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{{short description|Country in Europe}} | |||
{{pps-template|small=yes}} | |||
{{ |
{{Other uses}} | ||
{{redirect|Litwa}} | |||
{{ŠaliesLentelė | |||
{{pp-pc1}} | |||
| pavadinimas={{PAGENAME}} | |||
{{pp-move-indef}} | |||
| vietinisPavadinimas='''Lietuvos Respublika''' | |||
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} | |||
| kilm=Lietuvos | |||
{{Infobox country | |||
| žemėlapis=EU-Lithuania.svg | |||
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Lithuania | |||
| vėliava=Flag_of_Lithuania.svg | |||
| native_name = {{native name|lt|Lietuvos Respublika}} | |||
| herbas=Coat of Arms of Lithuania.svg | |||
| common_name = Lithuania | |||
| kalbos=] | |||
| image_flag = Flag of Lithuania.svg | |||
| sostinė=] | |||
| alt_flag = Flag of Lithuania | |||
| didžiausiasMiestas=] | |||
| image_coat = Coat of arms of Lithuania.svg | |||
| Valdymoforma=] parlamentinė respublika | |||
| alt_coat = Coat of arms of Lithuania | |||
| valdovų=3 | |||
| national_anthem = <br/>{{lang|lt|]}}<br />"National Hymn"<div style="padding-top:0.5em;">{{center|]}}</div> | |||
| titulas1=] | |||
| image_map = {{Switcher|]|Show map of Europe|]|Show globe}} | |||
| pavardė1=] | |||
| map_caption = {{map_caption |location_color=dark green |region=Europe |region_color=dark grey |subregion=the European Union |subregion_color=green |legend=EU-Lithuania.svg}} | |||
| titulas2=] | |||
| capital = ] | |||
| pavardė2=] | |||
| coordinates = {{Coord|54|41|N|25|19|E|type:city}} | |||
| titulas3=] | |||
| largest_city = capital | |||
| pavardė3=] | |||
| official_languages = ]<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2019 |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Lithuania_2006.pdf |website=Constitute Project}}</ref> | |||
| plotoVieta=121 | |||
| ethnic_groups = {{unbulleted list | |||
| plotas=65 300 | |||
|84.6% ] | |||
| vandens=1,98 %<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surface water and surface water change |access-date=2020-10-11 |publisher=] (EBPO) |url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | |||
|6.5% ] | |||
| gyvMetai=] | |||
|5.0% ] | |||
| gyventojuVieta=137 | |||
|1.0% ] | |||
| gyventoju={{increase}} 2 840 758<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=88f10685-cd22-44df-a087-d76dd5d5f892#/ |title=Pradžia – Oficialiosios statistikos portalas |website=osp.stat.gov.lt}}</ref> | |||
|0.5% ] | |||
| gyventojuTankis=43 | |||
|2.3% ] | |||
| tankumoVieta=138 | |||
| BVPMetai=] | |||
| BVPVieta=86 | |||
| BVP={{increase}} 68,031<ref name="imf2">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October|title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022|date=2022-10|website=IMF.org|publisher=]|access-date=2022-11-27}}</ref> | |||
| BVPValiuta=] | |||
| BVPGyventojui={{increase}} 24 032<ref name="imf2" /> | |||
| BVPGyventojuiVieta=52 | |||
| valiuta=] (]) (]) | |||
| laikoJuosta=]+2 (]) | |||
| vasarosLaikas=]+3 (]) | |||
| nepriklausomybėsĮvykis=Nuo ]| | |||
| nepriklausomybėsDatos=] m. ] d.<br>] m. ] d. | |||
| nepriklausomybėsPavadinimas=] <br />] | |||
| TLD=] | |||
| telKodas=+370 | |||
}} | }} | ||
| ethnic_groups_year = 2021<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=eb0fae4e-f7de-43b0-a727-f61ac012beee#/|title=Rodiklių duomenų bazė - Oficialiosios statistikos portalas|website=osp.stat.gov.lt}}</ref> | |||
'''Lietuva''', oficialiai '''Lietuvos Respublika''' ('''LR''') – valstybė ] dalyje, ] pietrytinėje pakrantėje. Plotas 65 300 km².<ref>Lietuvos statistikos departamentas, </ref> Lietuva – viena iš ]. Šiaurėje ribojasi su ] (sausumos sienos ilgis – 588 km, jūros siena – 22 km), rytuose ir pietuose – su ] (sienos ilgis – 677 km), pietvakariuose – su ] (sienos ilgis – 104 km) ir ] (] sausumos sienos ilgis – 255 km, ] – 18 km, jūra – 22 km). ] pakrantės ilgis – 90,66 km. ] ir ] yra ir ] siena. Lietuvos ekonominė zona ] (vakaruose) siekia ] ekonominę zoną. Didžiausias šalies miestas yra sostinė ]. Kiti didieji miestai: ], ], ], ]. | |||
| religion_year = 2021<ref name="religion-stats">{{cite web|title=Population by religious community indicated, municipalities (2021)|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=dadee47b-9204-48d2-a55e-e125d581f1b6#/|publisher=]|language=lt|access-date=2 January 2022}}</ref> | |||
| religion = {{unbulleted list | | |||
{{Tree list}} | |||
* 79.4% ] | |||
** 74.2% ] | |||
** 5.2% Other ] | |||
{{Tree list/end}} | |||
* 6.1% ] | |||
* 0.8% ] | |||
* 13.7% No answer}} | |||
| demonym = ] | |||
