Lithuania

LITHUANIA

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Lithuania is located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Facts about Lithuania

Population	3,565,205 (July 2008 est.
Capital	Vilnius
Time zone	UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begin
Location	Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

General info about Lithuania

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.

Disease threats

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A

Languages spoken

Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)

What about 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

Ethnic division

Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

Climate

transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Resources

peat, arable land, amber

Economy

Lithuania has grown on average 8% per year over the last four years, driven by exports and domestic consumer demand. Unemployment stood at 4.8% in 2008, while wages continued to grow at double digit rates. The current account deficit rose to roughly 15% of GDP in 2007-08. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Despite Lithuania's EU accession, Lithuania's trade with its Central and Eastern European neighbors, and Russia in particular, accounts for a growing percentage of total trade. 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.