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Lithuania in 10 points
| 1. |
Capital: |
Vilnius |
| 2. |
Population: |
3.496.000 |
| 3. |
Ethnic profile: |
(83% ethnic Lithuanians; 6.7% of Polish origin; 6.3% of Russian origin). Approximately 1 million Lithuanians live overseas . |
| 4. |
Borders: |
Poland, Russia (Kaliningrad), Latvia and Belarus |
| 5. |
Main language: |
Lithuanian and Russian |
| 6. |
Currency: |
Lithuanian Litas |
| 7. |
Local delicacy: |
Cepelinai - doughy parcels filled with cheese, meat or mushrooms and covered in a creamy sauce. Kalnapilis is the best local beer and is preferable to Midus, the local 60% proof mead |
| 8. |
Country profile: |
The largest of the Baltic states. Lithuania is predominantly flat and offers over 60 miles of sandy coastline and 5 national parks. Resplendent with a magical cultural heritage, rich folk art traditions and old baroque towns, it is fast gaining reputation as 'the new Prague'. (Vilnius , not Lithuania?)
Lithuania consists of gently rolling plains (55% of the total land area) and extensive forests (30.3% of the country). Lithuania is more forested than Great Britain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Latvia and Belarus. The longest river is the Nemunas at 937 km in length (475 km through Lithuania). The country boasts more than 2800 lakes covering 1.5% of the country's area.
The most beautiful part of Lithuania is the famous Curonian spit, Lithuania's "tiny Sahara". Registered as a Unesco world heritage site in December 2000, the Curonian lagoon and spit were formed 5000 years ago by the churning waves of the restless Baltic Sea: the northern part of the lagoon belongs to Lithuania and the southern part to the Russian Federation (Kaliningrad district). The Curonian spit is a remarkable natural phenomenon. The 50 km-long portion of the peninsula is as narrow as 400 meters is some sections. Now a national park, the Curonian spit is an ecological treasure and serves as an important resting spot for approximately 15 million birds during their annual migrations. There are five natural reserves in Lithuania, 30 regional parks and about 750 protected landscape objects. These protected areas encompass 16.9% of the country's total forest area.
After the outbreak of the Second World War, Lithuania was occupied three times: in 1940 by the USSR as a consequence of the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939, in 1941 by Nazi Germany and by the USSR again in 1944 - an occupation which lasted until 1990. In 1941 and again from 1945-1953, there were mass deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia (approximately 250,000 people). During the war, some 220,000 Lithuanian Jews never returned from the gas chambers of Nazi Germany.
The 1985 Gorbachev's "Perestroika" had a crucial impact in Lithuania and its liberalisation process, the "Singing Revolution". In June 1988 a mass protest, gathering people from the three Baltic States, was held on the 50th anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet pact on 23 August 1989. Two million people linked hands in a human "Baltic chain" stretching 650 kilometres from Vilnius to Tallinn when the Baltic freedom song was sung. Lithuania, which was the first Baltic State to restore independence, paved the way for a peaceful and bloodless restoration process in Latvia and Estonia.
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| 9. |
Culture: |
Unesco declared Vilnius Old Town, dating from the 16th century, a World Heritage Site in 1994.
The Lithuanian language is among the oldest in Europe and belongs to the Baltic group of Indo-European languages. Lithuanian, among all the living Indo-European languages has been the most successful in preserving its ancient system of phonetics and most of its morphological features.
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| 10. |
Did you know that : |
The geographical centre of Europe (54°51' north and 25°19' east) lies in Lithuania, 20 kilometres north of the capital, Vilnius.
Lithuania has an outstanding sports record. The national basketball team is among the leading teams in the world: in 1997 the women's team won the European Championship in Budapest and the men's teams brought home several Olympic medals. Over 300 Olympic Lithuanian participants have won 28 gold, 19 Silver and 54 bronze medals.
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Interesting links
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Wales |
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Wales lies on the mid-west coast of the United Kingdom. The geology of Wales has shaped the country's history with its mountainous terrain providing a natural fort against...
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