle of SaulÄ— 1236, 2014, Ministry of National Defence (Lithuania), Military Cartography Centre of Lithuanian Armed Forces, Domeikava, Kaunas District, 978-609-412-017-6,weblink 28 December 2017,weblink 8 August 2019, The battle inspired rebellions among the Curonians, Semigallians, Selonians, Oeselians, tribes previously conquered by the Sword-Brothers. 30 years' worth of conquests on the left bank of Daugava were lost.ENCYCLOPEDIA, Jonas Zinkus, Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija, SaulÄ—s mÅ«Å¡is, 1987, Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija, 3, Vilnius, 633, lt, etal, In 2000, the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments declared 22 September to be the Day of Baltic Unity.WEB, The Battle of Saule,weblink VisitLithuania.net, 28 December 2017, 25 June 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210625113823weblink">weblink File:Traku pilis by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|Trakai Island Castle, the former residence of the Grand Dukes and capital city of the medieval state]]According to the legend, Grand Duke Gediminas was once hunting near the Vilnia River; tired after the hunt, he settled in for the night and dreamed of a huge Iron Wolf standing on a hill and howling as loud as a hundred wolves. Krivis (pagan priest) Lizdeika interpreted the dream that the Iron Wolf represents Vilnius Castles. Gediminas, built the city and gave it the name Vilnius – from the stream of the Vilnia River.WEB, The Legend of the Founding of Vilnius – Gediminas Dream,weblink ironwolf.lt, 19 February 2018, In 1362 or 1363, Grand Duke Algirdas achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Blue Waters against the Golden Horde.BOOK, Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345, C. S., Rowell, 97, 100, 1994, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series, 978-0-521-45011-9, The victory brought Kyiv and a large part of present-day Ukraine, under the control of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.JOURNAL, Tomas, Baranauskas, Tomas Baranauskas, MÄ—lynųjų Vandenų mÅ«Å¡is: atminties sugrįžimas po 650 metų,weblink Veidas, 1392-5156, 25, 30–32, 23 June 2012, lt, After taking Kyiv, Lithuania became a neighbor and rival of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.BOOK,weblink A Companion to Russian Studies: An Introduction to Russian History, Robert, Auty, Dimitri, Obolensky, Cambridge University Press, 1981, 86, 978-0-521-28038-9, By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was one of the largest countries in Europe and included present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia.Paul Magocsi (1996). History of the Ukraine. University of Toronto Press. p. 128. {{ISBN|978-0-8020-7820-9}}. The geopolitical situation between west and east determined the multicultural character of the Grand Duchy. The elite practised religious tolerance and the Chancery Slavonic language was used as an auxiliary language to Latin for official documents.WEB, Babinskas, Nerijus, EtninÄ— ir konfesinÄ— LDK įvairovÄ—. Reformacija,weblink Å¡altiniai.info, 20 May 2019, lt, In 1385, the Grand Duke Jogaila accepted Poland's offer to become its king. Jogaila embarked on christianization of Lithuania and established a personal union between Poland and Lithuania. Lithuania was one of the last pagan areas of Europe to adopt Christianity.BOOK, Blomkvist, Nils, Culture clash or compromise?: the europeanisation of the Baltic Sea area 1100-1400 AD, Gotland Centre of Baltic Studies, 1998, 978-91-630-7439-4, Gotland University College, 240, BOOK, Broderick, Kristin J., The Economy and Political Culture in New Democracies: An Analysis of Democratic Support in Central and Eastern Europe: An Analysis of Democratic Support in Central and Eastern Europe, Routledge, 2017, 978-1-351-73292-5, Lithuania, File:Jan Matejko, Bitwa pod Grunwaldem.jpg|thumb|right|Battle of Grunwald and Vytautas the GreatVytautas the GreatAfter two civil wars, Vytautas the Great became Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1392. Lithuania reached the peak of its territorial expansion, centralization of the state began, and the Lithuanian nobility became prominent in politics. In the Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399, the combined forces of Tokhtamysh and Vytautas were defeated by the Mongols. Thanks to close cooperation, the armies of Lithuania and Poland prevailed over the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald, one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.BOOK, Thomas Lane, Lithuania: Stepping Westward, Routledge, 2001, ix, xxi,weblink 978-0-415-26731-1, The New Encyclopædia Britannica v. 17 (1998) p. 545BOOK, Rick Fawn, Ideology and national identity in post-communist foreign policies,weblink 2003, Psychology Press, 978-0-7146-5517-8, 186–, Since the 14th–15th centuries patrilineal members of the Lithuanian ruling Gediminids dynasty ruled not only Lithuania, but Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Bohemia, and Moldavia.WEB, GediminaiÄiai,weblink VisuotinÄ— lietuvių enciklopedija, 26 August 2023, lt, WEB, JogailaiÄiai,weblink VisuotinÄ— lietuvių enciklopedija, 26 August 2023, lt, WEB, GudaviÄius, Edvardas, Edvardas GudaviÄius, Gedimino kepurÄ—,weblink VisuotinÄ— lietuvių enciklopedija, 23 March 2023, lt, In January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk Vytautas received the title of King of Lithuania with the backing of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor.WEB, Lucko suvažiavimas,weblink Partizanai.org, 22 December 2017, lt-lt, After the deaths of Jogaila and Vytautas, the Lithuanian nobility attempted to break the union between Poland and Lithuania, independently selecting Grand Dukes from the Jagiellon dynasty. But, at the end of the 15th century, Lithuania was forced into a closer alliance with Poland when the growing power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow threatened Lithuania's Russian principalities and sparked the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars and Livonian War.In 1514, the Battle of Orsha between Lithuanians, commanded by the Grand Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski, and Muscovites was fought. The much smaller army of Poland–Lithuania (under 30,000 men) defeated a force of 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander.BOOK, PrieÅ¡ 500 metų – OrÅ¡os mÅ«Å¡is, November 2014, Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters,weblink 16 January 2018, 8 August 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808020734weblink">weblink The battle destroyed a military alliance against Lithuania and Poland. Thousands of Muscovites were captured and used as labourers in the Lithuanian manors.WEB, SruogienÄ—, V., KunigaikÅ¡tis Konstantinas OstrogiÅ¡kis ir OrÅ¡os mÅ«Å¡is 1514 metais,weblink partizanai.org, 16 January 2018, lt-lt, BOOK, Pociecha, WÅ‚adysÅ‚aw, Królowa Bona (1494–1557), czasy i ludzie odrodzeniaie odrodzenia, 1949, NakÅ‚. PoznaÅ„skiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk, PoznaÅ„, 253, I tome, pl, The Livonian War ceased for ten years with the Truce of Yam-Zapolsky signed in 1582 according to which the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth recovered Livonia, Polotsk and Velizh. The truce was extended for twenty years in 1600, when a diplomatic mission to Moscow led concluded negotiations with Tsar Boris Godunov.BOOK, Baliulis, Algirdas, Lietuvos Didžiosios KunigaikÅ¡tystÄ—s ir Maskvos valstybÄ—s diplomatiniai santykiai XVI a. pabaigoje, Lietuvos istorijos institutas, Vilnius,weblink The truce was broken when the Poles invaded Muscovy in 1605.Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
File:Vilenskija zamki. ВіленÑÐºÑ–Ñ Ð·Ð°Ð¼ÐºÑ– (T. MakoÅski, 1600).jpg|thumb|Palace of the Grand Dukes of LithuaniaPalace of the Grand Dukes of LithuaniaThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was created in 1569 by the Union of Lublin. As a member of the Commonwealth, Lithuania retained its institutions, including separate army, currency, and statutory laws – the Statute of Lithuania.Stone, Daniel. The Polish–Lithuanian State: 1386–1795. University of Washington Press, 2001. p. 63 Eventually Polonization affected all aspects of Lithuanian life: politics, language, culture, and national identity. From the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, culture, arts, and education flourished, fueled by the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation. From 1573, the Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania were elected by the nobility, who were granted ever-increasing Golden Liberties. These liberties, especially the liberum veto, led to anarchy and eventual dissolution of the state.The Commonwealth reached its Golden Age in the early 17th century. Its powerful parliament was dominated by nobles reluctant to get involved in the Thirty Years' War; this neutrality spared the country from the ravages of a political-religious conflict that devastated most of Europe. The Commonwealth held its own against Sweden, the Tsardom of Russia, and vassals of the Ottoman Empire, and even launched successful expansionist offensives against its neighbours. In several invasions during the Time of Troubles, Commonwealth troops entered Russia, took Moscow and held it from September 1610 to November 1612, when they were driven out after a siege.WEB, Lietuvos aukso amžius – vienas sprendimas galÄ—jo pakeisti visÄ… istorijÄ…,weblink DELFI, 24 February 2018, File:Emila Plater conducting Polish scythemen in 1831.jpg|thumb|right|Emilia Plater, often nicknamed as a Lithuanian Joan of Arc, leading peasant scythemen during the 1831 uprising]]In 1655, after a battle, for the first time in history Vilnius was taken by a foreign army.BOOK, Å apoka, Adolfas, Lietuvos istorija,weblink 1936, Kaunas, 326, lt, Å vietimo ministerijos Knygų leidimo komisijos leidinys, The Russian army looted the city, churches and manors. Between 8,000 and 10,000 citizens were killed; the city burned for 17 days. The Russian occupation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lasted to 1661. Many artefacts and cultural heritage were either lost or looted, significant parts of the state archive – Lithuanian Metrica, collected since the 13th century, were lost and the rest was moved out of the country. During the Northern Wars (1655–61), the Lithuanian territory and economy were devastated by the Swedish army. Almost all territory of the Grand Duchy was occupied by Swedish and Russian armies. This period is known as Tvanas (The Deluge).Before it could fully recover, Lithuania was ravaged during the Great Northern War (1700–21). The war, a plague, and a famine caused the deaths of approximately 40% of the population.JOURNAL, 16, 2, 2008,weblink The Roads to Independence, Lithuania in the World, 1392-0901,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110512014106weblink">weblink 12 May 2011, Foreign powers, especially Russia, became dominant in the domestic politics of the Commonwealth. Fractions among the nobility used the Golden Liberties to prevent reform.The Constitution of 3 May 1791 was adopted by the Great Sejm (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth trying to save the state. The legislation was designed to redress political defects due to the system of Golden Liberties, also known as the "Nobles' Democracy," which had conferred disproportionate rights on the nobility and had corrupted politics. The constitution sought to supplant the prevailing anarchy fostered by magnates with a more democratic constitutional monarchy. It introduced elements of political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under protection of the government, thus mitigating the worst abuses of serfdom. It banned parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which had put the Sejm at the mercy of any deputy who could revoke all legislation that had been passed. It was drafted in relation to a copy of the United States Constitution.WEB, The Constitution of May 3, 1791,weblink LRS.lt, 22 December 2017, WEB, 1791 m. gegužės 3 d. Konstitucija,weblink LRS.lt, 22 December 2017, WEB, History of the 3 May 1791 Constitution,weblink pmc.usc.edu, 22 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171129073353weblink">weblink 29 November 2017, It is regarded as the world's second-oldest codified national government constitution after the 1787 U.S. Constitution.WEB, MaÄiukas, ŽydrÅ«nas, 1791 m. Gegužės 3-iosios Konstitucija,weblink Seimas, 7 July 2021, lt,Russian Empire
Eventually, the Commonwealth was partitioned in 1772, 1793, and 1795 by the Russian Empire, Prussia, and the Habsburg monarchy. The largest area of Lithuanian territory became part of the Russian Empire. After the unsuccessful uprisings in 1831 and 1863, the Tsarist authorities implemented Russification policies. In 1840 the Third Statute of Lithuania was abolished. They banned the Lithuanian press, closed cultural and educational institutions and made Lithuania part of a new administrative region called Northwestern Krai. The Russification failed, owing to an extensive network of Lithuanian book smugglers and secret homeschooling.WEB, XX a. pradžioje rusus suerzino pavieÅ¡inti lietuvių knygneÅ¡ystÄ—s mastai,weblink Lrt.lt, 29 July 2013, lt, 28 July 2013, File:Valancius.jpg|thumb|upright=.7|Bishop Motiejus ValanÄius resisted Russification. He urged protest against closing of Catholic churches and organised book printing in Lithuania MinorLithuania MinorAfter the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), when German diplomats assigned what were seen as Russian spoils of war to Turkey, the relationship between Russia and the German Empire became complicated. The Russian Empire resumed the construction of fortresses at its western borders for defence against invasion from Germany. Large numbers of Lithuanians went to the US in 1867–68 after a famine.{{CathEncy|wstitle=Lithuanians in the United States}} In 1879 the Russian Emperor Alexander II approved a proposal from the Russian military to build the largest "first-class" defensive structure in the entire state – the {{convert|65|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} Kaunas Fortress.WEB, Kauno tvirtovÄ—s istorija, Gintaras ÄŒesonis,weblink 2004, 12 June 2008, lt,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110510074436weblink">weblink 10 May 2011, Simonas Daukantas promoted a return to Lithuania's pre-Commonwealth traditions, which he depicted as a Golden Age of Lithuania and a renewal of the native culture, based on the Lithuanian language and customs. He wrote in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian – The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians, though it was not published at that time. Teodor Narbutt wrote in Polish a voluminous Ancient History of the Lithuanian Nation (1835–1841), where he expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and Sanskrit languages. A Lithuanian National Revival, inspired by Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations of the modern Lithuanian nation and independent Lithuania.20th and 21st centuries
1918–1939
As a result of the Great Retreat during World War I, Germany occupied the entire territory of Lithuania and Courland by the end of 1915.WEB,weblink The Great war in Lithuania 1914 -1918, Draugas.org, A new administrative entity, Ober Ost, was established. Lithuanians lost political rights they had gained: personal freedom was restricted, and the Lithuanian press was banned.WEB,weblink The Baltic States from 1914 to 1923: The First World War and the Wars of Independence, Bdcol.ee, 18 October 2018, 8 August 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808020728weblink">weblink However, the Lithuanian intelligentsia tried to take advantage of the existing geopolitical situation and began to look for opportunities to restore Lithuania's independence. On 18–22 September 1917, the Vilnius Conference elected the 20-member Council of Lithuania. The council adopted the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918 which proclaimed the restoration of independent Lithuania governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The state of Lithuania which had been built within the framework of the Act lasted from 1918 until 1940.File:Lietuvos Å¡arvuotas traukinys Gediminas.jpg|thumb|Lithuanian soldiers with armoured train Gediminas 3, used in the Lithuanian Wars of IndependenceLithuanian Wars of IndependenceFollowing the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the first Provisional Constitution of Lithuania was adopted and the first government of Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras organized. The army and other state institutions began to be organized. Lithuania fought three wars of independence: against the Bolsheviks who proclaimed the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, against the Bermontians, and against Poland.WEB, Pirmosios Lietuvos nepriklausomybÄ—s kovos,weblink Partizanai.org, 23 December 2017, lt, WEB, LesÄius, Vytautas, Lietuvos kariuomenÄ— nepriklausomybÄ—s kovose 1918–1920. Monografija,weblink LKA.lt, 23 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150102043921weblink">weblink 2 January 2015, As a result of the staged Å»eligowski's Mutiny in October 1920, Poland took control of the Vilnius Region and annexed it as Wilno Voivodeship in 1922.WEB, IÅ¡kauskas, ÄŒeslovas, ÄŒ.IÅ¡kauskas. Vidurio Lietuva: lenkų okupacijos aidai...,weblink DELFI, 8 January 2012, Relations with Poland remained tense and hostile for the interwar period. In January 1923, Lithuania staged the KlaipÄ—da Revolt and captured KlaipÄ—da Region which was detached from East Prussia by the Treaty of Versailles. The region became an autonomous region of Lithuania.On 15 May 1920, the first meeting of the democratically elected constituent assembly took place. The constitutions it adopted, strove to regulate the life of the new state. Land, finance, and educational reforms started to be implemented. The Lithuanian litas currency was introduced and the University of Lithuania was opened.WEB, VMU Now and Before,weblink Vytautas Magnus University, 23 December 2017, 10 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171224101656weblink">weblink 24 December 2017, Major public institutions had been established. As Lithuania began to gain stability, foreign countries started to recognize it. In 1921 Lithuania was admitted to the League of Nations.BOOK, Kantautas, Adam, Kantautas, Filomena, A Lithuanian Bibliography: A Check-list of Books and Articles Held by the Major Libraries of Canada and the United States, 1975, University of Alberta, 978-0-88864-010-9, 295–296,weblink registration, In December 1926, a military coup took place, resulting in the replacement of the democratically elected government with a conservative authoritarian government led by Antanas Smetona. Augustinas Voldemaras was appointed to form a government. The so-called authoritarian phase had begun strengthening the influence of one party, the Lithuanian Nationalist Union. In 1927, the Seimas was dissolved.WEB,weblink LRS.lt, III Seimas (1926–1927 m.), 23 December 2017, 17 April 2021,weblink dead, A new constitution was adopted in 1928, which consolidated presidential powers. Opposition parties were banned, censorship was tightened, and the rights of minorities narrowed.WEB, Karinis perversmas Lietuvoje: kas ir kodÄ—l nuvertÄ— valstieÄių valdžiÄ…?,weblink DELFI, 17 December 2013, WEB, Katinas, Petras, Perversmas ar iÅ¡gelbÄ—jimas?,weblink xxiamzius.lt, 23 December 2017, The only democratically elected body that continued was a Parliament of the KlaipÄ—da Region.File:Lituanica Above New York.jpg|thumb|left|Lituanica above New York in 1933. The transatlantic flight was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed, Charles LindberghCharles LindberghOn 15 July 1933, Steponas Darius and Stasys GirÄ—nas, Lithuanian pilots, emigrants to the US, made a significant flight in the history of world aviation. They flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of {{convert|6411|km|mi|abbr=on}} without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes ({{convert|107.1|mph|km/h|abbr=on|order=flip}}). As far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of Russell Boardman and John Polando.The country had a Western standard of living with high salaries and low prices. Skilled workers were earning similar real wages to workers in Germany and France. The country had a surprisingly high natural increase in population of 9.7 and the industrial production of Lithuania increased by 160% from 1913 to 1940.WEB, KodÄ—l Kaunas buvo vadinamas mažuoju Paryžiumi?,weblink lrytas.lt, 3 January 2013, lt-LT, 2 July 2021,weblink WEB, Lapinskas, Anatolijus, Lietuva tarpukariu nebuvo atsilikÄ—lÄ—,weblink DELFI, 29 September 2013, The situation was changed by the global economic crisis.WEB,weblink What Happened During the Great Depression?, Thebalance.com, The purchase price of agricultural products had declined significantly. In 1935, farmers began strikes; in addition to economic demands, political ones were made. The government cruelly suppressed the unrest: in the spring of 1936, four peasants were sentenced to death for starting the riots.WEB,weblink Trade Unions in Lithuania – A Brief History – Sergejus Glovackas (2009) (Global Labour Institute – English), Globallabour.info, 29 November 2017, 5 May 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180505021533weblink">weblink1939–1944