| government_type = ] ] ]<ref name="Lina">{{cite book |last=Kulikauskienė |first=Lina |date=2002 |title=Lietuvos Respublikos Konstitucija |trans-title=The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania |language=lt |publisher=Native History, CD. |isbn=978-9986-9216-7-7 |quote=<!-- Please, provide a quotation if you have access to the book. -->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Veser |first=Ernst |author-link=<!-- Ernst Veser --> |date=23 September 1997 |title=Semi-Presidentialism-Duverger's Concept – A New Political System Model |url=http://www.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/publication/ebook/journal/11-01-1999/11_1_2.pdf |publisher=Department of Education, School of Education, ] |language=en, zh |pages=39–60 |access-date=23 August 2017 |quote=Duhamel has developed the approach further: He stresses that the French construction does not correspond to either parliamentary or the presidential form of government, and then develops the distinction of 'système politique' and 'régime constitutionnel'. While the former comprises the exercise of power that results from the dominant institutional practice, the latter is the totality of the rules for the dominant institutional practice of the power. In this way, France appears as 'presidentialist system' endowed with a 'semi-presidential regime' (1983: 587). By this standard he recognizes Duverger's ''pléiade'' as semi-presidential regimes, as well as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania (1993: 87). |archive-date=24 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424202059/https://www.rchss.sinica.edu.tw/publication/ebook/journal/11-01-1999/11_1_2.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Draft">{{Cite journal |last=Shugart |first=Matthew Søberg |author-link=Matthew Søberg Shugart |date=September 2005 |title=Semi-Presidential Systems: Dual Executive and Mixed Authority Patterns |url=http://dss.ucsd.edu/~mshugart/semi-presidentialism.pdf |url-status=dead |journal=Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies |location=United States |publisher=University of California, San Diego |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819200307/http://dss.ucsd.edu/~mshugart/semi-presidentialism.pdf |archive-date=19 August 2008 |access-date=23 August 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Dual">{{Cite journal |last=Shugart |first=Matthew Søberg |author-link=Matthew Søberg Shugart |date=December 2005 |title=Semi-Presidential Systems: Dual Executive And Mixed Authority Patterns |journal=French Politics |publisher=] Journals |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=323–351 |doi=10.1057/palgrave.fp.8200087 |doi-access=free |quote=A pattern similar to the French case of compatible majorities alternating with periods of cohabitation emerged in Lithuania, where Talat-Kelpsa (2001) notes that the ability of the Lithuanian president to influence government formation and policy declined abruptly when he lost the sympathetic majority in parliament. }}</ref> | |||
| leader_title1 = ] | |||
| leader_name1 = ] | |||
| leader_title2 = ] | |||
| leader_name2 = ] | |||
| leader_title3 = ] | |||
| leader_name3 = ] | |||
| legislature = ] | |||
| sovereignty_type = ] | |||
| established_event1 = ] | |||
| established_date1 = 9 March 1009 | |||
| established_event2 = ] | |||
| established_date2 = 1236 | |||
| established_event3 = Coronation of ] | |||
| established_date3 = 6 July 1253 | |||
| established_event4 = ] | |||
| established_date4 = 2 February 1386 | |||
| established_event5 = ] created | |||
| established_date5 = 1 July 1569 | |||
| established_event6 = ] | |||
| established_date6 = 24 October 1795 | |||
| established_event7 = ] | |||
| established_date7 = 16 February 1918 | |||
| established_event8 = ] | |||
| established_date8 = 11 March 1990 | |||
| established_event9 = ] to ] | |||
| established_date9 = 29 March 2004 | |||
| established_event10 = ] the ] | |||
| established_date10 = 1 May 2004 | |||
| area_rank = 121st <!-- Area rank should match ] --> | |||
| area_km2 = 65,300 | |||
| area_sq_mi = 25,212 <!-- Do not remove per ] --> | |||
| percent_water = 1.98 (2015)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Surface water and surface water change |access-date=2020-10-11 |publisher=] (OECD) |url=https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=SURFACE_WATER#}}</ref> | |||
| population_estimate = {{increase}} 2,840,758<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=88f10685-cd22-44df-a087-d76dd5d5f892#/ |title=Pradžia – Oficialiosios statistikos portalas |website=osp.stat.gov.lt}}</ref> | |||
