Lithuania

republicIndependence 1918

Lithuania as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 73 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalVilnius
Area65,200 km2
1992

Every edition of Lithuania

Populationas each edition published it
3.79 million July 1992 · 2.82m in 2025
Population growth% a year
Not in this edition 0.76% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 36.6 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 71.12 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.1 children per woman 1992 · 1.22 in 2025
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
18 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 2.5 in 2025
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $3,240 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
Not in this edition -30% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 65,200 km2

arable land 49.1%meadows and pastures 22.2%forest and woodland 16.3%other 12.4%NA% permanent crops; includes NA% irrigated
Total area
65,200km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Coastline
108km
Contiguous zone: NA nmContinental shelf: NA meter depthExclusive fishing zone: NA nmExclusive economic zone: NA nmTerritorial sea: NA nm
Land boundaries
1,273km
Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Land area

65,200 km2

Disputes

dispute with Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) over the position of the Neman River border presently located on the Lithuanian bank and not in midriver as by international standards

Climate

maritime; wet, moderate winters

Terrain

lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

People

14 fields
Population
3,788,542
(July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth
15Death
11Net migration
4

Ethnic divisions

Lithuanian 80.1%Russian 8.6%Poles 7.7%Byelorussian 1.5%other 2.1%

Infant mortality rate

18 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth

66 years male, 76 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate

2.1 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality

noun - Lithuanian(s); adjective - Lithuanian

Religions

Catholic NA%, Lutheran NA%, unknown NA%, none NA%, other NA%

Languages

Lithuanian (official), Polish NA%, Russian NA%

Literacy

NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write

Labor force

1,836,000; industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 18%, other 40% (1990)

Organized labor

  • Lithuanian Trade Union Association;
  • Labor Federation of Lithuania;
  • Union of Workers

Government

Republic

19 fields

Long-form name

Republic of Lithuania

Type

republic

Capital

Vilnius

Administrative divisions

none - all rayons are under direct republic jurisdiction

Independence

  • 1918;
  • annexed by the Soviet Union 3 August 1940;
  • restored independence 11 March 1990;
  • and regained indpendence from the USSR 6 September 1991

Constitution

NA; Constitutional Commission has drafted a new constitution that will be sent to Parliament for ratification

National holiday

Independence Day, 16 February; Defenders of Freedom Day, 13 January

Executive branch

prime minister, Council of Ministers, Government,

Legislative branch

unicameral Supreme Council, Parliament

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court;
  • Court of Appeals;
  • district and city courts;
  • Procurator General of Lithuania

Leaders

Chief of State:
Chairman, Supreme Council Vytautas LANDSBERGIS (since March 1990), Deputy Chairmen Bronius KUZMICKAS (since March 1990), Ceslovas STANKEVICIUS (since March 1990)
Head of Government:
  • Prime Minister Gediminas VAGNORIUS (since January 1991);
  • Deputy Prime Ministers Algis DOBROVOLSKAS (since January 1991), Vytantas PAKALNISKIS (since January 1991), Zigmas VAISVILA (since January 1991)

Political parties and leaders

  • Christian Democratic Party, FNU KATILIUS, chairman;
  • Democratic Labor Party of Lithuania, Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Democratic Party, Sauluis PECELIUNAS, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Green Party, Irena IGNATAVICIENE, chairwoman;
  • Lithuanian Humanism Party, Vytautas KAZLAUSKAS, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Independence Party, Virgilijus CEPAITIS, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Liberty League, Antanas TERLECKAS;
  • Lithuanian Liberals Union, Vytautus RADZVILAS, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Nationalist Union, Rimantas SMETONA, chairman;
  • Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Aloizas SAKALAS, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Elections

President:
last held March 1990 (elected by Parliament); results - LANDSBERGIS, BRAZAUSKAS
Supreme Council:
  • last held 24 February 1990;
  • results - Sajudis (nationalist movement won a large majority) (90) 63%;
  • seats - (141 total)

Other political or pressure groups

  • Sajudis;
  • Lithuanian Future Forum;
  • Farmers Union

Member of

CSCE, IAEA, ILO, NACC, UN, UNCTAD

Diplomatic representation

  • Ambassador Stasys LOZORAITIS, Jr.;
  • Embassy at 2622 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009;
  • telephone (202) 234-5860, 2639
US:
  • Ambassador Darryl JOHNSON;
  • Embassy at Mykolaicio putino 4, Vilnius;
  • (mailing address is APO AE 09862);
  • telephone [7] (01-22) 628-049

Flag

yellow, green, and red horizontal stripes

Economy

Lithuania is striving to become a small, independent, largely privatized | economy rather than a segment of a huge, centrally planned economy.