On 20 March 1939, after years of rising tensions, Lithuania was handed an ultimatum by Nazi Germany demanding it relinquish the KlaipÄ—da Region. Two days later, the Lithuanian government accepted the ultimatum.WEB, Vareikis, Vygantas, Politiniai ir kariniai KlaipÄ—dos kraÅ¡to praradimo aspektai 1938–1939 metais,weblink KlaipÄ—da University, 23 December 2017, When Nazi Germany and Soviet Union concluded the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Lithuania was assigned to the German sphere of influence but later transferred to the Soviet sphere. At the outbreak of World War II, Lithuania declared neutrality.BOOK, Liekis, Å arÅ«nas, 1939: The Year that Changed Everything in Lithuania's History, 2010, Rodopi, New York, 978-90-420-2762-6, 119–122,weblink In October 1939, Lithuania was forced to sign the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty: five Soviet military bases with 20,000 troops were established in Lithuania in exchange for Vilnius, which the Soviets had captured from Poland.WEB, Gureckas, Algimantas, Ar Lietuva galÄ—jo iÅ¡sigelbÄ—ti 1939–1940 metais?,weblink lrytas.lt, 30 June 2010, lt-LT, 15 January 2020,weblink Delayed by the Winter War with Finland, the Soviets issued an ultimatum to Lithuania on 14 June 1940. They demanded the replacement of the Lithuanian government and that the Red Army be allowed into the country. The government decided that, with Soviet bases already in Lithuania, armed resistance was impossible and accepted the ultimatum.BOOK, Musteikis, Kazys, Prisiminimų fragmentai, 1989, Mintis, Vilnius, 56–57,weblink 10 December 2017, President Smetona left the country, hoping to form a government in exile, while more than 200,000 Soviet soldiers crossed the Belarus–Lithuania border.BOOK, Senn, Alfred Erich, Lithuania 1940: Revolution from Above, 2007, Rodopi, 978-90-420-2225-6, 99, The Baltic states were occupied. The Soviets followed semi-constitutional procedures for transforming the independent countries into soviet republics and incorporating them into the Soviet Union.File:Lithuanian partisans from the district of Dainava (Southern Lithuania).jpg|thumb|right|Lithuanian resistance fighters. The armed resistance was 50,000 strong at its peak.]]Vladimir Dekanozov was sent to supervise the formation of the puppet People's Government and the rigged election to the People's Seimas. The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed on 21 July and accepted into the Soviet Union. Lithuania was rapidly Sovietized: political parties and various organizations (except the Communist Party of Lithuania) were outlawed, some 12,000 people, were arrested and imprisoned in the Gulag as "enemies of the people", larger private property was nationalized, the litas was replaced by the Soviet rouble, farm taxes were increased by 50–200% and the Lithuanian Army was transformed into the 29th Rifle Corps of the Red Army.WEB, Knezys, Stasys, Lietuvos kariuomenÄ—s naikinimas (1940 m. birželio 15 d.–1941 m.),weblink Genocid.lt, 14 December 2017, On 14–18 June 1941, less than a week before the Nazi invasion, some 17,000 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia, where many perished due to inhumane living conditions (see June deportation).AnuÅ¡auskas (2005), p. 140JOURNAL, Aleksandras, Gurjanovas, Gyventojų trÄ—mimo į SSRS gilumÄ… mastas (1941 m. gegužės–birželio mÄ—n.), Genocidas Ir Resistencija,weblink 1997, 2, 2, 1392-3463, lt, The occupation was not recognized by Western powers and the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service, based on pre-war consulates and legations, continued to represent independent Lithuania until 1990.When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Lithuanians began the anti-Soviet June Uprising. Lithuanians proclaimed independence and organized the Provisional Government of Lithuania. This government quickly self-disbanded.BOOK, The Baltic States: Years of Dependence 1940–1990, Romuald J., Misiunas, Rein Taagepera, University of California Press, expanded, 1993, 978-0-520-08228-1, 47, registration,weblink Lithuania became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, German civil administration.BOOK, AnuÅ¡auskas, Arvydas, Lietuva, 1940–1990, 2005, Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, Vilnius, 978-9986-757-65-8, lt, etal, 177, File:Ponar Forest Memorial.JPG|thumb|Site of the Paneriai massacre, where the German Nazis and their collaborators executed up to 100,000 people of various nationalities. About 70,000 of them were JewsJewsBy 1 December 1941, over 120,000 Lithuanian Jews, or 91–95% of Lithuania's pre-war Jewish community, had been killed.BOOK, Prit Buttar, Between Giants, 978-1-78096-163-7, 21 May 2013, Bloomsbury USA, {{rp|110}} Nearly 100,000 Jews, Poles, Russians and Lithuanians were murdered at Paneriai.WEB, Michalski, CzesÅ‚aw, Ponary - Golgota WileÅ„szczyzny (Ponary – the Golgotha of Wilno),weblink Konspekt nº 5, Winter 2000–01, Pedagogical University of Cracow, Academy of Pedagogy in Kraków,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081224124407weblink">weblink 24 December 2008, pl, However, thousands of Lithuanian families risked their lives protected Jews from the Holocaust.WEB, SakaitÄ—, Viktorija, Žydų gelbÄ—jimas,weblink genocid.lt, 25 July 2018, Israel has recognized 918 Lithuanians as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews.WEB,weblink Names of Righteous by Country, 2017, 29 July 2018, 16 November 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171116101208weblink">weblink dead, Approximately 13,000 men served in the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions.AnuÅ¡auskas, et al. (2005), p. 232 10 of the 26 Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions working with the Nazi Einsatzkommando, were involved in the mass killings. Rogue units organised by Algirdas Klimaitis and supervised by SS Brigadeführer Walter Stahlecker started the Kaunas pogrom in June 1941.WEB,weblink Genocid.lt, ArÅ«nas Bubnys. Lietuvių saugumo policija ir holokaustas (1941–1944) | Lithuanian Security Police and the Holocaust (1941–1944), Oshry, Ephraim, Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry, Judaica Press, Inc., New York, 1995 In 1941, the Lithuanian Security Police, subordinate to Nazi Germany's Security Police and Criminal Police, was created. It targeted the communist underground.BOOK, Bubnys, ArÅ«nas, ArÅ«nas Bubnys, VokieÄių okupuota Lietuva (1941–1944), Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, 1998, Vilnius, 978-9986-757-12-2, Nationalized assets were not returned to the residents. Some were forced to fight for Germany or taken to German territories as forced labourers. Jewish people were herded into ghettos and killed by shooting or sending them to concentration camps.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20060823064325weblink">weblink 23 August 2006, Lithuania: Back to the Future, Travel-earth.com, 1 May 2004, 5 June 2011, WEB, Michalski, CzesÅ‚aw, Ponary – Golgota WileÅ„szczyzny (Ponary – the Golgotha of Wilno),weblink Konspekt nº 5, Winter 2000–01, Academy of Pedagogy in Kraków,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081224124407weblink">weblink 24 December 2008, pl,1944–1990
File:Naujoji Vilnia train station 4.JPG|thumb|Monument in Naujoji Vilnia in memory of the Soviet deportations from LithuaniaSoviet deportations from LithuaniaAfter the retreat of the German armed forces, the Soviets reestablished their control of Lithuania in July–October 1944. The massive deportations to Siberia were resumed and lasted until the death of Stalin in 1953. Antanas SnieÄkus, leader of the Communist Party of Lithuania from 1940 to 1974,BOOK, Motyl, Alexander J., Encyclopedia of Nationalism, Two-Volume Set, 2000, Elsevier, 978-0-08-054524-0, 494–495,weblink supervised the deportations.BOOK, Roszkowski, Wojciech, Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century, 2016, Routledge, 978-1-317-47593-4, 2549,weblink All Lithuanian national symbols were banned. Under the pretext of Lithuania's economic recovery, the Moscow authorities encouraged the migration of workers and other specialists to Lithuania with the intention to further integrate Lithuania into the Soviet Union and to develop the country's industry. Lithuanians were lured to work in the USSR by promising them the privileges of settling in a new place.The second Soviet occupation was accompanied by the guerrilla warfare of the Lithuanian population, which took place in 1944–1953. It sought to restore an independent state, to consolidate democracy by destroying communism in the country, returning national values and the freedom of religion. About 50,000 Lithuanians took to the forests and fought Soviet occupiers.WEB,weblink US Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs, State.gov, August 2006, 25 April 2010, WEB,weblink Fighters for Freedom. Lithuanian partisans versus the U.S.S.R., Juozas Daumantas, 13 May 2018, In the later stages of the partisan war, Lithuanians formed the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters and its leader Jonas Žemaitis was posthumously recognized as the president of Lithuania.WEB,weblink The Partisan Movement in Postwar Lithuania – V. Stanley Vardys, Lituanus.org, 2 December 2017, 2 March 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120302085809weblink">weblink Despite the fact guerrilla warfare did not achieve its goal of liberating Lithuania and resulted in more than 20,000 deaths, armed resistance demonstrated that Lithuania did not voluntarily join the USSR and legitimized the will of the people of Lithuania to be independent.WEB, Küng, Andres, Andres Küng, 13 April 1999,weblink Communism and Crimes against Humanity in the Baltic states, 1 March 2001,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20010301223347weblink">weblink A Report to the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation seminar, Lithuanian courts and the ECHR treat the Soviets' annihilation of the Lithuanian partisans as a genocide.WEB, BeniuÅ¡is, Vaidotas, EŽTT: sovietų represijos prieÅ¡ Lietuvos partizanus gali bÅ«ti laikomos genocidu,weblink DELFI, 12 March 2019, File:1989 08 23 Baltijoskelias14.jpg|thumb|The Baltic WayBaltic WayEven with the suppression of partisan resistance, the Soviet government failed to stop the movement for the independence of Lithuania. The underground dissident groups were active in publishing the underground press and Catholic literature.WEB, Romas Kalanta,weblink genocid.lt, 19 February 2018, The Helsinki Group, which was founded in Lithuania after an international conference in Helsinki, where the post-WWII borders were acknowledged, announced a declaration for Lithuania's independence on a foreign radio station.WEB,weblink The Demise of the Lithuanian Helsinki Group, Lituanus.org, 2 December 2017, 27 February 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210227090438weblink">weblink The Helsinki Group informed the Western world about the situation in the Soviet Lithuania and violations of human rights. With the beginning of the increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities (glasnost) in the Soviet Union, on 3 June 1988, the SÄ…jÅ«dis was established in Lithuania. Very soon it began to seek the country's independence.WEB,weblink Lithuania's Independence Movement – Lokashakti Encyclopedia, Lokashakti.org, 2 December 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171203153801weblink">weblink 3 December 2017, Eventually, Vytautas Landsbergis became the movement's leader.WEB,weblink Landsbergis has always been Lithuania's first head-of-state, Baltictimes.com, 21 December 2017,weblink 3 December 2017, The supporters of SÄ…jÅ«dis joined movement groups all over Lithuania. On 23 August 1988 a large rally took place at the Vingis Park in Vilnius. It was attended by about 250,000 people.WEB, SÄ…jÅ«džio mitingas 1988 – 08 – 23 Vingio parke,weblink LRT, 23 August 1988, 12 May 2018, lt, A year later, on 23 August 1989 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact and aiming to draw the attention of the world to the occupation of the Baltic states, a political demonstration, the Baltic Way, was organized.WEB,weblink Istorija, Thebalticway.eu, The event, led by SÄ…jÅ«dis, was a human chain spanning {{convert|600|km}} across Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, indicating the desire of the people of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to break from the Soviet Union.1990–present
{{multiple image| align = right| direction = horizontal| total_width = 220| header_align = left/right/centerGeography
(File:LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png|thumb|right|350px|Physical map and geomorphological subdivision of Lithuania)Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of Europe{{efn|name=location}} and covers an area of {{convert|65300|km2|abbr=on}}.WEB,weblink Lithuania, Canada.ca, 18 June 2020, It lies between latitudes 53° and 57° N, and mostly between longitudes 21° and 27° E (part of the Curonian Spit lies west of 21°). It has around {{convert|99|km|mi|1}} of sandy coastline, only about {{convert|38|km|mi|0}} of which face the open Baltic Sea, less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major warm-water port, Klaipėda, lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuanian: Kuršių marios), a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad. The country's main and largest river, the Nemunas River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping.Lithuania lies at the edge of the North European Plain. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the last ice age, and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is Aukštojas Hill at {{convert|294|m|ft|0}} in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features numerous lakes (Lake Vištytis, for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country. Drūkšiai is the largest, Tauragnas is the deepest and Asveja is the longest lake in Lithuania.After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the geographic centre of Europe was in Lithuania, at {{coord|54|54|N|25|19|E|type:landmark|name=Purnuškės (centre of gravity)}}, {{convert|26|km|mi}} north of Lithuania's capital city of Vilnius.WEB,weblink Other Places of Interest: Central Europe, Jan S. Krogh, 31 December 2011, Affholder accomplished this by calculating the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe.Climate
Lithuania has a temperate climate with both maritime and continental influences. It is defined as humid continental (Dfb) under the Köppen climate classification (but is close to oceanic in a narrow coastal zone).Average temperatures on the coast are {{convert|-2.5|C}} in January and {{convert|16|°C|0|abbr=on}} in July. In Vilnius the average temperatures are {{convert|-6|°C|0|abbr=on}} in January and {{convert|17|°C|0|abbr=on}} in July. During the summer, {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}} is common during the day while {{convert|14|°C|0|abbr=on}} is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as {{convert|30|or|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Some winters can be very cold. {{convert|-20|°C|0|abbr=on}} occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are {{convert|-34|°C|0|abbr=on}} in coastal areas and {{convert|-43|°C|0|abbr=on}} in the east of Lithuania.The average annual precipitation is {{convert|800|mm|1|abbr=on}} on the coast, {{convert|900|mm|1|abbr=on}} in the Samogitia highlands and {{convert|600|mm|1|abbr=on}} in the eastern part of the country. Snow occurs every year, it can snow from October to April. In some years sleet can fall in September or May. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part. Severe storms are rare in the eastern part of Lithuania but common in the coastal areas.The longest records of measured temperature in the Baltic area cover about 250 years. The data show warm periods during the latter half of the 18th century, and that the 19th century was a relatively cool period. An early 20th-century warming culminated in the 1930s, followed by a smaller cooling that lasted until the 1960s. A warming trend has persisted since then.WEB,weblink Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin – The BACC Project – 22–23 May 2006, Göteborg, Sweden, 25 April 2010, Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and peat bog fires.JOURNAL, Research Note Effect of drought and fires on the quality of water in Lithuanian rivers, 2003, 2003HESS....7..423S, G. Sakalauskiene and G. Ignatavicius, 7, 423–427, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 10.5194/hess-7-423-2003, 3,weblink free,Environment
{{multiple image| caption_align = center| align = right| direction = vertical| image1 = Žadvainių ežeras.jpg| image2 = Nida sand dunes (14573723178).jpg| caption1 = Typical Lithuanian flatlands with lakes, swamps and forests. Thousands of various lakes lie in Lithuania and create magnificent sights from the bird's eye view.Biodiversity