| population_estimate_rank = 137th | |||
| population_estimate_year = 2022 | |||
| population_density_km2 = 43 | |||
| population_density_sq_mi = 111 <!-- Do not remove per ] --> | |||
| population_density_rank = 138th | |||
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $131 billion<ref name="imf2">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2022/October|title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2022|date=October 2022|website=IMF.org|publisher=]|access-date=27 November 2022}}</ref> | |||
| GDP_PPP_rank = 88th | |||
| GDP_PPP_year = 2022 | |||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $46,158<ref name="imf2" /> | |||
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 38th | |||
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $68 billion<ref name="imf2" /> | |||
| GDP_nominal_rank = 86th | |||
| GDP_nominal_year = 2022 | |||
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $24,032<ref name="imf2" /> | |||
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 52nd | |||
| Gini = 35.1 <!-- number only --> | |||
| Gini_ref = <ref name="eurogini">{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|title=Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income|publisher=]|access-date=22 June 2022|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009091832/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tessi190/default/table?lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
| Gini_rank = | |||
| Gini_year = 2020 <!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year--> | |||
| Gini_change = decrease <!-- increase/decrease/steady --> | |||
| HDI = 0.875 <!-- number only --> | |||
| HDI_ref = <ref name="UNHDR">{{cite web|url=https://hdr.undp.org/system/files/documents/global-report-document/hdr2021-22pdf_1.pdf|title=Human Development Report 2021/2022|language=en|publisher=]|date=8 September 2022|access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref> | |||
| HDI_rank = 35th | |||
| HDI_year = 2021 | |||
| HDI_change = increase <!-- increase/decrease/steady --> | |||
| currency = ] (]) | |||
| currency_code = EUR | |||
| time_zone = ] | |||
| utc_offset = +2 | |||
| time_zone_DST = ] | |||
| utc_offset_DST = +3 | |||
| date_format = {{abbr|yyyy|year}}-{{abbr|mm|month}}-{{abbr|dd|day}} (]) | |||
| drives_on = right | |||
| cctld = ]<sup>a</sup> | |||
| calling_code = ] | |||
| official_website = {{URL|https://lithuania.lt}} | |||
| footnote_a = Also ], shared with other European Union member states. | |||
}} | |||
{{coord|55|N|24|E|region:LT_type:country|display=title}} | |||
'''Lithuania''' ({{IPAc-en| audio = Lithuania pronunciation RP.ogg|ˌ|l|ɪ|θj|u|ˈ|eɪ|n|i|ə}};<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jones |first=Daniel |author-link=Daniel Jones (phonetician) |editor1-last=Roach |editor1-first=Peter |editor2-last=Setter |editor2-first=Jane |editor2-link=Jane Setter |editor3-last=Esling |editor3-first=John |year=2011 |title=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary |edition=18th |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-15253-2 |title-link=Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary}}</ref> {{lang-lt|Lietuva}} {{IPA-lt|lʲɪɛtʊˈvɐ|}}), officially the '''Republic of Lithuania''' ({{lang-lt|Lietuvos Respublika|links=no}} {{IPA-lt|lʲɪɛtʊˈvoːs rʲɛsˈpʊblʲɪkɐ|}}), is a country in the ] of ].{{efn|name=location|Various sources classify Lithuania differently for statistical and other purposes. For example, United Nations,<ref name="UN">{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/#geo-regions|title=United Nations Statistics Division- Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (M49)-Geographic Regions|website=Unstats.un.org}}</ref> and ] (which additionally classifies Lithuania as central and eastern European country),<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania - EU Vocabularies - Publications Office of the EU |url=https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/concept/-/resource?uri=http://eurovoc.europa.eu/5709&lang=en |website=op.europa.eu |access-date=9 March 2023}}</ref> among others, classify it as northern Europe, the ]<ref name="CIA">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lithuania/|publisher=]|title=Lithuania|date=22 September 2021}}</ref> classifies it as eastern Europe, and '']'' locates it in northeastern Europe.