Lithuania
Republic of LithuaniaLietuvos Respublika
parliamentary democracyIndependence 11 March 1990 (declared)
Lithuania as the 2008 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 137 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Lithuanian lands were united under MINDAUGAS in 1236; over the next century, through alliances and conquest, Lithuania extended its territory to include most of present-day Belarus and Ukraine. By the end of the 14th century Lithuania was the largest state in Europe. An alliance with Poland in 1386 led the two countries into a union through the person of a common ruler. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland formally united into a single dual state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
This entity survived until 1795, when its remnants were partitioned by surrounding countries. Lithuania regained its independence following World War I but was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US and many other countries. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004.
Geography
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia
20 fieldsLand useshare of 65,300 sq km
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 3.33 cu km/yr (78%/15%/7%)
- per capita:
- 971 cu m/yr (2003)
Environment - current issues
contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2008 est.)
Per 1,000 population(2008 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2001 census)
Religions(2001 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.06 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 0.96 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 0.53 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 0.89 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- degree of risk:
- intermediate
- food or waterborne diseases:
- bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
- vectorborne diseases:
- tickborne encephalitis (2008)
Languages
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
Government
Parliamentary democracy; President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004); Prime Minister Andrius KUBILIUS (since 27 November 2008)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Parliament or Seimas, elected 12 and 26 October 2008percent of vote
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Lithuania
- conventional short form:
- Lithuania
- local long form:
- Lietuvos Respublika
- local short form:
- Lietuva
- former:
- Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
Capital
- name:
- Vilnius
- geographic coordinates:
- 54 41 N, 25 19 E
- time difference:
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
- daylight saving time:
- +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions
10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus
National holiday
- Independence Day, 16 February (1918);
- note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood;
- 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union
Legal system
- based on civil law system;
- legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Andrius KUBILIUS (since 27 November 2008)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
- election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held in June 2009);
- prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament
- election results:
- Valdas ADAMKUS elected president;
- percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%;
- Andrius KUBILIUS approved by Parliament 89-27 with 16 abstentions
Legislative branch
unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats; 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; serve four-year terms)
- elections:
- last held 12 and 26 October 2008 (next to be held October 2012)
- election results:
- percent of vote by party - TS 19.7%, TPP 15.1%, TT 12.7%, LSDP 11.7%, KDP+J 9%, LRLS 5.7%, LCS 5.3%, LLRA 4.8%, LVLS 3.7%, NS 3.6%, other 8.7%;
- seats by faction - TS 44, LSDP 26, TPP 16, TT 15, LRLS 11, KDP+J 10, LCS 8, LLRA 3, LVLS 3, NS 1, independent 4
Judicial branch
- Constitutional Court;
- Supreme Court;
- Court of Appeal;
- judges for all courts appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders
- Civil Democracy Party or PDP [Viktor MUNTIANAS];
- Coalition of Labor Party and Youth or KDP+J [Viktor USPASKICH];
- Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles or LLRA [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI];
- Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS];
- Lithuanian Peasant Popular Union or LVLS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE];
- Liberal and Center Union or LCS [Arturas ZUOKAS];
- Liberal Movement or LRLS [Eligijus MASIULIS];
- National Revival or TPP [Arunas VALINSKAS];
- New Union (Social Liberal) or NS [Arturas PAULAUSKAS];
- Order and Justice Party or TT [Rolandas PAKSAS];
- Social Democratic Party or LSDP [Gediminas KIRKILAS];
- Young Lithuania and New Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS]
Political pressure groups and leaders
- Europe House (promotes the EU);
- European Movement (promotes the EU);
- Lithuanian Future Forum (promotes the EU)
International organization participation
Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA
- chancery:
- temporary address: 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Suite 302, Arlington, VA 22201
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 234-5860
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 328-0466
- consulate(s) general:
- Chicago, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador John A. CLOUD
- embassy:
- Akmenu gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106
- mailing address:
- American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106
- telephone:
- [370] (5) 266 5500
- FAX:
- [370] (5) 266 5510
Economy
Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis.
51 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2007 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.2% in 2007 while wages continued to grow at double digit rates, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports also grew strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 15% of GDP in 2007.
Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.
Unemployment rate
3.5% note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 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 jewelry
Exports - commodities
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
Imports - commodities
mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals
Exchange rates
litai (LTL) per US dollar - 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- adequate; being modernized to provide improved international capability and better residential access
- domestic:
- rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services has resulted in a steady decline in the number of main line subscriptions;
- mobile-cellular teledensity has increased to about 135 per 100 persons while fixed-line teledensity has dropped to 22 per 100 persons
- international:
- country code - 370;
- major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite;
- landline connections to Latvia and Poland (2007)
Television broadcast stations
27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001)
Transportation
9 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
Railways
- total:
- 1,771 km
- broad gauge:
- 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified)
- standard gauge:
- 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2006)
Merchant marine
- total:
- 45
- by type:
- cargo 23, container 2, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 13
- foreign-owned:
- 6 (Denmark 5, Ukraine 1)
- registered in other countries:
- 28 (Antigua and Barbuda 5, Cook Islands 1, North Korea 1, Malta 1, Norway 1, Panama 7, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 9, unknown 3) (2008)
Military
Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005)
Military service age and obligation
- 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service;
- 18 years of age for volunteers;
- 12-month conscript service obligation (2006)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999;
- Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules;
- the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons;
- as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation
Illicit drugs
- transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries;
- growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines;
- susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Lithuania.” The World Factbook 2008. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/lithuania/2008.