File:White Stork-Mindaugas Urbonas-1.jpg|thumb|The white storkwhite storkLithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests, bogs, wetlands and meadows), and anthropogenic (agrarian and urban) ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory. Wetlands (raised bogs, fens, transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of the country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. Changes in wetland plant communities resulted in the replacement of moss and grass communities by trees and shrubs, and fens not directly affected by land reclamation have become drier as a result of a drop in the water table. There are 29,000 rivers with a total length of 64,000 km in Lithuania, the Nemunas River basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential catadromous fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication.WEB, Lithuania – Biodiversity Facts,weblink cbd.int, 24 February 2018, Agricultural land comprises 54% of Lithuania's territory (roughly 70% of that is arable land and 30% meadows and pastures), approximately 400,000 ha of agricultural land is not farmed, and acts as an ecological niche for weeds and invasive plant species. Habitat deterioration is occurring in regions with very productive and expensive lands as crop areas are expanded. Currently, 18.9% of all plant species, including 1.87% of all known fungi species and 31% of all known species of lichens, are listed in the Lithuanian Red Data Book. The list also contains 8% of all fish species.The wildlife populations have rebounded as the hunting became more restricted and urbanization allowed replanting forests (forests already tripled in size since their lows). Currently, Lithuania has approximately 250,000 larger wild animals or 5 per each square kilometre. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is the roe deer, with 120,000 of them. They are followed by boars (55,000). Other ungulates are the deer (~22,000), fallow-deer (~21,000) and the largest one: moose (~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators, foxes are the most common (~27,000). Wolves are, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are the lynxes (~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude the rabbit, ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests.WEB, Fauna of Lithuania,weblink TrueLithuania.com, 24 February 2018,Government and politics
File:Seimas — Parliament of Lithuania.jpg|thumb|240x240px|SeimasSeimasGovernment
Since Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56.75% of voters supported the new constitution.{{in lang|lt}} Nuo 1991 m. iki šiol paskelbtų referendumų rezultatai {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909201701weblink |date=9 September 2008}}, Microsoft Word Document, Seimas. Retrieved 4 June 2006. There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A separate referendum was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the President of Lithuania. Through compromise, a semi-presidential system was agreed on.{{multiple image| caption_align = center| image1 = Gitanas Nauseda crop.png| width1 = 130Political parties and elections
Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world to grant women a right to vote in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the 1918 Constitution of Lithuania and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as the United States (1920), France (1945), Greece (1952), Switzerland (1971).WEB, BaronienÄ—, Daiva, TeisÄ™ balsuoti Lietuvos moterys gavo vienos pirmųjų pasaulyje,weblink Lzinios.lt, 11 May 2019,weblink 11 May 2019, Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system,WEB,weblink Comparative Party System Analysis in Central and Eastern Europe: the Case of the Baltic States, Saarts, Tõnis, Studies of Transition States and Societies, 31 July 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161019212154weblink">weblink 19 October 2016, with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the Seimas take place on the second Sunday of October every four years. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.WEB, Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo rinkimų įstatymas,weblink e-tar.lt, 14 April 2018, Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats won the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary elections and gained 50 of 141 seats in the parliament.WEB,weblink Rezultatai - vrk.lt, www.vrk.lt, In October 2020, the prime ministerial candidate of Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) Ingrida Å imonytÄ— formed a centre-right coalition with two liberal parties.WEB,weblink Lithuania to get new conservative-liberal coalition prime minister, 26 October 2020, ERR, File:Re-Establishment of Lithuania commemoration in Seimas (2015).jpg|thumb|Commemoration of the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in the historical Seimas hall where it was originally signed in 1990. The ceremony is attended by the Lithuanian President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Seimas and other high-ranking officials.]]The President of Lithuania is the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term.WEB,weblink Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, 31 July 2015, To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on the election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. Same President may serve for not more than two terms.WEB, Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidento rinkimų įstatymas,weblink e-tar.lt, 14 April 2018, Gitanas NausÄ—da has won the most recent election as an independent candidate in 2019.Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a municipal council and a mayor, who is a member of the municipal council. The number of members, elected on a four-year term, in each municipal council depends on the size of the municipality and varies from 15 (in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents) to 51 (in municipalities with more than 500,000 residents). 1,524 municipal council members were elected in 2015.WEB,weblink VRK priÄ—mÄ— svarbius sprendimus artÄ—janÄių savivaldybių tarybų rinkimų klausimais, lt, CEC took important decisions regarding the upcoming election to municipal councils, 23 September 2014, Central Electoral Commission, 31 July 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150212040822weblink">weblink 12 February 2015, Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Starting with 2015, the mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality.WEB, Lietuvos Respublikos savivaldybių tarybų rinkimų įstatymas,weblink e-tar.lt, 14 April 2018, Social Democratic Party of Lithuania won most of the positions in the 2015 elections (372 municipal councils seats and 16 mayors).WEB, 2015 m. kovo 1 d. Lietuvos Respublikos savivaldybių tarybų rinkimai,weblink vrk.lt, 14 April 2018, lt-LT,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180414234238weblink">weblink 14 April 2018, As of 2019, the number of seats in the European Parliament allocated to Lithuania was 11.WEB,weblink European Parliament 2014, European Parliament Liaison Office with U.S. Congress, 31 July 2015, Ordinary elections take place on a Sunday on the same day as in other EU countries. The vote is open to all citizens of Lithuania, as well as citizens of other EU countries that permanently reside in Lithuania, who are at least 18 years old on the election day. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of another EU country permanently residing in Lithuania. Candidates are not allowed to stand for election in more than one country. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.WEB, Lietuvos Respublikos rinkimų į Europos ParlamentÄ… įstatymas,weblink e-tar.lt, 14 April 2018, Six political parties and one committee representatives gained seats in the 2019 elections.WEB, 2019 m. gegužės 26 d. Europos Parlamento rinkimai,weblink vrk.lt, 23 September 2019,Law and law enforcement
File:Statut Vialikaha Kniastva LitoÅskaha. Статут Ð’Ñлікага КнÑÑтва ЛітоўÑкага (1588) (2).jpg|thumb|175px|Statutes of LithuaniaStatutes of LithuaniaThe first attempt to codify the Lithuanian laws was in 1468 when the Casimir's Code was compiled and adopted by Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon.WEB, MatulienÄ—, SnieguolÄ—, Spruogis, Ernestas, Lietuvos teisÄ—s Å¡altiniai,weblink VisuotinÄ— lietuvių enciklopedija, 22 February 2022, lt, In the 16th century three editions of the Statutes of Lithuania were created with the First Statute being adopted in 1529, the Second Statute in 1566, and the Third Statute in 1588. On 3 May 1791, the Europe's first and the world's second Constitution was adopted by the Great Sejm.WEB, Gegužės treÄiosios konstitucija,weblink VisuotinÄ— lietuvių enciklopedija, 22 February 2022, lt, The Third Statute was partly in force in the territory of Lithuania even until 1840, despite the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795.In 1934–1935, Lithuania held the first mass trial of the Nazis in Europe, the convicted were sentenced to imprisonment in a heavy labor prison and capital punishments.WEB, Gliožaitis, Algirdas, Neumanno-Sasso byla, The Case of Neumann-Sass,weblink Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija, 12 February 2022, lt, After regaining of independence in 1990, the largely modified Soviet legal codes were in force for about a decade. The current Constitution of Lithuania was adopted on 25 October 1992.WEB, Lietuvos Konstitucija,weblink lrs.lt, 17 February 2018, In 2001, the Civil Code of Lithuania was passed in Seimas. It was succeeded by the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code in 2003. The approach to the criminal law is inquisitorial, as opposed to adversarial; it is generally characterised by an insistence on formality and rationalisation, as opposed to practicality and informality. Normative legal act enters into force on the next day after its publication in the TeisÄ—s aktų registras, unless it has a later entry into force date.WEB, Nuo 2014 m. sausio 1 d. teisÄ—s aktai oficialiai skelbiami TeisÄ—s aktų registre,weblink 3.lrs.lt, 24 February 2018, lt, The European Union law is an integral part of the Lithuanian legal system since 1 May 2004.WEB, NacionalinÄ—s teisÄ—s aktų derinimo su Europos SÄ…jungos teise metodiniai nurodymai,weblink etd.lt, 22 October 2004,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180218090653weblink">weblink 18 February 2018, Lithuania, after breaking away from the Soviet Union, had a difficult crime situation, however, the Lithuanian law enforcement agencies fought crime over the years, making Lithuania a reasonably safe country.WEB, LRT dokumentikos ciklas "Nematoma Lietuvos istorija" – apie valstybÄ—s pergalÄ™ prieÅ¡ mafijÄ…,weblink LRT, 5 September 2016, lt,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180228223636weblink">weblink 28 February 2018, Crime in Lithuania has been declining rapidly.WEB,weblinkweblink 8 May 2017, Lithuania 2017 Crime & Safety Report, 8 May 2017, Law enforcement in Lithuania is primarily the responsibility of local Lietuvos policija (Lithuanian Police) commissariats. They are supplemented by the Lietuvos policijos antiteroristinių operacijų rinktinÄ— Aras (Anti-Terrorist Operations Team of the Lithuanian Police Aras), Lietuvos kriminalinÄ—s policijos biuras (Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau), Lietuvos policijos kriminalistinių tyrimų centras (Lithuanian Police Forensic Research Center) and Lietuvos kelių policijos tarnyba (Lithuanian Road Police Service).WEB, Lietuvos policija,weblink policija.lrv.lt, 31 March 2018, lt, File:Lithuanian Police A6 (2018).jpg|thumb|left|Lithuanian police cruiser in Gediminas AvenueGediminas AvenueIn 2017, there were 63,846 crimes registered in Lithuania. Of these, thefts comprised a large part with 19,630 cases (13.2% less than in 2016). While 2,835 crimes were serious and very serious (crimes that may lead to more than six years imprisonment), which is 14.5% less than in 2016. In total, 129 homicides or attempted homicide occurred (19.9% less than in 2016), while serious bodily harm was registered 178 times (17.6% less than in 2016). Another problematic crime contraband cases also decreased by 27.2% from 2016 numbers. Meanwhile, crimes in electronic data and information technology security fields noticeably increased by 26.6%.WEB, Užregistruota ir iÅ¡tirta nusikalstamų veikų (2017 / Sausis – Gruodis),weblink Ird.lt, 31 March 2018, lt, In the 2013 Special Eurobarometer, 29% of Lithuanians said that corruption affects their daily lives (EU average 26%). Moreover, 95% of Lithuanians regarded corruption as widespread in their country (EU average 76%), and 88% agreed that bribery and the use of connections is often the easiest way of obtaining certain public services (EU average 73%).BOOK, Lithuania's EU Anti-Corruption Report, 2014, European Commission, Brussels, 2–3,weblink Though, according to local branch of Transparency International, corruption levels have been decreasing over the past decade.WEB, Korupcija Lietuvoje: prarandame milijonus, jei ne milijardus,weblink kauno.diena.lt, 7 February 2016, 7 February 2016, Capital punishment in Lithuania was suspended in 1996 and eliminated in 1998.WEB, SiÅ«lymas grąžinti mirties bausmÄ™ pripažintas prieÅ¡taraujanÄiu Konstitucijai,weblink DELFI.lt, 9 October 2013, Lithuania has the highest number of prison inmates in the EU. According to scientist Gintautas Sakalauskas, this is not because of a high criminality rate in the country, but due to Lithuania's high repression level and the lack of trust of the convicted, who are frequently sentenced to imprisonment.WEB, Kuo mažiau pasitikÄ—jimo, tuo pilnesni kalÄ—jimai: Lietuva kalinių skaiÄiumi pirmauja,weblink LZINIOS.lt, 8 August 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170812032325weblink">weblink 12 August 2017,Administrative divisions
{{See also|Counties of Lithuania|Municipalities of Lithuania|Elderships of Lithuania}}{{Map of Counties of Lithuania|100px|float=right}}The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's 10 counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys) are subdivided into 60 municipalities (Lithuanian: singular – savivaldybė, plural – savivaldybės), and further divided into 500 elderships (Lithuanian: singular – seniūnija, plural – seniūnijos).Municipalities have been the most important unit of administration in Lithuania since the system of county governorship (apskrities viršininkas) was dissolved in 2010.{{in lang|lt}} (Republic of Lithuania Annul Law on County Governing), Seimas law database, 7 July 2009, Law no. XI-318. Some municipalities are historically called "district municipalities" (often shortened to "district"), while others are called "city municipalities" (sometimes shortened to "city"). Each has its own elected government. The election of municipality councils originally occurred every three years, but now takes place every four years. The council appoints elders to govern the elderships. Mayors have been directly elected since 2015; prior to that, they were appointed by the council.{{in lang|lt}} Justinas Vanagas, Seimo Seimas įteisino tiesioginius merų rinkimus {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014091111weblink |date=14 October 2017 }}, Delfi.lt, 26 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2015.Elderships, numbering over 500, are the smallest administrative units and do not play a role in national politics. They provide necessary local public services—for example, registering births and deaths in rural areas. They are most active in the social sector, identifying needy individuals or families and organizing and distributing welfare and other forms of relief.{{in lang|lt}} Lietuvos Respublikos vietos savivaldos įstatymo pakeitimo įstatymas, Seimas law database, 12 October 2000, Law no. VIII-2018. Retrieved 3 June 2006. Some citizens feel that elderships have no real power and receive too little attention, and that they could otherwise become a source of local initiative for addressing rural problems.{{in lang|lt}} Indrė Makaraitytė, weblink" title="wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171014091123weblink">Europos Sąjungos pinigai kaimo neišgelbės, Atgimimas, Delfi.lt, 16 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2006.{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;"Foreign relations
Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on 31 May 2001, and joined the OECD on 5 July 2018,WEB,weblink OECD, Lithuania's accession to the OECD, 5 July 2016, 6 July 2016, while also seeking membership in other Western organizations.Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries.WEB,weblink Ministry of Foreign Affairs: List of countries with which Lithuania has established diplomatic relations, Urm.lt, 2 January 2011, 9 February 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140209094022weblink">weblink In 2011, Lithuania hosted the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Ministerial Council Meeting. During the second half of 2013, Lithuania assumed the role of the presidency of the European Union.(File:Lithuania presidency EU stamp 2013.jpg|thumb|right|Stamp dedicated to Lithuania's presidency of the European Union. Post of Lithuania, 2013.)Lithuania is also active in developing cooperation among northern European countries. It is a member of the interparliamentary Baltic Assembly, the intergovernmental Baltic Council of Ministers and the Council of the Baltic Sea States.Lithuania also cooperates with Nordic and the two other Baltic countries through the Nordic-Baltic Eight format. A similar format, NB6, unites Nordic and Baltic members of EU. NB6's focus is to discuss and agree on positions before presenting them to the Council of the European Union and at the meetings of EU foreign affairs ministers.The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was established in Copenhagen in 1992 as an informal regional political forum. Its main aim is to promote integration and to close contacts between the region's countries. The members of CBSS are Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, and the European Commission. Its observer states are Belarus, France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.The Nordic Council of Ministers and Lithuania engage in political cooperation to attain mutual goals and to determine new trends and possibilities for joint cooperation. The council's information office aims to disseminate Nordic concepts and to demonstrate and promote Nordic cooperation.File:Bachelet en Consejo de Seguridad de la ONU (2015).jpg|thumb|left|Lithuania was recently a member of the United Nations Security CouncilUnited Nations Security CouncilLithuania, together with the five Nordic countries and the two other Baltic countries, is a member of the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and cooperates in its NORDPLUS programme, which is committed to education.The Baltic Development Forum (BDF) is an independent nonprofit organization that unites large companies, cities, business associations and institutions in the Baltic Sea region. In 2010 the BDF's 12th summit was held in Vilnius.WEB,weblink Home – Baltic Development Forum, Baltic Development Forum, 18 October 2018, Poland was highly supportive of Lithuanian independence, despite Lithuania's discriminatory treatment of its Polish minority.NEWS, Situation of Polish minorities in Lithuania is a discrimination of EU citizens,weblink European Foundation of Human Rights, 9 May 2017, NEWS, Dyskryminacja Polaków na Litwie. ZbierajÄ… pieniÄ…dze na grzywnÄ™,weblink Polskie Radio, 20 January 2014, The former Solidarity leader and Polish President Lech WaÅ‚Ä™sa criticised the government of Lithuania over discrimination against the Polish minority and rejected Lithuania's Order of Vytautas the Great."Walesa declines Lithuanian honour {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014092518weblink |date=14 October 2017 }}". Radio Poland. 7 September 2011. Lithuania maintains greatly warm mutual relations with Georgia and strongly supports its European Union and NATO aspirations.WEB, Valdo Adamkaus bulvaras Gruzijoje,weblink True Lithuania, 16 January 2018, lt-LT, WEB, Premjeras: LietuvÄ… ir GruzijÄ… sieja daugiau nei paprasta draugystÄ—,weblink MinistrasPirmininkas.LRV.lt, 30 March 2017, lt, WEB, L. LinkeviÄius: esame pasirengÄ™ remti GruzijÄ… ruoÅ¡iantis ES Rytų partnerystÄ—s virÅ¡Å«nių susitikimui,weblink ua.mfa.lt, 8 February 2017, lt, 23 June 2021,weblink During the Russo-Georgian War in 2008, when the Russian troops were occupying the territory of Georgia and approaching towards the Georgian capital Tbilisi, President Valdas Adamkus, together with the Polish and Ukrainian presidents, went to Tbilisi by answering to the Georgians request of the international assistance.WEB, V.Adamkus iÅ¡skrenda į rusų okupuojamÄ… GruzijÄ…,weblink 15min.lt, 11 August 2008, WEB, V.Adamkus: mes esame su Gruzija,weblink DELFI, 12 August 2008, Shortly, Lithuanians and the Lithuanian Catholic Church also began collecting financial support for the war victims.WEB, Renkamos aukos nukentÄ—jusiems nuo karo Gruzijoje,weblink DELFI, 11 August 2008, WEB, BažnyÄia ragina nelikti abejingiems karui Gruzijoje,weblink DELFI, 11 August 2008, In 2004–2009, Dalia GrybauskaitÄ— served as European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget within the José Manuel Barroso-led Commission.WEB, Maurer, Andreas, Reichel, Sarah, Jonas, Alexandra, The Future European Commission The Debate Regarding Leadership, Collegiality and Tasks,weblink 28 October 2022, WEB, Hollar, Sherman, 1 June 2012, Dalia Grybauskaite president of Lithuania,weblink 25 June 2021, Britannica, In 2013, Lithuania was elected to the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term,WEB,weblink Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia elected to serve on UN Security Council, Un.org, 17 October 2013, 30 April 2016, becoming the first Baltic country elected to this post. During its membership, Lithuania actively supported Ukraine and often condemned Russia for the war in Ukraine, immediately earning vast Ukrainians esteem.WEB,weblink Lithuania calls UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine, Uatoday.tv, 2 May 2016, WEB, LankininkaitÄ—, RÅ«ta, UkrainieÄiai: Lietuva – mums pavyzdys,weblink DELFI, Lithuanian National Radio and Television, LRT, 11 March 2015, As the war in Donbas progressed, President Dalia GrybauskaitÄ— has compared the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Josef Stalin and to Adolf Hitler, she has also called Russia a "terrorist state".WEB,weblink The Baltic 'Iron Lady': Putin's solitary foe, Politico.eu, 21 May 2015, 2 May 2016, In 2018 Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia were awarded the {{ill|Peace of Westphalia Prize|de|Internationaler Preis des Westfälischen Friedens}} – for their exceptional model of democratic development and contribution to peace in the continent.WEB, Prestigious Peace of Westphalia Prize – for Lithuania and the Baltic states,weblink Lrp.lt, 14 July 2018, 3 July 2021,weblink In 2019 Lithuania condemned the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.NEWS, EU condemning Turkey is only the beginning, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister,weblink LRT RADIJAS, 14 October 2019, In December 2021, Lithuania reported that in an escalation of the diplomatic spat with China over its relations with Taiwan,WEB, Lau, Stuart, Moens, Barbara, China's trade attack on Lithuania exposes EU's powerlessness,weblink politico.eu, Politico, 16 December 2021, China had stopped all imports from Lithuania.NEWS, China blocking EU imports with Lithuanian components over Taiwan row, says Brussels,weblink Euronews, 24 December 2021, According to Lithuanian intelligence agencies, in 2023 there was an increase in Chinese intelligence activity against Lithuania, including cyberespionage and increased focus on Lithuania's internal affairs and foreign policy.WEB, Intelligence warns of Chinese services' increased attention to Lithuania's internal affair,weblink 2024-03-08, www.baltictimes.com, The 2023 NATO summit was held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.WEB, Lithuania to host 2023 NATO summit, first event 'of such a scale',weblink Lrt.lt, 15 June 2021, 15 June 2021,Military
File:Closing ceremony for Iron Sword 2014.jpg|right|thumb|Lithuanian Army soldiers with their NATONATOFile:Lithuanian army in Vilnius (8123251773).jpg|thumb|right|Lithuanian Army soldiers marching with their dress uniforms in Vilnius. An officer stands out with a swordswordThe Lithuanian Armed Forces is the name for the unified armed forces of Lithuanian Land Force, Lithuanian Air Force, Lithuanian Naval Force, Lithuanian Special Operations Force and other units: Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Battalion, Military Police. Directly subordinated to the Chief of Defence are the Special Operations Forces and Military Police. The Reserve Forces are under command of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of some 20,000 active personnel, which may be supported by reserve forces.BOOK, IISS, The Military Balance 2019, 2019, Routledge, 978-1-85743-988-5, Compulsory conscription ended in 2008 but was reintroduced in 2015.WEB,weblink Conscription notices to be sent to 37,000 men in Lithuania, DELFI, The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently have deployed personnel on international missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Mali and Somalia.WEB,weblink'as%20apie%20to%202014%2007.pdf, Lietuvos dalyvavimas tarptautinÄ—se operacijose, 10 July 2014, 20 May 2015, 23 May 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150523051822weblink">weblink Lithuania became a full member of NATO in March 2004. Fighter jets of NATO members are deployed in Å iauliai Air Base and provide safety for the Baltic airspace.Since the summer of 2005, Lithuania has been part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), leading a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the town of Chaghcharan in the province of Ghor. The PRT includes personnel from Denmark, Iceland and the US. There are also special operation forces units in Afghanistan, placed in Kandahar Province. Since joining international operations in 1994, Lithuania has lost two soldiers: Lt. Normundas Valteris fell in Bosnia, as his patrol vehicle drove over a mine. Sgt. ArÅ«nas JarmalaviÄius was fatally wounded during an attack on the camp of his Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan.{{in lang|lt}} In remembrance {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018173406weblink |date=18 October 2018 }}. Kariuomene.kam.lt. Retrieved on 24 December 2011.The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states.WEB,weblink White Paper Lithuanian defence policy, lt, Kam.lt, 25 April 2010, 4 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304031046weblink">weblink The defense ministry is responsible for combat forces, search and rescue, and intelligence operations. The 5,000 border guards fall under the Interior Ministry's supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with the navy for smuggling and drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security. In 2015 National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania was created. Paramilitary organisation Lithuanian Riflemen's Union acts as a civilian self-defence institution.According to NATO, in 2020, Lithuania allocated 2.13% of its GDP to the national defense.WEB, Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2013-2020),weblink NATO, 2021-03-16, 2021-04-23, For a long time, especially after the global financial crisis in 2008, Lithuania lagged behind NATO allies in terms of defence spending. However, in recent years it has begun to rapidly increase the funding, exceeding the NATO guideline of 2% in 2019.Lithuania's president Gitanas NausÄ—da called for more NATO troops on 22 April 2022, saying NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, during a meeting in Vilnius.WEB, Lithuania's president calls for more NATO troops,weblink 2022-04-22, WTVB {{!, 1590 AM · 95.5 FM {{!}} The Voice of Branch County |language=en}}Economy
{{update|section|date=May 2024}}(File:GDP per capita Baltics.svg|thumb|right|Real GDP per capita development of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania)(File:Lithuanian counties by GDP per capita, 2022.png|thumb|Lithuanian counties by GDP per capita, 2022WEB, BENDRASIS VIDAUS PRODUKTAS PAGAL APSKRITIS 2022 M.,weblink osp.stat.gov.lt, )(File:Lithuania's GDP per capita compared to rest of the world (2020).png|thumb|200px|Lithuania's GDP per capita compared to rest of the world (2022)WEB,weblink Report for Selected Countries and Subjects, IMF, )Lithuania has an open and mixed economy that is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank.WEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, World Bank Country and Lending Groups – World Bank Data Help Desk, 11 January 2018, Datahelpdesk.worldbank.org, {{As of|2017}} the three largest sectors were – services (67% of GDP), industry (29%) and agriculture (3%).WEB,weblink GDP – composition, by sector of origin, 19 March 2018, Lithuania joined NATO in 2004,WEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, 7 Invitees – Lithuania, 11 January 2018, Nato.int, EU in 2004,WEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, EUROPA – EU member countries in brief – European Union, 11 January 2018, Europa.eu, Schengen in 2007WEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, Lithuania in the Schengen area – Coming to Lithuania – Travel and Residence – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 11 January 2018, and OECD in 2018. On 1 January 2015, the euro became the national currency, replacing litas at the rate of EUR 1.00 = LTL 3.45280.WEB,weblink ISO Currency – ISO 4217 Amendment Number 159, SIX Interbank Clearing, Currency Code Services – ISO 4217 Maintenance Agency, 15 August 2014, Agricultural products and food comprise 18% of exports; other major sectors include chemical products and plastics (18%), machinery and appliances (16%), mineral products (15%), wood and furniture (13%).WEB,weblink Lithuanian export map, Enterpriselithuania.com, 7 April 2018, {{As of|2016}} more than half of exports go to 7 countries including Russia (14%), Latvia (10%), Poland (9%), Germany (8%), Estonia (5%), Sweden (%) and the UK (4%).WEB,weblink Where does Lithuania export to? (2016), 19 March 2018, 24 October 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171024223637weblink">weblink Exports equaled 81% of GDP in 2017.WEB,weblink Lithuania Exports of goods and services % of GDP 1988–2017, 1 October 2019, GDP experienced very high real growth rates for the decade up to 2009, peaking at 11% in 2007. As a result, the country was often termed a Baltic Tiger. However, in 2009 due to the 2007–2008 financial crisis, GDP contracted 15%WEB,weblink Lithuanian Macroeconomic Review No 58, SEB, December 2014, 22 May 2015, 8 March 2021,weblink and unemployment rate reached 17.8% in 2010.WEB,weblink "Lietuvos makroekonomikos apžvalga" nr. 62, SEB, April 2014, 7 September 2016, 3 July 2021,weblink Growth has since been much slower. According to the IMF, financial conditions are conducive to growth and financial soundness indicators remain strong. The public debt ratio in 2016 was 40% of GDP, it had been 15% in 2008.WEB,weblink REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA. 2017 ARTICLE IV CONSULTATION—PRESS RELEASE AND STAFF REPORT, IMF, PDF, 4, 28 March 2018, On average, more than 95% of all foreign direct investment comes from EU countries. Sweden is historically the largest investor with 20% – 30% of FDI.WEB,weblinkweblink 9 January 2018, TiesioginÄ—s užsienio investicijos Lietuvoje pagal Å¡alį – Lietuvos bankas, 9 January 2018, FDI into Lithuania spiked in 2017, reaching its highest ever recorded number of greenfield investment projects. In 2017, Lithuania was third, after Ireland and Singapore by the average job value of investment projects.WEB, Dencik, Jacob, Spee, Roel, Global Location Trends – 2018 Annual Report: Getting ready for Globalization 4.0,weblink IBM Institute for Business Value, 7, July 2018, Ireland continues to lead the world for attracting high-value investment, generating substantial inward investment with strengths in key high-value sectors such as ICT, financial and business services and life sciences. But Singapore is now a close second, with Lithuania and Switzerland right behind., 15 September 2018,weblink 10 April 2019, The US was the leading source country in 2017, 25% of total FDI. Next up were Germany and the UK, each representing 11% of total project numbers.WEB,weblink Lithuania FDI skyrockets in 2017, 21 March 2018, Based on the Eurostat's data, in 2017, the value of exports recorded the most rapid growth not only in the Baltic countries, but across Europe, which was 17%.WEB, Lithuanian exports which grew most across Europe last year will beat value records this year,weblink www.verslilietuva.lt, 24 November 2018, Between 2004-16, one out of five Lithuanians emigrated, primarily due to insufficient income for residents;WEB,weblink IeÅ¡kodami darbuotojų jau verÄiasi per galvÄ…: net tokiomis algomis nepavyksta sugundyti, lt, delfi.lt, 13 May 2018, secondarily seeking to study. Long term emigration and economic growth has resulted in a shortage in the labor marketWEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, Emigracija smogia negailestingai: Lietuvoje vis labiau trÅ«ksta darbuotojų – DELFI Verslas, 11 January 2018, and growth in salaries being larger than growth in labor efficiency.WEB,weblinkweblink 11 January 2018, Ekonomistai įspÄ—ja: virÅ¡ Lietuvos kaupiasi debesys, 11 January 2018, Unemployment in 2017 was 8%.WEB, Lithuania: Unemployment rate from 2007 to 2017,weblink Statista.com, 7 April 2018, (File:Lithuania Product Exports (2019).svg|thumb|right|A proportional representation of Lithuania's exports, 2019)As of 2022, Lithuanian median wealth per adult was $32,000 (mean was $70,000), while total national wealth was $147bn.WEB, UBS Global Wealth Databook 2023,weblink UBS, 30 September 2023, 27 September 2023,weblink dead, See table 3-1 for all countries, on pages 119-122, for mean and median wealth, Gini coefficient, distribution of adults (%) by wealth range, and number of adults. All of that info (except the Gini coefficient) is also in table 2-2 on pages 109-112. See the end of table 2-2 on page 112 for regional numbers. Page 4 mentions "46 countries lacking sufficient suitable data for wealth estimation". Pages 20-24 (table 2-1) then feature estimates for GDP per adult for said countries, with wealth data quality characterized as "n.a." (not available). As of 2023 Q2, the average monthly gross salary in Lithuania was €2,000.WEB,weblink Darbo užmokestis Å¡alyje, osp.stat.gov.lt, Lithuania has a flat tax rather than a progressive scheme. The personal income tax (15%) and corporate tax (15%) rates are among the lowest in the EU.WEB,weblink Taxation trends in the European Union, Eurostat, 2014, 22 May 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150509130331weblink">weblink 9 May 2015, The country has the lowest implicit rate of tax on capital (9.8%) in the EU. The corporate tax rate is 15% and 5% for small businesses; 7 free economic zones operate.WEB, Pramoniniai parkai ir LEZ,weblink ukmin.lrv.lt, 24 April 2018,weblink 24 April 2018, Information technology production is growing, reaching €2 billion in 2016.BOOK, Samuolis, Gediminas, InformacinÄ—s technologijos Lietuvoje, 2017, Lietuvos statistikos departamentas, Vilnius, 8,weblink 16 January 2018, 8 March 2021,weblink In 2017 only, 35WEB, Lithuania Registered 35 New Fintech Companies in 2017,weblink Crowdfundinsider.com, 8 February 2018, 18 March 2018, FinTech companies came to Lithuania – a result of the government and Bank of Lithuania simplifying procedures.WEB, Lithuanian Institutions Enhance Focus on New Financial Technologies and Fintech Sector Development in Lithuania,weblink finmin.lrv.lt, 18 March 2018, 14 July 2018,weblink Europe's first international Blockchain Centre launched in Vilnius in 2018.WEB, Kostaki, Irene, Lithuania debuts as EU gateway for global blockchain industry,weblink Neweurope.eu, 31 January 2018, The Lithuanian capital Vilnius launched Europe's first international Blockchain Centre on January 27, making it the EU's only hub for the digital ledger. The new hub will help Europe connect with partner Blockchain Centres in Australia, China, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Georgia, Gibraltar, Ukraine, Israel, and Latvia., 14 July 2018, 3 July 2021,weblink Lithuania has granted a total of 39 e-money licenses, second in the EU only to the UK with 128 licenses. In 2018 Google set up a payment company in Lithuania.WEB, Milda Å eputytÄ—, Jeremy Kahn, Google Payment Expands With E-Money License From Lithuania,weblink www.bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, Google Payment, a company owned by Alphabet Inc., obtained an e-money license in Lithuania, joining a growing number of fintech firms that have secured permission from the Baltic nation to offer financial services across the European Union., 22 December 2018, 21 December 2018,Companies
Largest companies of Lithuania in 2022, by revenue:WEB, Didžiausios Lietuvos bendrovės 2022,weblink Largest companies of Lithuania 2022, lt, 31 May 2022, Verslo Žinios, 4 August 2022, File:K29 business centre in Vilnius.jpg|thumb|Nasdaq Vilnius Stock Exchange, located in K29 business centre in (Konstitucijos Avenue]], VilniusWEB, Nasdaq Vilnius,weblink nasdaqbaltic.com, 16 July 2019,weblink 16 July 2019, ){| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;"Agriculture
Agriculture in Lithuania dates to the Neolithic period, about 3,000 to 1,000 BC. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries.WEB, Jurginis, J., Arimo įrankių reikšmė žemdirbystės sistemoms,weblink lad.lt, 14 April 2018, Lithuania's accession to the European Union in 2004 ushered in a new agricultural era. The EU pursues a very high standard of food safety and purity. In 1999, the Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania adopted a Law on Product Safety, and in 2000 it adopted a Law on Food.WEB, Law on Product Safety,weblink e-seimas.lrs.lt, 14 April 2018, WEB, Law on Food,weblink e-seimas.lrs.lt, 14 April 2018, The reform of the agricultural market has been carried out on the basis of these two laws.In 2016, agricultural production was €2.3 billion. Cereal crops occupied the largest part (5710 tons), other significant types include: sugar beet (934 tons), rapeseed (393 tons) and potatoes (340 tons). Products totaling €4,385 million were exported to foreign markets, of which products for €3,165 million were of Lithuanian origin. Export of agricultural and food products accounted for 19% of all exports of goods.WEB, Žemės ir maisto ūkio 2016 metų apžvalga,weblink zum.lrv.lt, 1–3, 14 April 2018, Organic farming is becoming more popular. The status of organic growers and producers is granted by the public body Ekoagros. In 2016, there were 2539 such farms that occupied 225,542 hectares. Of these, 43% were cereals, 31% perennial grasses, 14% leguminous crops and 12% others.WEB, Veiklos ataskaita, 2016 m.,weblink ekoagros.lt, 1–4, 15 April 2018,Science and technology
{{multiple image| align = right| direction = horizontal| header = | header_align = left/right/center| header_background = | footer = Lithuanian nobleman and artillery expert Kazimieras SimonaviÄius developed and popularized the concept of a multistage rocket.| footer_align = left/right/center| footer_background = | width = | image1 = Siemenowicz rocket.png| width1 = 40| caption1 = | image2 = Skylab-73-HC-440HR.jpg| width2 = 160| caption2 = }}The foundation of the University of Vilnius in 1579 was a major factor in fostering a scientific and academic community within Lithuania. The university has welcomed such prominent scientists and thinkers as Georg Forster, Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert, Johann Peter Frank. The 17th century artillery expert Kazimieras SimonaviÄius is considered a pioneer of rocketry; his publication, the Artis Magnae Artilleriae, was a basic artillery manual throughout Europe, containing a large chapter on caliber, construction, production and properties of rockets (for military and civil purposes), including multistage rockets, batteries of rockets, and rockets with delta wing stabilizers.BOOK, 44, Astronautics, Ulrich Walter, Wiley-VCH, 2008, 978-3-527-40685-2, WEB, Kazimieras SimonaviÄius,weblink Kazimieras SimonaviÄius University, 5 February 2018, Botanist Jurgis Pabrėža (1771–1849) created the first systematic guide of Lithuanian flora, Taislius auguminis (Botany), written in the Samogitian dialect, the Latin-Lithuanian dictionary of plant names, and the first Lithuanian geography textbook. German scientist Theodor Grotthuss (1785–1822), who proposed the Grotthuss mechanism, lived and worked in the {{Ill|GeduÄiai manor|lt|GeduÄių dvaras}}, where he gained local prominence for his effort to educate and improve the well-being of peasants.WEB, KajÄ—nas, Kostas, StankeviÄius, Martynas, 21 June 2022, Theodoras von Grotthussas. Garsiausias Lietuvos mokslininkas, pralenkÄ™s laikÄ…,weblink 21 June 2022, Bernardinai.lt, lt, The world wars of 20th century severely diminished Lithuanian science and academia, although Lithuanian scholars and scientists managed to succeed, particularly abroad, including philosopher Vosylius Sezemanas, jurist Mykolas Römeris, aviator Antanas Gustaitis, management theorist Vytautas Andrius GraiÄiÅ«nas, archaeologist Marija Gimbutas, primatologist BirutÄ— Galdikas, linguist Algirdas Julien Greimas, and medievalist Jurgis BaltruÅ¡aitis.WEB, Lietuvos kronika 1993 – 16 (1674) Marija AlseikaitÄ— – GimbutienÄ—,weblink LRT, 15 September 1993, 29 March 2018, lt, WEB, Bulota, Å arÅ«nas, Garsiausia pasaulio orangutanų tyrinÄ—toja BirutÄ— Galdikas: "Lietuvių kultÅ«ra – mano kraujyje",weblink 15min.lt, 2 May 2013, WEB, Arvydas KliorÄ—,weblink yrasalis.lt, 15 February 2018, lt-LT, WEB, Biografija – A. J. Greimas,weblink greimas.eu, 15 February 2018, lt-LT, 16 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180216091947weblink">weblink WEB, STAR (Self-Testing And Repairing) computer,weblink Daviddarling.info, 19 March 2018, Mathematician Jonas Kubilius, long-term rector of the University of Vilnius, is known for works in Probabilistic number theory, including the Kubilius model, Theorem of Kubilius and the Turán–Kubilius inequality. Kubilius also successfully resisted attempts to Russify the university.WEB, IÅ¡ Vilniaus universiteto istorijos, 1955–1990, 5 November 1995, 1–2,weblink Lasers and biotechnology are flagship fields of the Lithuanian science and high-tech industry.WEB,weblinkweblink 10 January 2018, Lithuania, a leading light in laser technology – Digital Single Market, 10 January 2018, WEB, Daugiausiai inovacijų lietuviai sukÅ«rÄ— gyvybÄ—s mokslų srityje,weblink DELFI, 14 September 2017, Å viesos konversija ("Light Conversion") has developed a femtosecond laser system that has 80% market share worldwide, with applications in DNA research, ophthalmological surgeries, and nanotechnology.WEB, Light Conversion – About Us,weblink lightcon.com, 5 February 2018, 20 January 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210120194735weblink">weblink WEB, Ä®gyvendinta svajonÄ— sukÄ—lÄ— perversmÄ… pasaulinÄ—je lazerių rinkoje,weblink DELFI, 25 August 2017, The Vilnius University Laser Research Center has developed one of the most powerful femtosecond lasers in the world dedicated primarily to oncological diseases.WEB, Lietuviai sukÅ«rÄ— vienÄ… galingiausių lazerių pasaulyje,weblink DELFI, 31 August 2017, In 1963, Vytautas Straižys and his colleagues created Vilnius photometric system that is used in astronomy.WEB, Vilniaus astrofotometrinÄ— sistema,weblink astronomija.lt, 4 February 2018, lt,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180205072446weblink">weblink 5 February 2018, Noninvasive intracranial pressure and blood flow measuring devices were developed by KTU scientist A. Ragauskas.WEB,weblink m.epo.org/, Finalist for the European Inventor Award 2016, 7 April 2018,weblink 7 April 2018, KÄ™stutis Pyragas contributed to the study of chaos theory with his method of delayed feedback control, the Pyragas method. Kavli Prize laureate Virginijus Å ikÅ¡nys is known for his discoveries in CRISPR, namely with respect to CRISPR-Cas9.MAGAZINE,weblink Sarah Zhang, 10 April 2015, Wired, The Battle Over Genome Editing Gets Science All Wrong, 17 April 2018, JOURNAL, Giorgia Guglielmi, 31 May 2015, Nature, Million-dollar Kavli prize recognizes scientist scooped on CRISPR, 558, 7708, 17–18, 10.1038/d41586-018-05308-5, 29872189, 46949947, free, Lithuania has launched three satellites to space: LitSat-1, Lituanica SAT-1 and LituanicaSAT-2.WEB, Rutkauskas, Adomas, Ä® kosmosÄ… pakilo treÄiasis Lietuvos palydovas,weblink lrytas.lt, 23 June 2017, 23 June 2017, lt-LT, 8 March 2021,weblink Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology and MolÄ—tai Astronomical Observatory is located in Kulionys.WEB, Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology,weblink 4 February 2018, Fifteen R&D institutions are members of Lithuanian Space Association; Lithuania is a cooperating state with European Space Agency.WEB, First Baltic Space Activities Roundtable,weblink 12 April 2018,weblink 11 April 2018, WEB, Lithuania becomes eighth ESA Cooperating State,weblink Esa.int, 12 April 2018, Rimantas StankeviÄius is the only ethnically Lithuanian astronaut.WEB, Vienintelis Lietuvos kosmonautas R.StankeviÄius tÄ—vynÄ—s neiÅ¡keitÄ— į vietÄ… raketoje,weblink DELFI, 12 April 2011, Lithuania in 2018 became an Associated Member State of CERN.WEB, Lithuania becomes Associate Member State of CERN,weblink home.cern, 18 March 2018,weblink 14 March 2018, Two CERN incubators in Vilnius and Kaunas will be hosted.WEB, Davos: Final decision on CERN business incubation centers in Lithuania,weblink 14 April 2019, 17 April 2021,weblink The most advanced scientific research is being conducted at the Life Sciences Center,WEB, Life Sciences Center. Lithuania,weblink Gmc.vu.lt, 12 April 2018, Center For Physical Sciences and Technology.WEB, Center For Physical Sciences and Technology. Lithuania,weblink Ftmc.lt, 12 April 2018, As of 2016 calculations, yearly growth of Lithuania's biotech and life science sector was 22% over the past 5 years. 16 academic institutions, 15 R&D centres (science parks and innovation valleys) and more than 370 manufacturers operate in the Lithuanian life science and biotech industry.WEB,weblink Flandersinvestmentandtrade.com, The life science industry in Lithuania, 2, 31 March 2018, In 2008 the Valley development programme was started aiming to upgrade Lithuanian scientific research infrastructure and encourage business and science cooperation. Five R&D Valleys were launched – JÅ«rinis (maritime technologies), Nemunas (agro, bioenergy, forestry), SaulÄ—tekis (laser and light, semiconductor), Santara (biotechnology, medicine), Santaka (sustainable chemistry and pharmacy).WEB, R&D in Lithuania,weblink investlithuania.com, 6 October 2019, Lithuanian Innovation Center is created to provide support for innovations and research institutions.WEB, Lithuanian Innovation Center,weblink lic.lt, 12 April 2018, Lithuania ranks moderately in the International Innovation Index,BOOK,weblink Lietuvos ekonomikos ilgalaikio konkurencingumo iÅ¡Å¡Å«kiai, 2015, Lietuvos mokslo taryba, 18, 10 January 2018, 28 February 2021,weblink dead, and is placed 15th among EU countries by the European Innovation Scoreboard.WEB, European Innovation Scoreboard,weblink 31 March 2018, ec.europa.eu, Lithuania was ranked 34th in the Global Innovation Index in 2023WEB, 28 October 2013, Global Innovation Index,weblinkweblink 2 September 2021, 2 September 2021, INSEAD Knowledge, JOURNAL, WIPO, Global Innovation Index 2023, 15th Edition,weblink 2023-10-28, www.wipo.int, 10.34667/tind.46596, en,Tourism
File:Druskininkai fountain.jpg|thumb|Druskininkai is a popular spa townspa townStatistics from 2019 showed 1.9 million tourists from foreign countries visited Lithuania and spent at least one night. The largest number of tourists came from Germany (233,400), Poland (199,600), Russia (196,500), Belarus (181,000), Latvia (168,900), Ukraine (134,800), and the UK (83,100).The total contribution of tourism to GDP was €2,000 million, 5% of GDP in 2016, and is forecast to rise to €3,200 million, 7% of GDP in 2027.WEB, TRAVEL & TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT 2017 LITHUANIA,weblink Wttc.org, 19 March 2018,weblink 20 March 2018, Hot air ballooning is popular, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially the Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. EuroVelo routes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. The total length of bicycle tracks amounts to 3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement).BOOK, The Geography of Tourism of Central and Eastern European Countries,weblink 5 May 2018, 978-3-319-42205-3, Widawski, Krzysztof, Wyrzykowski, Jerzy, 24 January 2017, Springer, Nemunas Delta Regional Park and Žuvintas biosphere reserve are known for birdwatching.WEB, Fatbirder. Lithuania,weblink Fatbirder.com, 5 May 2018, Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities—Vilnius, Klaipėda, and Kaunas, seaside resorts, such as Neringa, Palanga, and Spa towns – Druskininkai, Birštonas.WEB, Turizmas Lietuvoje 2016,weblink tourism.lt, 18 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171201042530weblink">weblink 1 December 2017,Infrastructure
Communication
File:Bures business centre in Vilnius (2016).jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Telia (skyscraper with the old Teo LT logo) and Huawei headquarters in VilniusVilniusLithuania has a well developed communications infrastructure. The country has 2.8 million citizensWEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104123442weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Lietuvos gyventojų skaiÄius sumažėjo dar 40 tÅ«kstanÄių, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, and 5 million SIM cards.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, Lietuvoje – 3 mln. gyventojų ir 5 mln. mobiliojo ryÅ¡io naudotojų – DELFI Mokslas, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, The largest LTE (4G) mobile network covers 97% of Lithuania's territory.WEB, RyÅ¡io kokybÄ—s žemÄ—lapis rodo: du operatoriai lygÅ«s, treÄias – iÅ¡ paskos,weblink 15min.lt, 13 March 2017, 23 June 2021,weblink Usage of fixed phone lines has been rapidly decreasing due to rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services.WEB,weblink Laidinio ryÅ¡io telefonams gresia iÅ¡nykimas?, Delfi.lt, 4 January 2018, In 2017, Lithuania was top 30 in the world by average mobile broadband speeds and top 20 by average fixed broadband speeds.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, Speedtest Global Index – Monthly comparisons of internet speeds from around the world, 4 January 2018, Speedtest.net, 4 January 2018, Lithuania was also top 7 in 2017 in the List of countries by 4G LTE penetration. In 2016, Lithuania was ranked 17th in United Nations' e-participation index.WEB,weblink E-Participation Index, 21 March 2018,weblink 21 March 2018, WEB,weblink Data Center, 21 March 2018,weblink 21 March 2018, There are four TIER III datacenters in Lithuania.WEB,weblink Uptime Institute. Country: Lithuania, Tier Level: Tier III, 19 March 2018,weblink 20 March 2018, Lithuania is 44th globally ranked country on data center density according to Cloudscene.WEB,weblink Colocation Lithuania – Data Centers, 19 March 2018, Long-term project (2005–2013) – Development of Rural Areas Broadband Network (RAIN) was started with the objective to provide residents, state and municipal authorities and businesses with fibre-optic broadband access in rural areas. RAIN infrastructure allows 51 communications operators to provide network services to their clients. The project was funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian government.WEB,weblink Strategic project for Lithuania RAIN-2 won the international award, 19 March 2018, WEB,weblink RAIN project in Lithuania, 19 March 2018, 72% of Lithuanian households have access to internet, a number which in 2017 was among EU's lowestWEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104125212weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Internet access and use statistics – households and individuals – Statistics Explained, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, and in 2016 ranked 97th by CIA World Factbook.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, Number of households with internet access is expected to increase and reach 77% by 2021.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, Lithuania eCommerce will nearly triple its online shoppers in 4 years, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, Almost 50% of Lithuanians had smartphones in 2016, a number that is expected to increase to 65% by 2022.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, • Lithuania: smartphone user penetration 2015–2022 – Forecast, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, Lithuania has the highest FTTH (Fiber to the home) penetration rate in Europe (36.8% in September 2016) according to FTTH Council Europe.WEB,weblink Breaking news from the FTTH Conference 2016: Croatia, Germany and Poland join the FTTH ranking, Ftthcouncil.eu, 1 January 2017, 30 April 2021,weblinkTransport
(File:Lithuania-roads-(E).png|thumb|left|Major highways in Lithuania)File:Marijampolės geležinkelio stotis - panoramio.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Marijampolė railway stationMarijampolė railway stationFile:A1_by_Augustas_Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|A1 motorway near KaunasKaunasFile:Lyduvėnų_tiltas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Lyduvėnai Bridge, the highest (42 m.) and the longest (599 m.) railway bridge in the Baltics ]]Lithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway was constructed. It included a stretch from Daugavpils via Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operating tunnel was completed in 1860.Rail transport in Lithuania consists of {{convert|1762|km|0|abbr=on}} of {{convert|1520|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} Russian gauge railway of which {{convert|122|km|0|abbr=on}} are electrified. This railway network is incompatible with European standard gauge and requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has {{convert|115|km|0|abbr=on}} of standard gauge lines.WEB, Geležinkelių infrastruktūra,weblink Infrastructure.litrail.lt, 24 January 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171006220502weblink">weblink 6 October 2017, More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104135126weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Freight transport statistics – Statistics Explained, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, The Trans-European standard gauge Rail Baltica railway, linking Helsinki–Tallinn–Riga–Kaunas–Warsaw and continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017, Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104135749weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, European Commission – PRESS RELEASES – Press release – Antitrust: Commission fines Lithuanian Railways €28 million for hindering competition on rail freight market, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, Transportation is the third largest sector in Lithuanian economy.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, Lithuania is ready to implement transport investment project of a strategic importance – Ministry of Transport and Communications, 4 January 2018, Lithuanian transport companies drew attention in 2016WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104150306weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Largest Fleet Order from Eastern Europe for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Its History: Major order of 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros by Girteka Logistics – Daimler Global Media Site, 4 January 2018, and 2017WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104150048weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Record breaking agreement for Volvo Trucks – Volvo Group, 4 January 2018, with huge and record-breaking orders of trucks. Almost 90% of commercial truck traffic in Lithuania is international transports, the highest of any EU country.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104135126weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Freight transport statistics – Statistics Explained, 4 January 2018, Lithuania has an extensive network of motorways. WEF grades Lithuanian roads at 4.7 / 7.0WEB,weblink The Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018, 185, 25 March 2018, and Lithuanian road authority (LAKD) at 6.5 / 10.0.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180326104027weblink">weblink 26 March 2018, Lietuvos automobilių kelių direkcija prie Susisiekimo ministerijos, 26 March 2018, The Port of Klaipėda is the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. In 2011 45.5 million tons of cargo were handled (including Būtingė oil terminal figures)WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131019182532weblink">weblink 19 October 2013, Short Sea, 19 October 2013, shortsea.lt, 18 October 2018, Port of Klaipėda is outside of EU's 20 largest ports,WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104132949weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics – Statistics Explained, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104133109weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, File:Top 20 container ports in 2015 - on the basis of volume of containers handled in (1000 TEUs).png – Statistics Explained, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, but it is the eighth largest port in the Baltic Sea regionWEB,weblink Riga and Klaipėda included in TOP-10 ports in Baltic Sea Region by container turnover :: The Baltic Course – Baltic States news & analytics, 21 December 2017, Baltic-course.com, 21 December 2017, bot: unknown,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171221104115weblink">weblink 21 December 2017, WEB,weblink 2016 – a better year for most of the Top 10 Baltic container ports,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180104132642weblink">weblink 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, with ongoing expansion plans.WEB,weblinkweblink 4 January 2018, Klaipėda outer port to be constructed – port.today, 4 January 2018, 4 January 2018, As of 2022, the LIWA (Lithuanian Inland Waterways Authority, Vidaus vandens keliu direkcija in Lithuanian) is developing a strategy to resurrect cargo shipping on the Nemunas. Its fleet of electric ships will travel 260 km between the port of Klaipda on the Baltic Sea coast and the industrial and transportation centre of Kaunas.WEB, Reviving Lithuania's inland waterways to cut emissions,weblink 2023-07-19, European Investment Bank, en, The project is anticipated to need a €75.7 million initial investment in total. and estimated to eliminate 48 000 truck trips annually.WEB, Lithuania: EIB advisory services support green inland cargo shipping,weblink 2023-07-31, European Investment Bank, en, WEB, Will there be an intermodal connection between Kaunas and Hamburg? The Port of Hamburg and Klaipeda will co-develop new logistics routes {{!, RAILTARGET |url=https://www.railtarget.cz/business/will-there-be-an-intermodal-connection-between-kaunas-and-hamburg-the-port-of-hamburg-and-klaipeda-will-codevelop-new-logistics-routes-2492.html |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=www.railtarget.cz |language=en}}Vilnius International Airport is the largest airport in Lithuania, 91st busiest airport in Europe (EU's 100 largest airports). It served 3.8 million passengers in 2016.WEB,weblink The Lithuanian Airports Have Presented the Results for the Year 2016: the Number of Passengers Has Surged to Record Levels of 4.8 Million, 12 January 2017, 24 January 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171004085407weblink">weblink 4 October 2017, Other international airports include Kaunas International Airport, Palanga International Airport and Šiauliai International Airport. Kaunas International Airport is also a small commercial cargo airport which started regular commercial cargo traffic in 2011.WEB,weblink Kauno oro uoste įvykdytas pirmas reguliarus krovininis reisas, Kaunozinios.lt, 4 April 2011, The inland river cargo port in Marvelė, linking Kaunas and Klaipėda, received first cargo in 2019.WEB, Marvelės uostą pasiekė pirmasis krovinys!,weblink klaipeda.diena.lt, 23 April 2019, 3 May 2019, LT,Water supply and sanitation