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lithuania|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lithuania|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=1 September 2017}}</ref> Usage varies greatly, and controversially,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bershidsky|first1=Leonid|title=Why the Baltics Want to Move to Another Part of Europe|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-10/why-the-baltics-want-to-move-to-another-part-of-europe|access-date=1 September 2017|work=Bloomberg |date=10 January 2017|url-access=subscription}}</ref> in press sources.}} It is one of three ] and lies on the eastern shore of the ]. Lithuania shares land borders with ] to the north, ] to the east and south, ] to the south, and ] to the southwest.{{efn|Lithuania borders ], an ] of Russia sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, on the coast of the Baltic Sea.}} It has a ] with ] to the west on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania covers an area of {{convert|65300|km2|sqmi|abbr= on}}, with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is ]; other major cities are ] and ]. ] belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the ] and speak ], one of only a few living ]. | |||
For millennia the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various ]. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united by ], ] and founding the ] on 6 July 1253. In the 14th century, the ] was the largest country in Europe;<ref name="Bideleux"/> present-day Lithuania, Belarus, most of Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were all lands of the Grand Duchy. The ] and the ] were in a '']'' ] from 1386 with the marriage of the Polish queen ] and Lithuania's Grand Duke ], who was crowned King '']'' ] of Poland. The Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania was established by the ] in July 1569. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries ] it in 1772–1795, with the ] annexing most of Lithuania's territory. As ] ended, Lithuania's ] was signed on 16 February 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. In ], Lithuania was occupied ] and ]. Towards the end of the war in 1944, when the Germans were retreating, the Soviet Union ]. ] to the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal ], Lithuania passed the ], becoming the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lithuania breaks away from the Soviet Union |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/1990/mar/12/eu.politics |website=] |quote=Lithuania last night became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union, by proclaiming the restoration of its pre-war independence. The newly-elected parliament, 'reflecting the people's will,' decreed the restoration of 'the sovereign rights of the Lithuanian state, infringed by alien forces in 1940,' and declared that from that moment Lithuania was again an independent state |location=London |date=12 March 1990 |access-date=7 June 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos valstybė susidarė XIII a., po ] m. ] Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė tapo ] dalimi. Ši valstybė gyvavo daugiau nei 200 metų, kol kaimyninės šalys ], ] ir ] XVIII a. pabaigoje galutinai ] jos teritoriją. ] pabaigoje, ] m. ] d., ] paskelbė apie nepriklausomybės atkūrimą, iki 1921 m. Lietuvos Respubliką pripažino dauguma pasaulio valstybių. Po daugiau nei 20 metų nepriklausomybės ] metais šalis buvo okupuota ir aneksuota ], 1941–1945 m. okupuota ], 1944–1945 m. dar kartą okupuota Sovietų Sąjungos. ] m. ] d. Aukščiausioji Taryba paskelbė ]. | |||
Lithuania is a ], with a ] ]; ranking very high in the ]. It ranks favourably in terms of ], ], ], ], and ]. Lithuania is a member of the ], the ], ], the ], ], ] and ]. It also participates in the ] (NB8) regional co-operation format. | |||
Nuo 2004 m. Lietuva yra viena iš ] valstybių, įeinančių į ], kurioje nėra pasienio kontrolės. Nuo 2015 m. valstybė priklauso ]. Lietuva yra aukštų pajamų ],<ref>. Tikrinta 2020 m. sausio 12 d.</ref> pasiekusi aukštą ], aukštai vertinamas Lietuvos pilietinių laisvių, žiniasklaidos laisvės, interneto laisvės, demokratijos lygis. Lietuva yra ], ], ], ] narė. | |||
== |
==Etymology== | ||
{{Main|Name of Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