17 fields
External debt
$650million
(1991 est.)

Overview

Lithuania is striving to become a small, independent, largely privatized economy rather than a segment of a huge, centrally planned economy. Although substantially above average in living standards and technology in the old USSR, Lithuania historically lagged behind Latvia and Estonia in economic development.

It is ahead of its Baltic neighbors, however, in implementing market reform. The country has no important natural resources aside from its arable land and strategic location. Industry depends entirely on imported materials that have come from the republics of the former USSR. Lithuania benefits from its ice-free port at Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea and its rail and highway hub at Vilnius, which provides land communication between Eastern Europe and Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Belarus.

Industry produces a small assortment of high-quality products, ranging from complex machine tools to sophisticated consumer electronics. Thanks to nuclear power, Lithuania is presently self-sufficient in electricity, exporting its surplus to Latvia and Belarus; the nuclear facilities inherited from the USSR, however, have come under world scrutiny as seriously deficient in safety standards.

Agriculture is efficient compared with most of the former Soviet Union. Lithuania holds first place in per capita consumption of meat, second place for eggs and potatoes, and fourth place for milk and dairy products. Grain must be imported to support the meat and dairy industries.

As to economic reforms, Lithuania is pressing ahead with plans to privatize at least 60% of state-owned property (industry, agriculture, and housing) having already sold many small enterprises using a voucher system. Other government priorities include stimulating foreign investment by protecting the property rights of foreign firms and redirecting foreign trade away from Eastern markets to the more competitive Western markets. For the moment, Lithuania will remain highly dependent on Russia for energy, raw materials, grains, and markets for its products.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capita NA; real growth rate -13% (1991)

Budget

  • revenues 4.8 billion rubles;
  • expenditures 4.7 billion rubles (1989 economic survey);
  • note - budget revenues and expenditures are not given for other former Soviet republics;
  • implied deficit from these figures does not have a clear interpretation

Exports

700 million rubles (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:
electronics 18%, petroleum products 16%, food 10%, chemicals 6% (1989)
partners:
Russia 60%, Ukraine 15%, other former Soviet republics 20%, West 5%

Imports

2.2 billion rubles (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:
oil 24%, machinery 14%, chemicals 8%, grain NA%
partners:
NA

Industrial production

growth rate -1.3% (1991)

Electricity

5,875,000 kW capacity; 25,500 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

  • employs 25% of the labor force;
  • its shares in the total production of the former USSR are metal-cutting machine tools 6.6%;
  • electric motors 4.6%;
  • television sets 6.2%;
  • refrigerators and freezers 5.4%;
  • other production includes petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, and amber

Agriculture

  • employs 29% of labor force;
  • sugar, grain, potatoes, sugarbeets, vegetables, meat, milk, dairy products, eggs, and fish;
  • most developed are the livestock and dairy branches - these depend on imported grain;
  • Lithuania is a net exporter of meat, milk, and eggs

Illicit drugs

transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to Western Europe

Economic aid

  • US commitments, including Ex-Im (1992), $10 million;
  • Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million;
  • Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million

Currency

as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency but planning early introduction of ``litas''

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 66 ships by typeone square, one ship

cargo 27timber carrier 24container 1railcar carrier 3combination bulk 1166 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 268,854 GRT/315,690 DWT

Networkskm

Highways
44,200Railroads
2,010 (1990)Inland waterways
600
Highways: (1990); 35,500 km hard surfaced, 8,700 km earth · Railroads: (includes NA km electrified); does not include industrial lines

Railroads

2,010 km (includes NA km electrified); does not include industrial lines (1990)

Highways

44,200 km total (1990); 35,500 km hard surfaced, 8,700 km earth

Ports

maritime - Klaipeda; inland - Kaunas

Telecommunications

  • better developed than in most other former USSR republics;
  • 22.4 telephones per 100 persons;
  • broadcast stations - 13 AM, 26 FM, 1 SW, 1 LW, 3 TV;
  • landlines or microwave to former USSR republics;
  • leased connection to the Moscow international switch for traffic with other countries;
  • satellite earth stations - (8 channels to Norway)

Defense Forces

Ground Forces, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), | National Guard/Volunteers; Russian Forces (Ground, Navy, Air, and Air | Defense)

2 fields

Branches

Ground Forces, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard/Volunteers; Russian Forces (Ground, Navy, Air, and Air Defense)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Lithuania.” The World Factbook 1992. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/lithuania/1992.

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