File:Heilquelle.JPG|thumb|upright=0.7|Mineral water spring in BirštonasBirštonasLithuania has one of the largest fresh water supplies, compared with other countries in Europe. Lithuania and Denmark are the only countries in Europe, which are fully equipped with fresh groundwater. Lithuanians consume about 0.5 million cubic metres of water per day, which is only 12–14 percent of all explored fresh groundwater resources.WEB, Gėlo vandens ištekliais Lietuva išsiskiria iš kitų Europos šalių,weblink LRT, 25 May 2016, 25 May 2016, lt, Water quality in the country is very high and is determined by the fact that drinking water comes from deep layers that are protected from pollution on the surface of the earth. Drilling depth usually reaches 30–50 metres, but in Klaipėda Region it even reaches 250 metres. Consequently, Lithuania is one of very few European countries where groundwater is used for centralized water supply. With a large underground fresh water reserves, Lithuania exports mineral-rich water to other countries. Approved mineral water quantity is about 2.7 million cubic metres per year, while production is only 4–5 percent of all mineral water resources.WEB, Gėlas vanduo – milžiniškas turtas Lietuvos gelmėse,weblink alkas.lt, 15 March 2012, 15 March 2012, lt-LT, Vilnius is the only Baltic capital that uses centralized water supplying from deep water springs, which are protected from pollution and has no nitrates or nitrites that are harmful to the human body. Water is cleaned without chemicals in Lithuania. About 20% of the consumed water in the state is a non-filtered very high quality water.WEB, Raudonis, Jokūbas, Vilniaus turtas – švarus vanduo iš giluminių šaltinių,weblink lrytas.lt, 8 May 2013, 8 May 2013, lt-LT, 8 March 2021,weblinkEnergy
{{See also|Renewable energy in Lithuania}}
File:FSRU Independence in the port of Klaipėda, Lithuania.jpg|thumb|right|FSRU Independence in port of Klaipėda]]Systematic diversification of energy imports and resources is Lithuania's key energy strategy.WEB,weblink Lithuania's Energy Sector Development Trends, 2, Lsta.lt, 7 April 2018, Long-term aims were defined in National Energy Independence strategy in 2012 by Lietuvos Seimas.WEB,weblink National Energy Independence Strategy, Gamyba.le.lt, 13 April 2018, It was estimated that strategic energy independence initiatives will cost €6.3–7.8 billion in total and provide annual savings of €0.9–1.1 billion.After the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, Lithuania turned from electricity exporter to electricity importer. Unit No. 1 was closed in December 2004, as a condition of Lithuania's entry into the European Union; Unit No. 2 was closed down on 31 December 2009. Proposals have been made to construct a new – Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania.WEB, Lithuania shuts down Soviet-era NPP, but being a nuclear-free nation is still under question,weblink 12 January 2010, Andrei Ozharovsky, Maria Kaminskaya and Charles Digges, Bellona.org,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100423155352weblink">weblink 23 April 2010, However, a non-binding referendum held in October 2012 clouded the prospects for the Visaginas project, as 63% of voters said no to a new nuclear power plant.WEB,weblink Nuclear Power in Lithuania – Lithuanian Nuclear Energy – World Nuclear Association, World-nuclear.org, 18 October 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160126160031weblink">weblink 26 January 2016, File:Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant.Lithuania.jpg|thumb|left|Kruonis Pumped Storage PlantKruonis Pumped Storage PlantThe country's main primary source of electrical power is Elektrėnai Power Plant. Other primary sources of Lithuania's electrical power are Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant and Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant is the only in the Baltic states power plant to be used for regulation of the power system's operation with generating capacity of 900 MW for at least 12 hours.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120928033447weblink">weblink 28 September 2012, Kruonio hidroakumuliacinė elektrinė > Veikla, 28 September 2012, 18 October 2018, {{As of|2015}}, 66% of electrical power was imported.WEB,weblink Litgrid, www.litgrid.eu, 7 September 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20161118024627weblink">weblink 18 November 2016, First geothermal heating plant (Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant) in the Baltic Sea region was built in 2004.Lithuania–Sweden submarine electricity interconnection NordBalt and Lithuania–Poland electricity interconnection LitPol Link were launched at the end of 2015.WEB,weblink Annual Report on Electricity and Natural Gas Markets of the Republic of Lithuania to the European Commission, 19 March 2018, In 2018, synchronising the Baltic states' electricity grid with the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe has started.WEB,weblink Questions and answers on the synchronisation of the Baltic States' electricity networks with the continental European network (CEN), 28 June 2018, 27 July 2018, In 2016, 20.8% of electricity consumed in Lithuania came from renewable sources.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180326100659weblink">weblink 26 March 2018, File:Table 1-Share of renewables in gross inland energy consumption 2016.png – Statistics Explained, 26 March 2018, In order to break down Gazprom's monopolyNEWS,weblinkweblink 10 December 2022, subscription, Lithuania becomes first ex-Soviet state to buy US natural gas, Financial Times, 21 August 2017, 26 March 2018, LT, Sheppard, David, WEB,weblink Lithuania breaks Gazprom's monopoly by signing first LNG deal, Euractiv.com, 21 August 2014, 26 March 2018, LT, in natural gas market of Lithuania, first large scale LNG import terminal (Klaipėda LNG FSRU) in the Baltic region was built in port of Klaipėda in 2014. The Klaipėda LNG terminal was called Independence, thus emphasising the aim to diversify energy market of Lithuania. Norvegian company Equinor supplies {{convert|540|e6m3|abbr=off}} of natural gas annually from 2015 until 2020.WEB,weblink Klaipėda LNG terminal Factsheet, Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania, 27 October 2014, 19 March 2018, 19 March 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180319214309weblink">weblink The terminal is able to meet the Lithuania's demand 100 percent, and Latvia's and Estonia's national demand 90 percent in the future.WEB,weblink Klaipėda LNG Terminal one year on – independence or responsibility?, Lrt.lt, 11 November 2015, 19 March 2018, Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL), also known as Lithuania–Poland pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline interconnection between Lithuania and Poland that became operational in 2022.Demographics
(File:Population of Lithuania 1915-2014.png|thumb|upright=2|right|Population of Lithuania 1915–2014)(File:Population density in municipalities of Lithuania modified.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Population density of Lithuania)Since the Neolithic period, the demographics of Lithuania have stayed fairly homogenous. There is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have similar genetic compositions to their ancestors,JOURNAL, ÄŒesnys, G., 1991, Anthropological roots of the Lithuanians, Science, Arts and Lithuania, 1, 4–10, AV MEDIA, akad. Rimantas Jankauskas, 6 May 2018, "Mokslo ekspresas": tÅ«kstantmeÄiai kapai atskleidžia Lietuvos prieÅ¡istorÄ—s paslaptis, Video, lt,weblink 11 May 2018, 04:06, JOURNAL, The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region, Alissa Mittnik, Chuan-Chao Wang, Saskia Pfrengle, Mantas Daubaras, Gunita Zariņa, Fredrik Hallgren, Raili Allmäe, Valery Khartanovich, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Mari Tõrv, Anja Furtwängler, Aida Andrades Valtueña, Michal Feldman, Christos Economou, Markku Oinonen, Andrejs Vasks, Elena Balanovska, David Reich, Rimantas Jankauskas, Wolfgang Haak, Stephan Schiffels, Johannes Krause, Nature Communications, 9, 10.1038/s41467-018-02825-9, 29382937, 5789860, 1, 442, 2018NatCo...9..442M, 2018, although without being actually isolated from them.JOURNAL, Daiva AmbrasienÄ—, Vaidutis KuÄinskas, Genetic variability of the Lithuanian human population according to Y chromosome microsatellite markers,weblink 89, Ekologija, 2003, 1, 24 December 2011, 21 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130921091744weblink">weblink The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups.JOURNAL,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080227130058weblink">weblink 27 February 2008, Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Analysis in the Lithuanian Population, Dalia KasperaviÄiÅ«tÄ— and Vaidutis KuÄinskas, Acta Medica Lituanica, 2004, 11, 1, 1–6, A 2004 analysis of MtDNA in the Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are genetically close to the Slavic and Finno-Ugric speaking populations of Northern and Eastern Europe. Y-chromosome SNP haplogroup analysis showed Lithuanians to be genetically closest to Latvians and Estonians.JOURNAL, 15469421, D KasperaviciÅ«te, V Kucinskas and M Stoneking,weblink Y Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA Variation in Lithuanians, 2004, 68, Pt 5, 438–52, 10.1046/j.1529-8817.2003.00119.x, Annals of Human Genetics, 26562505,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090225205400weblink">weblink 25 February 2009, In 2021, the age structure of the population was as follows:- 0–14 years, 14.86% (male 214,113/female 203,117)
- 15–64 years: 65.19% (male 896,400/female 934,467)
- 65 years and over: 19.95% (male 195,269/female 365,014).WEB, The population of Lithuania (edition 2022),weblink Statistics Lithuania, 23 September 2022,
Functional urban areas
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"Ethnic groups and languages
{{bar box| width = 300px| float = rightUrbanization
{{See also|List of cities in Lithuania}}There has been a steady movement of population to the cities since the 1990s, encouraged by the planning of regional centres, such as Alytus, Marijampolė, Utena, Plungė, and Mažeikiai. By the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the total population lived in urban areas. {{As of|2021}}, 68.19% of the total population lives in urban areas. Lithuania's functional urban areas include Vilnius (population 708,203), Kaunas (population 391,153), and Panevėžys (population 124,526). The fDI of the Financial Times in their research Cities and Regions of the Future ranked Vilnius fourth in the mid-sized European cities category in the 2018–19 ranking, second in the 2022–23 ranking, second in 2023 ranking while the city claimed 24th spot in the worldwide overall ranking in 2021–22 and Vilnius county was ranked 10th in the small European regions category in 2018–19, fifth in 2022–23, fifth in 2023 rankings.WEB,weblink Fdiintelligence.com, 57,73, Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19, 5 April 2018, WEB,weblink FDi's Global Cities of the Future 2021/22 — overall winners, fDi Intelligence, WEB,weblink European Cities and Regions of the Future 2022/23, fDi Intelligence, WEB,weblink European Cities and Regions of the Future 2023, fDi Intelligence, {{Largest cities| country = LithuaniaHealth
File:Kauno klinikos 2006 07 23.jpg|thumb|right|Kaunas ClinicsKaunas ClinicsLithuania provides free state-funded healthcare to all citizens and registered long-term residents.BOOK, Health Care Systems in Transition – Lithuania, 2000, 19,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180323173750weblink">weblink 23 March 2018, 23 March 2018, It co-exists with a significant private healthcare sector. In 2003–2012, the network of hospitals was restructured, as part of wider healthcare service reforms. It started in 2003–2005 with the expansion of ambulatory services and primary care.WEB,weblink The Healthcare System in Lithuania, healthmanagement.org, 19 March 2018, In 2016, Lithuania ranked 27th in Europe in the Euro health consumer index, a ranking of European healthcare systems based on waiting time, results and other indicators.{{As of|2023}}, Lithuanian life expectancy at birth was 76.0 (70.6 years for males and 81.6 for females)WEB, Life expectancy at birth - The World Factbook,weblink 3 April 2024, www.cia.gov, and the infant mortality rate was 2.99 per 1,000 births.WEB, Infant mortality rate - Total, UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation,weblink {{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The annual population growth rate increased by 0.3% in 2007. Lithuania has seen a dramatic rise in suicides in the 1990s.WEB, Suicide rates. Data by country,weblink World Health Organization, 7 September 2016, The suicide rate has been constantly decreasing since, but it still remains the highest in the EU and the OECD.WEB, Savižudybių statistika, lt, State Mental Health Centre,weblink The suicide rate as of 2019 is 20.2 per 100,000 people. Suicide in Lithuania has been a subject of research, but the main reasons behind the high rate are thought to be both psychological and economic, including: social transformations and economic recessions, alcoholism, lack of tolerance in the society, bullying.WEB, Pradeda veikti Savižudybių prevencijos biuras, 5 January 2015, 19 May 2021, Lithuanian Radio and Television, lt,weblink By 2000, the vast majority of Lithuanian health care institutions were non-profit-making enterprises and a private sector developed, providing mostly outpatient services which are paid for out-of-pocket. The Ministry of Health also runs a few health care facilities and is involved in the running of the two major Lithuanian teaching hospitals. It is responsible for the State Public Health Centre which manages the public health network including ten county public health centres with their local branches. The ten counties run county hospitals and specialised health care facilities.BOOK, Health Care Systems in Transition, 2000, WHO,weblink 3 July 2015, 27 February 2021,weblink dead, There is Compulsory Health Insurance for the Lithuanian residents. There are 5 Territorial Health Insurance Funds, covering Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Contributions for people who are economically active are 9% of income.WEB, Compulsory Health Insurance Contributions,weblink VLK, 3 July 2015, 27 February 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210227080202weblink">weblink Emergency medical services are provided free of charge to all residents. Access to the secondary and tertiary care, such as hospital treatment, is normally via referral by a general practitioner.WEB, Accessing healthcare in Lithuania,weblink NHS Choices, 3 July 2015, Lithuania also has one of the lowest health care prices in Europe.BOOK, Comparing Hospital and Health Prices and Volumes Internationally, 6 August 2014, Eurostat, 28,weblinkReligion
{{See also|Lithuanian mythology}}File:Hill-of-crosses-siauliai.jpg|thumb|upright=1.65|Hill of Crosses near ŠiauliaiŠiauliaiAccording to the 2021 census, 74.2% of residents of Lithuania were Catholics. Catholicism has been the main religion since the official Christianisation of Lithuania in 1387. The Catholic Church was persecuted by the Russian Empire as part of the Russification policies and by the Soviet Union as part of the overall anti-religious campaigns. During the Soviet era, some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime, as symbolised by the Hill of Crosses and exemplified by The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania.3.7% of the population are Eastern Orthodox, mainly among the Russian minority. The community of Old Believers (0.6% of population) dates back to the 1660s.Protestants are 0.8%, of which 0.6% are Lutheran and 0.2% are Reformed. The Reformation did not impact Lithuania to a great extent as seen in East Prussia, Estonia, or Latvia. Before World War II, according to Losch (1932), the Lutherans were 3.3% of the total population.WEB,weblink Lietuvos gyventojø religijos ir jø paplitimas, 25 March 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160509100300weblink">weblink 9 May 2016, They were mainly Germans and Prussian Lithuanians in the Klaipėda Region (Memel territory). This population fled or was expelled after the war, and today Protestantism is mainly represented by ethnic Lithuanians throughout the northern and western parts of the country, as well as in large urban areas. Newly arriving evangelical churches have established missions in Lithuania since 1990.WEB,weblink United Methodists evangelize in Lithuania with ads, brochures, Umc.org, 11 August 2006, 25 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171014092015weblink">weblink 14 October 2017, Hinduism is a minority religion and a fairly recent development in Lithuania. Hinduism is spread in Lithuania by Hindu organizations: ISKCON, Sathya Sai Baba, Brahma Kumaris and Osho Rajneesh. ISKCON (Lithuanian: Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas) is the largest and the oldest movement as the first Krishna followers date to 1979.WEB,weblink Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas, 3 October 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20081020165549weblink">weblink 20 October 2008, It has three centres in Lithuania: in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Kaunas. Brahma Kumaris maintains the Centre Brahma Kumaris in Antakalnis, Vilnius.The historical communities of Lipka Tatars maintain Islam as their religion. Lithuania was historically home to a significant Jewish community and was an important centre of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the eve of World War II. Of the approximately 220,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania in June 1941, almost all were killed during the Holocaust.BOOK, Arūnas Bubnys, Holocaust in Lithuania: An Outline of the Major Stages and Their Results, The Vanished World of Lithuanian Jews, Rodopi, 2004, 978-90-420-0850-2,weblink 218–219, ENCYCLOPEDIA, Lithuania,weblink Holocaust Encyclopedia, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 12 April 2012, The Lithuanian Jewish community numbered about 4,000 at the end of 2009.WEB, Population at the beginning of the year by ethnicity,weblink Statistics Lithuania, 12 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070604090852weblink">weblink 4 June 2007, Romuva, the neopagan revival of the ancient religious practices, has gained popularity over the years. Romuva claims to continue living pagan traditions, which survived in folklore and customs.Dundzila (2007), pp. 279, 296–298.Dundzila and Strmiska (2005), p. 247.Ignatow (2007), p. 104. Romuva is a polytheistic pagan faith, which asserts the sanctity of nature and has elements of ancestor worship.Dundzila and Strmiska (2005), p. 244. According to the 2001 census, there were 1,270 people of Baltic faith in Lithuania.WEB,weblink Lietuvos gyventojai pagal tikybą 2001 m. – religija.lt, Religija.lt, That number jumped to 5,118 in the 2011 census.WEB,weblink PDF, GYVENTOJAI PAGAL TAUTYBĘ, GIMTĄJĄ KALBĄ IR TIKYBĄ: Lietuvos Respublikos 2011 metų visuotinio gyventojų ir būstų surašymo rezultatai, Ops.stat.gov.lt, 18 October 2018,Education
File:Vilnius University campus by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|Vilnius University, one of the oldest universities in the region.WEB, FOUR CENTURIES OF ENLIGHTENMENT: A Historic View of the University of Vilnius, 1579–1979,weblink Tomas Venclova, Lituanus.org, 2 June 2018, 23 June 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210623222449weblink">weblink It was established by Stephen BáthoryStephen BáthoryThe Constitution of Lithuania mandates ten-year education ending at age 16 and guarantees a free public higher education for students deemed 'good'.WEB, The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania came into force on 2 November 1992,weblink 6 April 2010, Republic of Lithuania, The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania proposes national educational policies and goals that are then voted for in the Seimas. Laws govern long-term educational strategy along with general laws on standards for higher education, vocational training, law and science, adult education, and special education.WEB,weblink European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, 6 April 2010, Education in Lithuania,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101215022049weblink">weblink 15 December 2010, 5.4% of GDP or 15.4% of total public expenditure was spent for education in 2016.WEB, Education and Training Monitor 2017. Lithuania,weblink 5 April 2018, 3,weblink 6 April 2018, File:GMC by Augustas Didzgalvis.jpg|thumb|Vilnius UniversityVilnius UniversityAccording to the World Bank, the literacy rate among Lithuanians aged 15 years and older is 100%.WEB, ICT at a Glance,weblink World Bank, 7 April 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070707184435weblink">weblink 7 July 2007, School attendance rates are above the EU average and school leave is less common than in the EU. According to Eurostat Lithuania leads among other countries of the European Union in people with secondary education (93.3%).WEB, Upper secondary education in EU,weblink Eurostat, 16 May 2014, Based on OECD data, Lithuania is among the top 5 countries in the world in postsecondary (tertiary) education attainment.WEB, Population with tertiary education,weblink data.oecd.org, 17 November 2018, {{As of|2016}}, 54.9% of the population aged 25 to 34, and 30.7% of the population aged 55 to 64 had completed tertiary education.WEB, Population with tertiary education,weblink data.oecd.org, 25 March 2018, The share of tertiary-educated 25–64-year-olds in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in Lithuania were above the OECD average (29% and 26% respectively), similarly to business, administration and law (25% and 23% respectively).WEB, Education at a glance 2017. Lithuania,weblink gpseducation.oecd.org, 2, 4 April 2018, 8 August 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808021023weblink">weblink Modern Lithuanian education system has multiple structural problems. Insufficient funding, quality issues, and decreasing student population are the most prevalent. Lithuanian teacher salaries are the lowest in the entire EU.WEB,weblink M. AdomÄ—nas. Lietuvos Å¡vietimas: kÄ… daryÄiau kitaip?, Mantas AdomÄ—nas, TS-LKD frakcijos narys, Seime, Delfi.lt, 4 January 2018, Low teacher salaries was the primary reason behind national teacher strikes in 2014,WEB,weblink Mokyklose prasideda neterminuotas mokytojų streikas, Delfi.lt, 4 January 2018, 2015,WEB,weblink Mokytojų streikas pavyko, DienraÅ¡tis Vakaru ekspresas, 9 December 2015, 4 January 2018, and 2016.WEB,weblink Mokytojų streikas: svarbiausi faktai, 15min.lt, 4 January 2018, WEB,weblink Mokytojų streikas tÄ™siasi 110 ugdymo įstaigų, 15min.lt, 4 January 2018, Salaries in the higher education sector are also low. Many Lithuanian professors have a second job to supplement their income.WEB,weblink Lietuvos dÄ—stytojai bei mokslininkai atvirai prabilo, kaip prisiduria prie algos, Tv3.lt, 4 January 2018, PISA report from 2010 found that Lithuanian results in math, science and reading were below OECD average.WEB,weblink PISA 2009 Results: Executive Summary, Oecd.org, 18 October 2018, PISA report from 2015 reconfirmed these findings.WEB,weblink Pisa 2015: Results in Focus, Oecd.org, 18 October 2018, The population ages 6 to 19 has decreased by 36% between 2005 and 2015. As a result, the student-teacher ratio is decreasing and expenditure per student is increasing, but schools, particularly in rural areas, are forced into reorganizations and consolidations. As with other Baltic nations, in particular Latvia, the large volume of higher education graduates within the country, coupled with the high rate of spoken second languages is contributing to an education brain drain.{{As of|2008}}, there were 15 public and 6 private universities as well as 16 public and 11 private colleges in Lithuania (see: List of universities in Lithuania).WEB,weblink European University Institute, Lithuania, Academic Career Structure, 7 April 2010, Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe and the largest university in Lithuania. Kaunas University of Technology is the largest technical university in the Baltic States and the second largest university in Lithuania. In an attempt to reduce costsWEB,weblinkweblink 13 January 2018, Alfa.lt – Universitetų reforma – "darbas ant durniaus", 13 January 2018, and adapt to sharply decreasing number of high-school students,WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180113151028weblink">weblink 13 January 2018, Pristatyta aukÅ¡tųjų mokyklų tinklo pertvarka, 13 January 2018, Lithuanian parliament decided to reduce the number of universities in Lithuania.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180113151301weblink">weblink 13 January 2018, VyriausybÄ— pritarÄ— universitetų pertvarkos planui – Diena.lt, 13 January 2018, WEB,weblinkweblink 13 January 2018, Seimas po svarstymo pritarÄ— valstybinių universitetų pertvarkos planui – DELFI, 13 January 2018, In early 2018, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences and Aleksandras Stulginskis University were merged into Vytautas Magnus University.WEB,weblinkweblink 13 January 2018, Seimas pritarÄ— 3 universitetų sujungimui: formuojamas naujas darinys – DELFI, 13 January 2018,Culture
Lithuanian language
{{multiple image| caption_align = center| align = right| direction = horizontal| total_width = 300| header_align = left/right/center| footer_align = left/right/center| image1 = Konstanty Szyrwid.PNG| caption1 = A priest, lexicographer Konstantinas Sirvydas – cherisher of Lithuanian language in the 17th century| image2 = Jonas Jablonskis.jpg| caption2 = Jonas Jablonskis is the father of standard Lithuanian language.}}The Lithuanian language (lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 0.2 million abroad.Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they are not mutually intelligible. It is written in an adapted version of the Roman script. Lithuanian is believed to be the linguistically most conservative living Indo-European tongue, retaining many features of Proto Indo-European.BOOK, Z. ZinkeviÄius, Rytų Lietuva praeityje ir dabar, Vilnius: Science and Encyclopaedia Publishing Centre, Mokslo ir enciklopedijų leidykla, 1993, 9, ...linguist generally accepted that Lithuanian language is the most archaic among live Indo-European languages..., 978-5-420-01085-3, Lithuanian language studies are important for comparative linguistics and for reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European language.WEB,weblink THE IMPORTANCE OF LITHUANIAN FOR INDO-EUROPEAN LINGUISTICS, 21 March 2018, 9 May 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180509145609weblink">weblink Lithuanian was studied by linguists such as Franz Bopp, August Schleicher, Adalbert Bezzenberger, Louis Hjelmslev,BOOK, Key Thinkers in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language,weblink PDF, 124, 4 March 2018, 978-0-19-518768-7, Chapman, Siobhan, Routledge, Christopher, 2005, Oxford University Press, Ferdinand de Saussure,WEB, Why Lithuanian Accentuation Mattered to Saussure,weblink Lel.ed.ac.uk, 1 April 2018, Winfred P. Lehmann, Vladimir ToporovWEB, Remembering Vladimir Toporov,weblink Lituanus.org, 4 April 2018, 24 February 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210224180000weblink">weblink and others.File:The earliest known Lithuanian glosses (~1520–1530), words (tepridaužia, ubagystÄ—).jpg|thumb|left|The earliest known Lithuanian glosses (between 1520 and 1530) written in the margins of (Johann Herolt]] book Liber Discipuli de eruditione Christifidelium. Words: teprÿdav[Å¿]ʒÿ (let it strike), vbagÿſte (indigence).)There are two main dialects of the Lithuanian language: AukÅ¡taitian dialect and Samogitian dialect. AukÅ¡taitian dialect is mainly used in the central, southern and eastern parts of Lithuania while Samogitian dialect is used in the western part of the country.WEB, Lietuvių kalbos tarmÄ—s,weblink 27 June 2020, The Samogitian dialect also has many completely different words and is even considered a separate language by some linguists.WEB, Dr. Juozas Pabrėža: "Stipriausia kalba Lietuvoje yra žemaiÄių",weblink santarve.lt, 17 February 2018, 3 May 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190503154650weblink">weblink Nowadays, the distinguishing feature between the two main Lithuanian dialects is the unequal pronunciation of accented and unaccented two-vowels uo and ie.The groundwork for written Lithuanian was laid in 16th and 17th centuries by Lithuanian noblemen and scholars, who promoted Lithuanian language, created dictionaries and published books – Mikalojus DaukÅ¡a, Stanislovas Rapolionis, Abraomas Kulvietis, Jonas BretkÅ«nas, Martynas Mažvydas, Konstantinas Sirvydas, Simonas VaiÅ¡noras-VarniÅ¡kis.WEB, VaiÅ¡noras Simonas (VarniÅ¡kis) apie 1545 – †1600 XI 16,weblink Varniai-museum.lt, 16 April 2018, 25 February 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210225162228weblink">weblink The first grammar book of the Lithuanian language Grammatica Litvanica was published in Latin in 1653 by Danielius Kleinas.Jonas Jablonskis' works and activities are especially important for the Lithuanian literature moving from the use of dialects to a standard Lithuanian language. The linguistic material which he collected was published in the 20 volumes of Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian and is still being used in research and in editing of texts and books. He also introduced the letter Å« into Lithuanian writing.WEB, Å lekonytÄ—, JÅ«ratÄ—, Lietuvių tautosakos populiarintojas Jonas Jablonskis,weblink llti.lt, 17 February 2018,Literature
File:Mažvydo Katekizmas, Vilnius.jpg|thumb|upright|The first Lithuanian printed book, Catechism of Martynas MažvydasCatechism of Martynas MažvydasFile:Radivilias.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|The title page of Radivilias (1592, Vilnius). The poem celebrating commander Mikalojus Radvila Rudasis (1512–1584) and recounts the famous victory of Lithuanian Armed ForcesLithuanian Armed ForcesThere is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written in Latin, the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas are the prime example of the literature of this kind. The Letters of Gediminas are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings.One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was Nicolaus Hussovianus (around 1480 – after 1533). His poem Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis (A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonym {{ill|Michalo Lituanus|lt}} (around 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatise De moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum (On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites) in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (around 1505 – 1571). The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius, Augustinus Rotundus (around 1520–1582) wrote a no longer existent history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. loannes Radvanus, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating the Aeneid of Vergil. His Radivilias, intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.BOOK, DambrauskaitÄ—, RamunÄ—, A Latin Funeral Oration From Vilnius (1594),weblink Leuven University Press, Humanistica Lovaniensia, 13 July 2018, Leuven, 253, 1995, 978-90-6186-680-0, 17th century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin – Kazimieras KojelaviÄius-VijÅ«kas, Žygimantas Liauksminas are known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music. Albertas KojalaviÄius-VijÅ«kas wrote first printed Lithuanian history Historia Lithuania.Lithuanian literary works in the Lithuanian language started being first published in the 16th century. In 1547 Martynas Mažvydas compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book Katekizmo prasti žodžiai (The Simple Words of Catechism), which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed by Mikalojus DaukÅ¡a with Katechizmas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious.The evolution of the old (14th–18th century) Lithuanian literature ends with Kristijonas Donelaitis, one of the most prominent authors of the Age of Enlightenment. Donelaitis' poem Metai (The Seasons) is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written in hexameter.Institute of Lithuanian Scientific Society. WEB,weblink Lithuanian Classic Literature, 16 February 2009,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20050204191505weblink">weblink 4 February 2005, With a mix of Classicism, Sentimentalism and Romanticism, the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented by Maironis, Antanas Baranauskas, Simonas Daukantas, Oscar Milosz, and Simonas StaneviÄius. During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, the Lithuanian press ban was implemented, which led to the formation of the KnygneÅ¡iai (Book smugglers) movement. This movement is thought to be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived until today.20th-century Lithuanian literature is represented by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Antanas Vienuolis, Bernardas Brazdžionis, Antanas Å kÄ—ma, Balys Sruoga, Vytautas MaÄernis and Justinas MarcinkeviÄius.In 21st century debuted Kristina SabaliauskaitÄ—, Renata Å erelytÄ—, Valdas Papievis, Laura Sintija ÄŒerniauskaitÄ—, RÅ«ta Å epetys.Architecture
{{See also|Lithuanian design}}File:Wilno Katedra.jpg|thumb|left|180px|Vilnius Cathedral by Laurynas GuceviÄiusLaurynas GuceviÄiusSeveral famous Lithuania-related architects are notable for their achievements in the field of architecture. Johann Christoph Glaubitz, Marcin Knackfus, Laurynas GuceviÄius and Karol PodczaszyÅ„ski were instrumental in introducing Baroque and neoclassical architectural movements to the Lithuanian architecture during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.WEB, Lithuanian Baroque architecture,weblink kpd.lt, 20 February 2018, 8 August 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808021028weblink">weblink Vilnius is considered as a capital of the Eastern Europe Baroque.WEB, Vilniaus barokas,weblink iVilnius.lt, 20 February 2018, Vilnius Old Town that is full of astonishing Baroque churches and other buildings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.WEB, Vilnius Historic Centre,weblink whc.unesco.org, 20 February 2018, (File:Grycia, 2007-04-21.jpg|thumb|GryÄia (traditional dwelling house, built in the 19th century))Lithuania is also known for numerous castles. About twenty castles exist in Lithuania. Some castles had to be rebuilt or survive partially. Many Lithuanian nobles' historic palaces and manor houses have remained till the nowadays and were reconstructed.WEB, Lietuvos dvarų duomenų bazÄ—,weblink heritage.lt, 20 February 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180209184503weblink">weblink 9 February 2018, Lithuanian village life has existed since the days of Vytautas the Great. Zervynos and KapiniÅ¡kiai are two of many ethnographic villages in Lithuania.WEB, Ethnographic settlements of Lithuania,weblink kpd.lt, 20 February 2018, 8 August 2019,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808021041weblink">weblink RumÅ¡iÅ¡kÄ—s is an open space museum where old ethnographic architecture is preserved.During the interwar period, Art Deco, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings were constructed in the Lithuania's temporary capital Kaunas. Its architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and has received the European Heritage Label.WEB, Kaunas of 1919–1940, Lithuania,weblink ec.europa.eu, 20 February 2018,Arts and museums
File:Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis - FAIRY TALE (FAIRY TALE OF KINGS) - 1909.jpg|thumb|right|Kings' Fairy Tale (1908–1909) by Mikalojus Konstantinas ČiurlionisMikalojus Konstantinas ČiurlionisThe Lithuanian Art Museum was founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania.WEB,weblink History of the Lithuanian Art Museum, Ldm.lt, 5 June 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110510013109weblink">weblink 10 May 2011, Among other important museums are the Palanga Amber Museum, where amber pieces comprise a major part of the collection, National Gallery of Art, presenting collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th and 21st century, National Museum of Lithuania presenting Lithuanian archaeology, history and ethnic culture. In 2018 two private museums were opened – MO Museum devoted to modern and contemporary Lithuanian art and Tartle,WEB,weblink Tartle, tartle.lt, 1 November 2018, The Art Centre TARTLE opened in Užupis district in Vilnius will provide an opportunity to get acquainted with Lithuanian art treasures and historical artefacts from cultural heritage of the pagan times to the contemporary art. The target of the collection and the art centre is not only to collect and bring back to homeland the Lithuanian cultural and historical heritage scattered all over the world.., exhibiting a collection of Lithuanian art heritage and artefacts.Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911), an internationally renowned musician. The 2420 Čiurlionis asteroid, identified in 1975, honors his achievements. The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, as well as the only military museum in Lithuania, Vytautas the Great War Museum, are located in Kaunas.Franciszek Smuglewicz, Jan Rustem, Józef Oleszkiewicz and Kanuty Rusiecki are the most prominent Lithuanian painters of the 18th and 19th centuries.WEB, Lietuvos tapyba,weblink Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija, 12 February 2022, lt,Theatre