The first known record of the name of Lithuania ({{lang-lt|Lietuva}}) is in a 9 March 1009 story of ] in the ].<ref>{{cite journal | title=On the Origin of the Name of Lithuania | journal=Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences | volume=55 | issue=3 | date=Fall 2009 | first=Tomas | last=Baranauskas | issn=0024-5089}}</ref> The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva: ''Litua''<ref>Vilnius. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070117201537/http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/index.php/en/39453/ |date=17 January 2007 }}. Retrieved on 18 January 2007.</ref> (pronounced {{IPA|}}). Due to the lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown. Nowadays, scholars still debate the meaning of the word and there are a few plausible versions.<ref name="VardasVle">{{cite web |last1=Zinkevičius |first1=Zigmas |authorlink1=Zigmas Zinkevičius |title=Lietuvos vardas |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-vardas/ |website=] |access-date=12 July 2021 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
Since ''Lietuva'' has a suffix (-''uva''), the original word should have no suffix.<ref name="VardasVle"/> A likely candidate is ''Lietā''. Because many ] ]s originated from ]s, linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. Usually, such names evolved through the following process: hydronym → toponym → ].<ref name=Zigmas2>Zigmas Zinkevičius. Kelios mintys, kurios kyla skaitant Alfredo Bumblausko Senosios Lietuvos istoriją 1009-1795m. Voruta, 2005.</ref> ], a small river not far from ], the core area of the ] and a possible first capital of the eventual ], is usually credited as the source of the name.<ref name=Zigmas2/> However, the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation. On the other hand, such naming is not unprecedented in world history.<ref name=Zigmas>{{cite journal |first=Zigmas |last=Zinkevičius |url=http://www.voruta.lt/archyvas/74/253 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220510083828/https://www.voruta.lt/archyvas/74/253 |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 May 2022 |title=Lietuvos vardo kilmė |journal=Voruta |issn=1392-0677 |date=30 November 1999 |volume=3 |issue=669 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos pavadinimo kilmė nėra tiksliai žinoma. Kadangi daugelis baltų etnonimų yra kilę nuo upių pavadinimų, Lietuvos pavadinimas siejamas su upelio ] pavadinimu.<ref>Zigmas Zinkevičius. Kelios mintys, kurios kyla skaitant Alfredo Bumblausko Senosios Lietuvos istoriją 1009–1795 m. Voruta, 2005.</ref> Kadangi tai nedidelis upelis, ši prielaida kelia prieštaravimų, kad toks mažas upeliukas negalėjo suteikti pavadinimo didelei žemei ir genčiai. Istorikas ] valstybės pavadinimą kildina iš žodžio ''],'' kuriais XIV–XV a. šaltiniuose vadintas kunigaikščio tarnybinių asmenų sluoksnis. Tai buvo kariai kolonistai, kurie prie didžiojo kunigaikščio valdų prijungtose žemėse įtvirtindavo valdžią.<ref>Dubonis, Artūras (1998). Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikščio leičiai: iš Lietuvos ankstyvųjų valstybinių struktūrų praeities (Leičiai of Grand Duke of Lithuania: from the past of Lithuanian stative structures (in Lithuanian). Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla.</ref> | |||
Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dubonis|first=Artūras|title=Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikščio leičiai: iš Lietuvos ankstyvųjų valstybinių struktūrų praeities Leičiai of Grand Duke of Lithuania: from the past of Lithuanian stative structures|publisher=Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla|location=Vilnius|year=1998|language=lt}}</ref> that Lietuva relates to the word '']'' (plural of ''leitis''). From the middle of the 13th century, ''leičiai'' were a distinct warrior social group of the ] society subordinate to the ] or the state itself. The word ''leičiai'' is used in the 14–16th century historical sources as an ] for Lithuanians (but not ]) and is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the ], which is closely related to Lithuanian.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dubonis |first1=Artūras |title=Leičiai {{!}} Orbis Lituaniae |url=https://ldkistorija.lt/pasakojimai/leiciai/ |publisher=] |website=LDKistorija.lt |access-date=13 July 2021 |language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Čeponis |first1=Tomas |last2=Sakalauskas |first2=Mindaugas |title=Leičiai |publisher=] |location=] |isbn=978-609-412-143-2 |url=https://kam.lt/download/63818/lei%C4%8Diai%20bro%C5%A1i%C5%ABra%2020x20%20lt%20internetui.pdf |access-date=13 July 2021 }}{{Dead link|date=July 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Patackas|first1=Algirdas|title=Lietuva, Lieta, Leitis, arba ką reiškia žodis "Lietuva"|url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/-12499654771249731456-lietuva-lieta-leitis-arba-k%C4%85-rei%C5%A1kia-%C5%BEodis-lietuva.htm|website=]|access-date=11 August 2009|language=lt-LT|archive-date=2 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702013521/https://kultura.lrytas.lt/-12499654771249731456-lietuva-lieta-leitis-arba-k%C4%85-rei%C5%A1kia-%C5%BEodis-lietuva.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
