Lithuania Tourism - Travel to Lithuania

Flag

Quick Facts
Capital	Vilnius
Government	parliamentary democracy
Currency	litas (LTL)
Area	total: 65,200 sq km water: NA sq km land: NA sq km
Population	3,601,138 (July 2002 est.)
Language	Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian
Religion	Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish

Lithuania is a Baltic country in Northeastern Europe. It has a Baltic Sea coastline in the west and surrounded by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east, Poland to the southwest, and Russia (Kaliningrad) to the west.

Regions in Lithuania

Map of Lithuania

Administrative divisions: 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus

Cities in Lithuania

Vilnius - Capital

Ports and harbors

Other destinations - Travel to Lithuania

Understand Lithuania Tourism

Climate in Lithuania

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

Terrain

Lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil. The fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits.

Highest point: Juozapines/Kalnas 292 m

History of Lithuania

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

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).

Independence: 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence)

Constitution: adopted 25 October 1992

The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration into Western European institutions.

Get into Lithuania

Travel to Lithuania By Plane

Travel to Lithuania By Train

Travel to Lithuania By car

Travel to Lithuania By Bus

Travel to Lithuania By Boat

Get around in Lithuania

Lithuania Talk

Languages: Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian

Buy

Eat - Travel to Lithuania

Drink

Sleep - Lithuania Tourism

Learn

Work

Stay safe - Lithuania Tourism

Stay Healthy While You Travel to Lithuania

Respect

Contact

External Links for Lithuania Tourism

The rest of this article is an import from the CIA World Factbook 2002. It's a starting point for creating a real aTRAVELdirectory country article according to our country article template. Please plunge forward and integrate it into the article above.

Geography in Lithuania

Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 24 00 E
Area: total: 65,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Coastline: 99 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 NM
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.)
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

People in Lithuania

Population: 3,601,138 (July 2002 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

Government in 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
Legal system: based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466
telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860
chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John F. TEFFT
embassy: 2600 Akmenu 6, Vilnius
mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE 09723
telephone: [370] (2) 665-500
FAX: [370] (2) 665-510

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red

Economy in Lithuania

Economy - overview: Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has been slowly rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. High unemployment, still 12% in 2002, and weak consumption have held back 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 underway. Overall, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. The US government and business aid have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

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
Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish
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 21%, machinery and equipment 17%, transport equipment 11%, chemicals 9%, textiles and clothing 9%, metals 5% (2001)
Currency: litas (LTL)
Currency code: LTL
Exchange rates: litai per US dollar - 3.4946 (15 October 2002), 3.4794 (1 July 2002), 4.000 (fixed rate between 1 May 1994 and 1 February 2002); note - litai is the plural of litas; effective 1 February 2002 the litas was pegged to the euro at a rate of 3.4528
Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

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 in 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 (2001)
standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways: total: 44,000 km
paved: 35,500 km
unpaved: 8,500 km (2001)
Waterways: 600 km (perennially navigable)
Airports: 72 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 63
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 55 (2002)

Military

Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force, National Volunteer Defense Forces (SKAT)

Transnational Issues in Lithuania

Disputes - international: the Russian Duma has not ratified 1997 boundary treaty; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights

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

Lithuania Tourism - Travel to Lithuania

Partner Sites: