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Introduction | Lithuania

Background: | Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but this proclamation was not generally recognized until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions and was invited to join NATO and the EU in 2002.

Geography | Lithuania

Location: | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia
Geographic coordinates: | 56 00 N, 24 00 E
Map references: | Europe
Area: | total: 65,200 sq km water: NA sq km land: NA sq km
Area - comparative: | slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: | total: 1,273 km border countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km
Coastline: | 99 km
Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: | transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
Terrain: | lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil
Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m
Natural resources: | peat, arable land
Land use: | arable land: 45.46% permanent crops: 0.93% other: 53.61% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 90 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: | NA
Environment - current issues: | contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases
Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: | fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits

People | Lithuania

Population: | 3,592,561 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 17.6% (male 323,776; female 310,087) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 1,188,171; female 1,268,035) 65 years and over: 14% (male 169,513; female 332,979) (2003 est.)
Median age: | total: 36.6 years male: 33.9 years female: 39.2 years (2002)
Population growth rate: | -0.23% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: | 10.48 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: | 12.89 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: | 0.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 14.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 16.21 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.6 years male: 63.78 years female: 75.7 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 1.43 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | less than 1,300 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian
Ethnic groups: | Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1%
Religions: | Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish
Languages: | Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.)

Government | Lithuania

Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic local long form: Lietuvos Respublika
Government type: | parliamentary democracy
Capital: | Vilnius
Administrative divisions: | 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus
Independence: | 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence)
National holiday: | Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date of independence from German, Austrian, Prussian, and Russian occupation, 11 March 1990 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union
Constitution: | adopted 25 October 1992
Legal system: | based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: President Rolandas PAKSAS (since 26 February 2003) head of government: Premier Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3 July 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the premier elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 22 December 2002 and 5 January 2003 (next to be held in late 2007); premier appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Rolandas PAKSAS elected president; percent of vote - Rolandas PAKSAS 54.9%, Valdas ADAMKUS 45.1%
Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2004) note: the voting results from the 2000 elections do not correspond to the make up of the Seimas, which has evolved into a number of factions, each made up of members of several parties election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democratic Coalition 31.1%, New Union-Social Liberals 19.6%, Liberal Union 17.2%, TS 8.6%, remaining parties all less than 5%; seats by faction - Social Democratic Coalition 51, New Union-Social Liberals 25, United Political Group-Group of Liberals 24, Liberal Democrats 13, Conservatives 9, Farmers and New Democracy Parties 8, Mixed Group 6, independent 1 (four seats unfilled as of 1 June 2003)
Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President
Political parties and leaders: | Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Lithuanian Center Union or LCS [Kestutis GLAVECKAS, chairman]; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Kazys BOBELIS]; Lithuanian Farmer's Party or LUP [Ramunas KARBAUSKIS, chairman]; Lithuanian Green Party [Rimantas BRAZIULIS]; Lithuanian Liberal Youth [Neringa MOROZAITE]; Lithuanian National Democratic Party [Vygintas GONTIS]; Lithuanian Social Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP, and New Democracy; Moderate Conservative Union [Gediminas VAGNORIUS]; Modern Christian Democratic Union [Vytautas BOGUSIS, chairman]; New Democracy and Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; New Union-Social Liberals [Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Young Lithuania [Arnoldas PLATELIS]
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | ACCT (observer), BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT embassy: Akmenu 6, 2600 Vilnius mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE 09723 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510
Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red

Economy | Lithuania

Economy - overview: | Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has slowly rebounded from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment remains high, still 10.7% in 2003, but is improving. Growing domestic consumption and increased investment have furthered recovery. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and has moved ahead with plans to join the EU. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities, particularly in the energy sector, is nearing completion. Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $30.08 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 6.7% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $8,400 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 8% industry: 31% services: 61% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: | NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 25.6% (1996)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 34 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 0.8% (2002 est.)
Labor force: | 1.5 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: | industry 30%, agriculture 20%, services 50% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: | 12.5% (2001 est.)
Budget: | revenues: $1.59 billion expenditures: $1.77 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)
Industries: | metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber
Industrial production growth rate: | 6% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production: | 14.62 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 16.5% hydro: 5.7% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 77.7%
Electricity - consumption: | 8.683 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 6.3 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 1.389 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 4,594 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 72,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 2.76 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products: | grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: | $5.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities: | mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
Exports - partners: | Latvia 12.8%, Germany 12%, UK 7.6%, Poland 6.3%, US 5.9%, France 5.8%, Russia 5.7%, Sweden 5%, Denmark 4.3% (2002)
Imports: | $6.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities: | mineral products 21%, machinery and equipment 17%, transport equipment 11%, chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, metals 5% (2001)
Imports - partners: | Russia 24.1%, Germany 20.3%, Italy 5.9%, Poland 4.3% (2002)
Debt - external: | $5.8 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $228.5 million (1995)
Currency: | litas (LTL)
Currency code: | LTL
Exchange rates: | litai per US dollar - 3.68 (2002), 4 (2001), 4 (2000), 4 (1999), 4 (1998)
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Lithuania

Telephones - main lines in use: | 1.142 million (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 500,000 (2001)
Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications international: landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: | 1.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 27 note: Lithuania has approximately 27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations (2001)
Televisions: | 1.7 million (1997)
Internet country code: | .lt
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 32 (2001)
Internet users: | 341,000 (2001)

Transportation | Lithuania

Railways: | total: 1,998 km broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (all service suspended) (2002) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways: | total: 75,243 km paved: 68,697 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,546 km (2000)
Waterways: | 600 km (perennially navigable)
Pipelines: | gas 1,698 km; oil 331 km; refined products 109 km (2003)
Ports and harbors: | Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda
Merchant marine: | total: 51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 303,910 GRT/328,380 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 13 (2002 est.) ships by type: cargo 23, combination bulk 8, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 11, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea passenger 4
Airports: | 87 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 22 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 8 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 65 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 57 (2002)

Military | Lithuania

Military branches: | Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force, National Volunteer Defense Forces (SKAT)
Military manpower - military age: | 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 937,055 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 735,536 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 29,420 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $230.8 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.9% (FY01)

Transnational Issues | Lithuania

Disputes - international: | in May 2003, the Russian Parliament ratified a 1997 land and maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, which had ratified the treaty in 1999, legalizing limits of former Soviet republic borders; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights; discussions are still ongoing among Russia, Lithuania, and the EU concerning a simplified transit document for residents of the Kaliningrad coastal exclave to transit through Lithuania to Russia
Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003