LITHUANIA

Country Profile 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. Disputes 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 Location Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia Coordinates 56° 0' N 24° 0' E Capital Vilnius Main Cities Kaunas, Siauliai Area 65200 km2 Boundaries (km) 1,273 - Belarus 502, Latvia 453, Poland 91, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 Coastline (km) 99 Timezone (GMT) 2 Population 3,565,205 (July 2008 est.) Public Holidays 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 Currency litas (LTL) GDP $59.64 billion (2007 est.) Main Exports mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) Climate transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers Natural Hazards Physical Features Neman river, glaciated plains Environmental 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

Flag Country Map(s)

Population and Demographics

Lithuania has a population of 3,565,205 (July 2008 est.) .

Capital	Vilnius
Main urban areas	Kaunas, Siauliai
Ethnic groups	Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1%
Languages spoken	Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian

Population age 0-14: 14.5% (m 264,668/f 250,997) 15-64: 69.5% (m 1,214,236/f 1,263,198) 65+: 16% (m 197,498/f 374,608) (2008 est.)
	0-14	15-64	65+
Gender ratios At birth: 1.06 m/f , 0-14: 1.05 m/f , 15-64: 0.96 m/f , 65+: 0.53 m/f Total population: 0.89 m/f (2008 est.)

Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)

The population growth rate for Lithuania is -0.284% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of -0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 39 years male: 36.4 years female: 41.6 years (2008 est.).

Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for Lithuania are illustrated with a green bar.

Life Expectancy:	Total population: 74.67 years Male: 69.72 years Female: 79.89 years (2008 est.)	[74.67] [64.77] [ Male:, m] [63.16, m] [, f] [66.47, f]
Fertility:	1.22 children born/woman (2008 est.)	[1.22] [2.59]
Births:	9 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[9] [20.05]
Deaths:	11.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)	[11.12] [8.67]
Infants:	Total: 6.57 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 7.86 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 5.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)	[6.57] [48.87] [7.86, m] [50.98, m] [5.21, f] [46.65, f]

Economic Data

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.

Debt and Aid
Debt: $27.19 billion (31 December 2007)
Aid Given: N/A
Aid Received: $249.7 million (2004)

Labour Force
Number in labour force: 1.587 million (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 15.8% industry: 28.2% services: 56% (2004)
Unemployment: 3.5% note: based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2007 est.)

GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: litas (LTL)
GDP: $59.64 billion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $17,700 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 8.8% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 5.3% industry: 33.3% services: 61.4% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 7.4% (2007 est.)

Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
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
Land use: arable land: 44.81% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005)
Exports: mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
Electricity Consumption: 9.296 billion kWh (2005)
Natural Gas Consumption: 2.916 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Oil Consumption: 57,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Country Outline Map

Geographic Data
Lithuania is located in Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia, in the timezone GMT 2. The country has boundaries of 1,273 - Belarus 502, Latvia 453, Poland 91, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 (km), and a coastline of 99 (km). Major urban areas: Vilnius, Kaunas, Siauliai.

Elevations
Lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
Highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m

Physical Features
Neman river, glaciated plains

Hazards

Climate
Transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Natural Resources
Peat, arable land, amber

Land Use
Arable land: 44.81% permanent crops: 0.9% other: 54.29% (2005)

Renewable Water Resources
24.5 cu km (2005)

Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 3.33 cu km/yr (78%/15%/7%) per capita: 971 cu m/yr (2003)

Environmental Issues
Contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases

Detailed country map

Transport and Communications

A selection of key transport and communications information for Lithuania

Number of main telephone lines
792,400 (2006)

Mobile (cellular) phones
4.718 million (2006)

Radio stations
AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001)

Television stations
27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001)

Internet users
1.083 million (2006)

Country internet code
.lt

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 (2005)

Highways
total: 79,497 km paved: 70,549 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 8,948 km (2005)

Waterways
425 km (2005)

Pipelines
gas 1,696 km; oil 331 km; refined products 109 km (2004)

Ports and harbours
Klaipeda

Airports
87 (2007)

Heliports
NA