== Istorija == | |||
{{main|Lietuvos istorija}} | |||
==History== | |||
=== Priešistorė ir ankstyvoji istorija === | |||
{{Main|History of Lithuania}} | |||
] ištrauka (tekste pažymėta vieta, kurioje minima Lietuva)]] | |||
{{See also|Duchy of Lithuania}} | |||
Į dabartinę Lietuvos teritoriją pirmieji gyventojai atsikėlė po paskutiniojo ledynmečio prieš 11–13 tūkstančių metų.<ref>Tomas Ostrauskas. Vėlyvasis paleolitas.//A.Girininkas (red.) Lietuvos istorija. T.1. Vilnius: Baltos lankos, 2005. p. 22-23. ISBN 9955-584-90-4.</ref> Paleolito gyventojai priklausė ] ir Pabaltijo ] kultūrinėms grupėms.<ref>V.Juodagalvis. Paleolitas. XI–IX tūkstantmetis pr. Kr.// Lietuvos proistorė. Archeologijos ekspozicijos vadovas. Lietuvos nacionalinis muziejus, 2000. P.22.</ref> Mezolito gyventojai priklausė ] ir ] kultūroms.<ref>Edgar C. Polomé; Werner Winter (2011). . Walter de Gruyter. p. 298. ISBN 978-3-11-086792-3.</ref> Pirmieji gyventojai buvo klajokliai, nuolatinių gyvenviečių nekūrė. VIII tūkst. pr. m. e. klimatas šilo, plėtėsi miškai. Gyventojai ėmė mažiau klajoti, užsiėmė vietine medžiokle, žvejyba, rinkimu. Žemdirbystė dabartinę Lietuvos teritoriją pasiekė III tūkst. pr. m. e. Neolite regione paplito virvelinės keramikos kultūrų grupei priklausanti ], kuri laikoma ]. Pirmaisiais mūsų eros amžiais jau išskiriamos baltų gentinės sąjungos, tarp jų ] ir ].<ref>R.Rimantienė. , vle.lt</ref> | |||
] was once a valuable trade resource. It was transported from the region of modern-day Lithuania to the ] and ] through the ].]] | |||
The first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the ] in the ]: ], ] and ]s.<ref name="PoloméWinter2011">{{cite book|author1=Edgar C. Polomé|author2=Werner Winter|title=Reconstructing Languages and Cultures|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DIj-nZWsX_0C&pg=PA298|year=2011|publisher=Walter de Gruyter|isbn=978-3-11-086792-3|page=298}}</ref> They were traveling hunters and did not form stable settlements. In the 8th millennium BC, the climate became much warmer, and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania then travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. Agriculture did not emerge until the ] due to a harsh climate and terrain and a lack of suitable tools to cultivate the land. Crafts and trade also started to form at this time. Over a millennium, the ], who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Šapoka|first1=Adolfas|title=Lietuvos istorija|date=1936|publisher=]|location=Kaunas|pages=13–17|url=http://www.partizanai.org/failai/pdf/sapokos-istorija.pdf}}</ref> | |||
The ] did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with the ],<ref name="MacDonald1996">{{cite book|author=Michael H. MacDonald|title=Europe, a Tantalizing Romance: Past and Present Europe for Students and the Serious Traveler|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BQyk0nJNsxUC&pg=PA174|year=1996|publisher=University Press of America|isbn=978-0-7618-0411-6|page=174}}</ref> but they did maintain trade contacts (see ]). ], in his study '']'', described the ] people, inhabitants of the south-eastern ] shores who were probably Balts, around the year 97 AD. The Western Balts differentiated and became known to outside chroniclers first. ] in the ] knew of the ] and ], and ] chroniclers mentioned ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite book |first1=Alfonsas |last1=Eidintas |first2=Alfredas |last2=Bumblauskas |first3=Antanas |last3=Kulakauskas |first4=Mindaugas |last4=Tamošaitis |title=The History of Lithuania |year=2013 |url=http://static.eu2013.lt/uploads/documents/Liet_istorija_knygos/EN_lt.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215231241/http://static.eu2013.lt/uploads/documents/Liet_istorija_knygos/EN_lt.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=15 December 2013 |publisher=Eugrimas |isbn=978-609-437-204-9 |pages=22–26}}</ref> | |||
The ] is considered to be very ] for its close connection to Indo-European roots. It is believed to have differentiated from the ], the most closely related existing language, around the 7th century.<ref name="Bumblauskas 13">Eidintas et al. (2013), p. 13</ref> Traditional ], with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to ]: the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukes ] and ] have survived.<ref name="Bumblauskas 24-25">Eidintas et al. (2013), pp. 24–25</ref> | |||