Lithuania has some very famous theatre directors well known in the country and abroad. One of them is Oskaras Koršunovas. He was awarded more than forty times with special prizes. Possibly most prestigious award is Swedish Commander Grand Cross: Order of the Polar Star.WEB, Oskaras Koršunovas,weblink Okt.lt, 18 February 2018, lt-LT, Today's the most famous theatres in Lithuania are in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Panevėžys. It is Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Keistuolių teatras (Theatre of Freaks) in Vilnius, Kaunas State Drama Theatre, Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Theatre of Gytis Ivanauskas, Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, The Doll's Theatre, Old Theatre of Vilnius and others.WEB, Teatras,weblink lrkm.lrv.lt, 18 February 2018, lt, 23 June 2021,weblink There are some very popular theatre festivals like Sirenos (Sirens), TheATRIUM, Nerk į teatrą (Dive into the Theatre) and others.WEB, Sirenos,weblink sirenos.lt, WEB, FESTIVALIS "TheATRIUM",weblink kldt.lt, WEB, Festivalis "Nerk į teatrą",weblink dramosteatras.lt, The figures dominating in Lithuanian theatre world are directors like Eimuntas Nekrošius, Jonas Vaitkus, Cezaris Graužinis, Gintaras Varnas, Dalia Ibelhauptaitė, Artūras Areima; number of talented actors like Dainius Gavenonis, Rolandas Kazlas, Saulius Balandis, Gabija Jaraminaitė and many others.WEB, Nariai,weblink teatrosajunga.lt, 18 February 2018, lt-LT,Cinema
File:Kinas Romuva.JPG|thumb|Romuva Cinema, the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania]]On 28 July 1896, Thomas Edison live photography session was held in the Concerts Hall of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University. After a year, similar American movies were available with the addition of special phonograph records that also provided sound. In 1909, Lithuanian cinema pioneers Antanas RaÄiÅ«nas and Ladislas Starevich released their first movies. Soon the RaÄiÅ«nas' recordings of Lithuania's views became very popular among the Lithuanian Americans abroad. In 1925, Pranas Valuskis filmed movie Naktis Lietuvoje (Night in Lithuania) about Lithuanian book smugglers that left the first bright Lithuanian footprint in Hollywood. The most significant and mature Lithuanian American movie of the time Aukso žąsis (Golden goose) was created in 1965 by {{ill|BirutÄ— PÅ«keleviÄiÅ«tÄ—|lt}} that featured motifs from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. In 1940, Romuva Cinema was opened in Kaunas and currently is the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania. After the occupation of the state, movies mostly were used for the Soviet propaganda purposes, nevertheless Almantas GrikeviÄius, Gytis LukÅ¡as, Henrikas Å ableviÄius, ArÅ«nas ŽebriÅ«nas, Raimondas Vabalas were able to overcome the obstacles and create valuable films. After the restoration of the independence, Å arÅ«nas Bartas, Audrius Stonys, ArÅ«nas Matelis, Audrius JuzÄ—nas, Algimantas Puipa, {{ill|Janina LapinskaitÄ—|lt}}, Dijana and her husband Kornelijus MatuzeviÄius received success in international movie festivals.WEB, Kino Lietuvoje istorija,weblink sites.google.com, 26 June 2018, 25 February 2021,weblink In 2018, 4,265,414 cinema tickets were sold in Lithuania with the average price of €5.26.WEB, Faktai ir statistika,weblink lkc.lt, 22 September 2019, lt-LT,Music
{{See also|Lithuanian folk music}}{{multiple image| align = right| direction = vertical| header_align = left/right/centerRock and protest music
File:Antis rock band on stage during the first edition of the Rock March (Vilnius, Lithuania, 1987).jpg|thumb|Rock band Antis, which under firm censorship actively mocked the Soviet Union regime by using metaphors in their lyrics, during an Anti-Sovietism, Anti-communismAnti-communismAfter the Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania in 1944, the Soviet's censorship continued firmly controlling all artistic expressions in Lithuania, and any violations by criticizing the regime would immediately result in punishments.BOOK, Sinitsyna, Olga, CENSORSHIP IN THE SOVIET UNION AND ITS CULTURAL AND PROFESSIONAL RESULTS FOR ARTS AND ART LIBRARIES, 1999,weblink The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and included Kertukai, Aitvarai and Nuogi ant slenksÄio in Kaunas, and KÄ™stutis AntanÄ—lis, Vienuoliai, and GÄ—lių Vaikai in Vilnius, among others. Unable to express their opinions directly, the Lithuanian artists began organizing patriotic Roko MarÅ¡ai and were using metaphors in their songs' lyrics, which were easily identified for their true meanings by the locals.WEB, TilvikaitÄ—, Patricija, Ir lietuviÅ¡kas rokas padÄ—jo Lietuvai atkurti NepriklausomybÄ™,weblink Universitetozurnalistas.kf.vu.lt, 23 August 2016, lt, WEB, A. Mamontovas: "Roko marÅ¡ai" buvo toks įrankis, koks dabar yra internetas,weblink Kauno diena / LRT, 12 March 2017, 12 March 2017, lt, Postmodernist rock band Antis and its vocalist Algirdas KauÅ¡pÄ—das were one of the most active performers who mocked the Soviet regime by using metaphors. For example, in the song Zombiai (Zombies), the band indirectly sang about the Red Army soldiers who occupied the state and its military base in UkmergÄ—.WEB, UkmergÄ—s karinis miestelis,weblink Autc.lt, 22 January 2018, 23 June 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210623222917weblink">weblink WEB, Knyga "AntiÅ¡ka" (II dalis): iki "Anties" lietuviai nežinojo, kas yra zombis (iÅ¡trauka, video),weblink Lrytas.lt, 29 July 2013, lt-LT, 23 June 2021,weblink Vytautas Kernagis' song Kolorado vabalai (Colorado beetles) was also a favourite due to its lyrics in which true meaning of the Colorado beetles was intended to be the Soviets decorated with the Ribbons of Saint George.WEB, Bacanskas, Benas, Dainos teatras – Kolorado vabalai (1991-12-25),weblinkweblink 2021-08-09, YouTube, 19 December 2014, 19 December 2014, In the early independence years, rock band Foje was particularly popular and gathered tens of thousands of spectators to the concerts.WEB, A. Mamontovas: padÄ—sime galutinį taÅ¡kÄ… "Foje" istorijoje – LRT,weblink LRT, 6 October 2013, 6 October 2013, lt, After disbanding in 1997, Foje vocalist Andrius Mamontovas remained one of the most prominent Lithuanian performers and an active participant in various charity events.WEB, A. Mamontovas: populiarumÄ… iÅ¡naudoju geriems darbams,weblink LRT, 31 October 2015, 31 October 2015, lt, Marijonas MikutaviÄius is famous for creating unofficial Lithuania sport anthem Trys milijonai (Three million) and official anthem of the EuroBasket 2011 Nebetyli sirgaliai (English version was named Celebrate Basketball).{{YouTube|fmmg3Wl86kQ|Marijonas MikutaviÄius – Trys milijonai}}WEB, Marijonas MikutaviÄius, Mantas, Mia – Nebetyli sirgaliai,weblinkweblink 9 January 2019, YouTube, 15 October 2014, 15 October 2014, bot: unknown,Cuisine
File:Juoda duona.JPG|thumb|upright=.80|Lithuanian dark rye breadrye breadFile:KarmÄ—lavos Cepelinas.JPG|thumb|upright=.80|Cepelinai, a potato-based dumpling dish characteristic of Lithuanian cuisine with meat, curdcurdLithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Fish dishes are very popular in the coastal region.WEB, TradicinÄ— lietuviÅ¡ka virtuvÄ—,weblink DELFI, 8 April 2007, Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has some similarities to Scandinavian cuisine. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history.Dairy products are an important part of traditional Lithuanian cuisine. These include white cottage cheese (varÅ¡kÄ—s sÅ«ris), curd (varÅ¡kÄ—), soured milk (rÅ«gpienis), sour cream (grietinÄ—), butter (sviestas), and sour cream butter kastinis. Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked – smoked sausages (deÅ¡ros), lard (laÅ¡iniai), skilandis, smoked ham (kumpis). Soups (sriubos) – boletus soup (baravykų sriuba), cabbage soup (kopÅ«stų sriuba), beer soup (alaus sriuba), milk soup (pieniÅ¡ka sriuba), cold-beet soup (Å¡altibarÅ¡Äiai) and various kinds of porridges (koÅ¡Ä—s) are part of tradition and daily diet. Freshwater fish, herring, wild berries and mushrooms, honey are highly popular diet to this day.WEB, Lietuvos virtuvÄ—,weblink maistologija.wordpress.com, 7 August 2010, 25 March 2018, lt, WEB, The only guide to Lithuanian cuisine you will ever need,weblink Urbanadventures.com, 5 April 2018,weblink 6 April 2018, File:Biržų 1686 Jubiliejinis Alus (9834933134).jpg|thumb|upright=.65|left|Lithuania has longlasting beer brewing traditions.]]One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies.WEB, LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOODS – BREAD,weblink Lnkc.lt, 25 March 2018, Lithuanians and other nations that once formed part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania share many dishes and beverages. German traditions also influenced Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding (kugelis or kugel) and potato sausages (vÄ—darai), as well as the baroque tree cake known as Å akotis. The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern (Karaite) cuisine – the kibinai are popular in Lithuania. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs, so French cuisine influence came to Lithuania in this way.WEB, KokiÄ… įtakÄ… Lietuvos virtuvei padarÄ— prancÅ«zai?,weblink 15min.lt, 26 March 2018, lt, Balts were using mead (midus) for thousands of years.BOOK, Astrauskas, Antanas, Per barzdÄ… varvÄ—jo: svaigiųjų gÄ—rimų istorija Lietuvoje, 2008, Baltos lankos, Vilnius, 978-9955-23-141-7, Beer (alus) is the most common alcoholic beverage. Lithuania has a long farmhouse beer tradition, first mentioned in 11th century chronicles. Beer was brewed for ancient Baltic festivities and rituals.WEB,weblink Llti.lt, 18, Alus – apeiginis baltų gÄ—rimas, 22 March 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20190808021048weblink">weblink 8 August 2019, Farmhouse brewing survived to a greater extent in Lithuania than anywhere else, and through accidents of history the Lithuanians then developed a commercial brewing culture from their unique farmhouse traditions.WEB,weblink Garshol.priv.no, 5, Lithuanian beer – A rough guide, 22 March 2018, WEB,weblink Garshol.priv.no, Trying to understand Lithuanian beer, 14 April 2018, Lithuania is top 5 by consumption of beer per capita in Europe in 2015, counting 75 active breweries, 32 of them are microbreweries.WEB,weblink Brewersofeurope.org, Beer statistics – 2016 edition, 25 March 2018, The microbrewery scene in Lithuania has been growing in later years, with a number of bars focusing on these beers popping up in Vilnius and also in other parts of the country.Eight Lithuanian restaurants are listed in the White Guide Baltic Top 30.WEB,weblink Whiteguide-nordic.com, The best restaurants in the Nordics, 4 April 2018, 24 January 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210124174247weblink">weblinkMedia
The Constitution of Lithuania provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote these freedoms. However, the constitutional definition of freedom of expression does not protect certain acts, such as incitement to national, racial, religious, or social hatred, violence and discrimination, or slander, and disinformation. It is a crime to deny or "grossly trivialize" Soviet or Nazi German crimes against Lithuania or its citizens, or to deny genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.WEB,weblink Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017, State.gov, 18 October 2018, In 2021, the best-selling daily national newspapers in Lithuania were Lietuvos rytas (5.4% of all weekly readers), {{ill|Vakaro žinios|lt}} (3.2%), Kauno diena (2.9%). Best-selling weekly newspapers were {{ill|lt=Savaitė|Savaitė (1999)|lt}} (16.5%), {{ill|lt=Žmonės|Žmonės (žurnalas)|lt}} (8.4%), Prie kavos (4.1%), Savaitgalis (3.9%) and Verslo žinios (3.2%).WEB, Annual Review of Media Surveys 2021,weblink Kantar, 14 June 2023, In 2021, the most popular national television channels in Lithuania were TV3 (34.6% of the daily auditorium), LNK (32.3%), Lithuanian National Radio and Television (31.6%), BTV (17.3%), Lietuvos rytas TV (16.2%), TV6 (15.3%).The most popular radio stations in Lithuania were M-1 (14.5% of daily listeners), Lietus (12.7%), Radiocentras (9.1%) and LRT Radijas (8.5%).Public holidays and festivals
As a result of a thousand-years history, Lithuania has two National days. First one is the Statehood Day on 6 July, marking the establishment of the medieval Kingdom of Lithuania by Mindaugas in 1253. Creation of modern Lithuanian state is commemorated on 16 February as a Lithuanian State Reestablishment Day on which declaration of independence from Russia and Germany was declared in 1918. JoninÄ—s (previously known as Rasos) is a public holiday with paganic roots that celebrates a solstice. As of 2018, there are 13 public holidays (which come with a day off).WEB, National Holidays,weblink 28 June 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180628125054weblink">weblink 28 June 2018, Kaziuko mugÄ— is an annual fair held since the beginning of the 17th century that commemorates the anniversary of Saint Casimir's death and gathers thousands of visitors and many craftsmen. Other notable festivals are Vilnius International Film Festival, Kauno Miesto Diena, KlaipÄ—da Sea Festival, Mados infekcija, Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius Marathon, Devilstone Open Air, {{ill|ApuolÄ— 854|lt}}, Great ŽemaiÄių Kalvarija Festival.{{Holidays of Lithuania}}Sports
Basketball is the most popular and national sport of Lithuania. The Lithuania national basketball team has had significant success in international basketball events, having won the EuroBasket on three occasions (1937, 1939 and 2003), as well a total of 8 other medals in the Eurobasket, the World Championships and the Olympic Games. The men's national team also has extremely high TV ratings as about 76% of the country's population watched their games live in 2014.WEB, Lietuvos krepÅ¡inio rinktinÄ—s kovas šįmet matÄ— per 2 mln. televizijos žiÅ«rovų,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20150127002110weblink">weblink 27 January 2015, 15min.lt, 13 November 2014, Lithuania hosted the Eurobasket in 1939 and 2011. The historic Lithuanian basketball team BC Žalgiris, from Kaunas, won the European basketball league Euroleague in 1999. Lithuania has produced a number of NBA players, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Arvydas Sabonis and Å arÅ«nas MarÄiulionis,WEB,weblink The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – Hall of Famers Index, Hoophall.com, 30 April 2016, and current NBA players Jonas ValanÄiÅ«nas, Domantas Sabonis, and Ignas Brazdeikis.PRESS RELEASE,weblink NBA rosters feature record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories, National Basketball Association, 25 October 2016, 11 September 2017, File:La selección de Lituania celebra su tercer puesto en el Mundial de baloncesto 2010.jpg|thumb|Lithuania men's national basketball team is ranked eighth worldwide in FIBA RankingsFIBA RankingsLithuania has won a total of 26 medals at the Olympic Games, including 6 gold medals in athletics, modern pentathlon, shooting, and swimming. Numerous other Lithuanians won Olympic medals representing Soviet Union. Discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna is the most successful Olympic athlete of independent Lithuania, having won gold medals in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens games, as well as a bronze in 2008 Summer Olympics and numerous World Championship medals. More recently, the gold medal won by a then 15-year-old swimmer RÅ«ta MeilutytÄ— at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London sparked a rise in popularity for the sport in Lithuania.Lithuania has produced prominent athletes in athletics, modern pentathlon, road and track cycling, chess, rowing, aerobatics, strongman, wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, Kyokushin Karate, and other sports.Lithuania hosted the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first time Lithuania had hosted a FIFA tournament.WEB, Three cities set to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021â„¢,weblink 2022-07-26, www.fifa.com, en, {{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}Few Lithuanian athletes have found success in winter sports, although facilities are provided by several ice rinks and skiing slopes, including Snow Arena, the first indoor ski slope in the Baltics.WEB,weblink Žiemos sportas Lietuvoje – podukros vietoje, lt, Kauno.diena.lt, 10 February 2015, 30 April 2016, In 2018 Lithuania men's national ice hockey team won gold medals at the 2018 IIHF World Championship Division I.WEB, Jie tai padarÄ—! Lietuviai žaibiÅ¡kai atsitiesÄ— po Å¡alto duÅ¡o ir iÅ¡kovojo istorinį titulÄ…,weblink 15min.lt, 28 April 2018,See also
Notes
{{notelist}}References
{{reflist}}External links
{{Sister project links|Lithuania|voy=Lithuania}}{{EB1922 Poster|Lithuania, Republic of}}- Government
- The Lithuanian President {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115013011weblink |date=15 January 2016 }} – Official site of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
- The Lithuanian Parliament – Official site of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania
- The Lithuanian Government {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406001528weblink |date=6 April 2021 }} – Official site of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania
- Statistics Lithuania {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005094900weblink |date=5 October 2022 }} – Official site of Department of Statistics to the Government of Lithuania
- Lithuania – Real is Beautiful {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130401141631weblink |date=1 April 2013 }} – The Official Travel Guide by the Lithuanian National Tourism Development Agency
- General information
- {{WorldCat|lh|The Baltic States and geopolitics}}The Baltic States and geopolitics
- Lithuania {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602011848weblink |date=2 June 2021 }} – Lithuanian internet gates
- Lithuania. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
- Lithuania. CIA Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016161247weblink |date=16 October 2020 }}
- weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160304061242weblink">Lithuania from UCB Libraries GovPubs
- {{curlie|Regional/Europe/Lithuania}}
- Lithuania from the BBC News
- {{wikiatlas|Lithuania}}
- Other
- Key Development Forecasts for Lithuania from International Futures
- Heraldry of Lithuania
- {{osmrelation-inline|72596}}
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