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Lithuania
Physical.
Located in
Eastern Europe, Lithuania borders Russia,
Latvia, and the Baltic Sea. It
covers an area slightly larger than West Virginia. The terrain consists mainly
of lowlands with a number of small lakes. Lithuanians experience a transitional
climate (between maritime and continental) with wet, moderate summers and
winters. While Lithuania has an abundance of fertile soil, it has few important
natural resources.
People.
More than 3.6 million people live in Lithuania. Lithuanian is the official
language, while Russian and Polish are commonly spoken as well. Ethnically, the
population is overwhelmingly Lithuanian (80%) with Russian (9%) and Polish (3%).
It is primarily Roman Catholic with some Lutherans.
Government.
Lithuania was annexed to the Soviet Union and never one of its constituent
republics, meaning that it suffered the full force of Soviet policies. In 1992,
Russia agreed to the withdrawal of its troops. It proceeded slowly in part
because of Russia’s inability to assimilate the return of the troops, but also
over concern for the large Russian minority in the region. In September 1993,
withdrawal was finally achieved as a more conciliatory approach to Russia was
adopted. In October 1993, Lithuania became the first Baltic nation to sign a
trade agreement with Russia. But tensions rose again in 1994 when Lithuania
began to actively pursue membership in the EU and NATO. It joined both
organizations in 2004.
Algirdas
Brazauskas became prime minister in 2001 and was
reappointed by presidential decree in November of 2004. While the change of
government has been frequent, government policies have remained relatively
consistent.
Economy.
Lithuania achieved membership in the European Union in May 2004. While the
capital shows signs of prosperity, the villages suffer from poor public
services, depopulation and alcoholism. Many Lithuanians, mainly younger, are
emigrating. Several hundred thousand have left since independence. Lithuania has
a small economic system with a small GDP, but Lithuania has shown a higher
economic growth rate than other formerly Soviet-dominated countries.
Areas of Concern.
Environmental concerns include soil and drinking water contamination. Economic
improvement to stem emigration is also a concern.
Lithuania statistics
Geography
Area: 25,167 square miles
Capital: Vilnius (pop 580,000)
Environmental concerns: chemical and petroleum product from military bases
that contaminates drinking water and soil
Geographical features: lowland, fertile soil with scattered lakes
Climate: between maritime and continental with wet, moderate winters and
summers
People. 3,607,899 people;
Lithuanian (80%); Russian (9%); Polish (8%)
Annual growth rate: -0.33%
Major languages are Lithuanian; Polish; Russian
Religions: Roman Catholic; Lutheran
Health and social
issues
Life expectancy: Men, 63 years;
women, 75 years
Infant mortality: 7.1 deaths per 1000 live births
HIV/AIDS rate in adults: 0.1%
98% of adults are literate
Communication and
transportation
824,200 main telephone lines
695,700 Internet users (2003)
47,027 miles of highway
1,249 miles of railroad
102 airfields
Government
Lithuania is a parliamentary
democracy that declared independence from Russia on March 11, 1990 and was
recognized as independent by Russia on September 6, 1991
President Valdas Adamkus
is the head of state
7 major political parties
Universal suffrage at 18
Military
Military expenditures are 1.9% of
the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Current disputes are boundary disputes with Russia and Lithuania
Economy
Currency: litas
Per capita GDP: $11,400
GDP: $ 40.9. billion
GDP growth rate: 9%
Inflation rate: -1.2%
Labor force: 20% agriculture; 30% industry; 50% services
Resources and industry
Natural resources: peat; arable land
Agriculture: grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs;
fish
Industry: metal-cutting machine tools, appliances, petroleum refining,
shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing,
fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components,
computers, amber
Exports: $7.9 billion
Imports: $9.2 billion
Suggested web sites
www.lrv.lt
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