Lietuva pirmą kartą paminėta Kvedlinburgo metraštyje aprašant vyskupo ] žūtį Rusios ir Lietuvos pasienyje ] metų<ref>Gudavičius, Edvardas (1999) ''Lietuvos Istorija: Nuo Seniausių Laikų iki 1569 Metų (Lithuanian History: From Ancient Times to the Year 1569)'' Vilnius, page 28, ISBN 5-420-00723-1</ref> ] dieną. Vėlesniuose metraščiuose dar minima kita – ] d., tačiau metų įvairovė didelė. Brunono mirties datą 1009 m. mini 9 iš 25 šaltinių. Viename teigiama, esą tai įvyko 1002 m., penki įvardija 1008 m., vienas – 1010 m. Šaltiniuose nurodo bent septynias žūties vietas – tai Rusios–Lietuvos, Prūsijos–Rusios, Prūsijos–Rusijos–Lietuvos pasienis, Prūsija, Rusija, pečenegų žemės ir Vengrija. X–XI a. rusų metraščiai mini Lietuvą kaip vieną iš žemių, kurios mokėjo duoklę ]i, metraščiuose minimas karinis ] žygis į Lietuvą. Nuo XII a. vidurio lietuviai ima puldinėti rusų žemes. 1183 m. nusiaubtos Polocko ir Pskovo žemės, net galingai Naugardo respublikai XII a. pabaigoje ne kartą grėsė lietuvių kariaunų įsiveržimai.<ref>{{cite book| first=Jerzy |last=Ochmański |title=Historia Litwy |year=1982 |edition=2nd |isbn=9788304008861 |publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich |language=pl |pages=39–42}}</ref> Daugėjant iš plėšiamųjų žygių parsivežamo turto ir belaisvių ryškėjo turtiniai skirtumai, išsiskyrė karingieji kunigaikščiai iš kitų perimdami valdžią. Lietuvos teritorijoje gyvavusių kelių skirtingų baltų genčių sukurtų kunigaikštysčių jungimasis į vieną konfederacinę ar federacinę Lietuvos valstybę prasidėjo greičiausiai dar I-ame tūkstantmetyje, tačiau anot vyraujančios istoriografinės sampratos valstybės susidarymas baigėsi tik ] II ketvirtyje, tada hipotetinės ] ar ]s pagrindu susikūrus ].<ref>Rimvydas Petrauskas. , vle.lt</ref> | |||
===Grand Duchy of Lithuania=== | |||
=== Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė === | |||
{{Main|Kingdom of Lithuania}} | |||
{{main|LDK}} | |||
{{See also|Grand Duchy of Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
].<ref name="Bideleux">{{cite book |last1=Bideleux |first1=Robert |last2=Jeffries |first2=Ian |title=A history of Eastern Europe: crisis and change |date=1998 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-16111-4 |page=122}}</ref> Lithuania's strength was its ] of various ]s and ]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tautinė ir religinė įvairovė / XVI vidurio – XVII a.|url=http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/religiniai-konfliktai-vilniuje-xvi-a-pabaigoje/471|website=LDKistorija.lt|access-date=26 January 2018|archive-date=27 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180127004414/http://m.ldkistorija.lt/index.php/istoriniai-faktai/religiniai-konfliktai-vilniuje-xvi-a-pabaigoje/471|url-status=dead}}</ref>]] | |||
] | |||
XIII a. ketvirtajame dešimtmetyje Lietuvos valstybės pirmuoju valdovu tapo ], kuris priėmė krikštą ir 1253 m. liepą buvo karūnuotas karaliumi.<ref name="voruta2001"> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601052806/http://www.voruta.lt/lietuvos-karalystei-%E2%80%93-750/ |date=2012-06-01}}. voruta.lt.</ref> Vėliau nuo krikšto atsisakė, o 1263 m. buvo nužudytas.<ref>Edvardas Gudavičius , vle.lt</ref> Pagoniška Lietuva buvo nuolatinių ] ir ] žygių taikiniu. Nepaisant sunkios ir nuolatinės kovos su Ordinais Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė greitai plėtėsi prisijungdama Rusios kunigaikštystes. ] pabaigoje susiformavo ] (pirmieji žymūs dinastijos valdovai – ] ir ]). | |||
From the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by the ],<ref name="Kasekamp2017">{{cite book|author=Andres Kasekamp|title=A History of the Baltic States|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QDA5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|year=2017|publisher=Macmillan International Higher Education|isbn=978-1-137-57366-7|page=9}}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the kings of ] collected tribute at times.{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} During the 10–11th centuries, Lithuanian territories were among the lands paying tribute to ], and ] was among the ]n rulers who invaded Lithuania (from 1040).{{Citation needed|date=January 2021}} From the mid-12th century, it was the Lithuanians who were invading Ruthenian territories. In 1183, ] and ] were ravaged, and even the distant and powerful ] was repeatedly threatened by the excursions from the emerging Lithuanian war machine toward the end of the ].<ref>{{cite book| first=Jerzy |last=Ochmański |title=Historia Litwy |year=1982 |edition=2nd |isbn=978-83-04-00886-1 |publisher=Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich |language=pl |pages=39–42}}</ref> | |||
Kunigaikštis ] diplomatinėmis priemonėmis (daugiausiai ištekindamas dukras) gerokai išplėtė Lietuvos teritoriją į rytus. Jo sūnus ] toliau tęsė plėtrą karinėmis priemonėmis, prie to taip pat prisidėjo ir jo brolis ]. 1362 m. Algirdas pasiekė svarbią pergalę prieš Aukso Ordą ] ir įsitvirtino pietų Rusioje – ], ]je bei menkai apgyvendintoje Dykroje.<ref>Baranauskas, Tomas (2012-06-23). . Veidas (25): 30–32. ISSN 1392-5156.</ref> Užėmusi Kijevą Lietuvos didžioji kunigaikštystė tapo tiesiogine ] kaimyne ir varžove.<ref>Auty, Robert; Obolensky, Dimitri (1981). . Cambridge University Press. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-521-28038-9.</ref> | |||
From the late 12th century, an organized Lithuanian military force existed; it was used for external raids, plundering and the gathering of slaves. Such military and pecuniary activities fostered social differentiation and triggered a struggle for power in Lithuania. This initiated the formation of early statehood, from which the ] developed.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baczkowski|first1=Krzysztof|title=''Dzieje Polski późnośredniowiecznej (1370–1506)'' |date=1999|publisher=Fogra|location=Kraków|isbn=978-83-85719-40-3|pages=55–61}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania - History |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Lithuania/History#ref37336 |website=] |access-date=1 July 2021}}</ref> The disparate Lithuanian tribes along the Nemunas were united into the Lithuanian state by 1219, at the latest.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Boswell|first=A. Bruce|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.granth.91050/page/61/mode/2up?q=Lithuanian|title=Poland and the Poles|publisher=Methuen & Co.|year=1919|location=London|pages=61}}</ref> The only Lithuanian ] ], ], was baptised as a ] in 1251 and crowned as ] on 6 July 1253.<ref name="voruta2001">{{in lang|lt}} Tomas Baranauskas (2001). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601052806/http://www.voruta.lt/lietuvos-karalystei-%E2%80%93-750/|date=1 June 2012}}. voruta.lt.</ref> | |||
XIV a. pabaigoje Lietuva pasiekė didžiausią teritorinį išsiplėtimą – pietuose jos sienos siekė net ], valstybė apėmė dabartinių Lietuvos, Baltarusijos, dalies Ukrainos, Rusijos ir Lenkijos teritorijas.<ref>Paul Magocsi (1996). History of the Ukraine. University of Toronto Press. p. 128. ISBN 0802078206.</ref> Tuo pačiu metu nuo XIII a. Lietuvos valstybė nuolat kariavo su Vokiečių Ordinu. Geopolitinė situacija tarp Rytų ir Vakarų lėmė tai, kad Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė buvo daugiakultūrė ir daugiakonfesė valstybė. Valdantysis elitas laikėsi religinės tolerancijos, oficialiuose dokumentuose naudota lotynų ir ].<ref>Babinskas, Nerijus. „Etninė ir konfesinė LDK įvairovė. Reformacija“. šaltiniai.info Tikrinta 2019-05-20.</ref> | |||
After his assassination in 1263, ] was a target of the ] of the ] and the ]. The ] is noted for the Lithuanians' defense against the intruders. Despite the devastating century-long struggle with the Orders, the ] expanded rapidly, overtaking former Ruthenian principalities of ].<ref name="Swanson2015">{{cite book|author=R. N. Swanson|title=The Routledge History of Medieval Christianity: 1050–1500|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gn8GCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA193|year=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-50809-0|page=193}}</ref> | |||
1385 m. Lietuvos didysis kunigaikštis Jogaila sudarė santuoką su Lenkijos sosto paveldėtoja ] ir 1386 m. buvo vainikuotas Lenkijos karaliumi. Taip buvo sudaryta personalinė Lietuvos ir Lenkijos unija.<ref>Rimvydas Petrauskas. Lemiamų įvykių link: politinė situacija Lietuvos Didžiojoje Kunigaikštystėje ir aplinkiniuose kraštuose XIV a. devintame dešimtmetyje// D.Baronas, A. Dubonis, R.Petrauskas Lietuvos istorija III tomas. Baltos lankos, 2011.</ref> Pagal Krėvos aktą Jogaila įsipareigojo Lietuvą apkrikštyti ir ] m. atvykęs į Lietuvą pats dalyvavo ], buvo įsteigta Vilniaus vyskupija.<ref>R.Petrauskas. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės visuomenė vėlyvaisiais viduramžiais: bendruomenė ir individas, struktūros ir institucijos.// J.Kiaupienė, R.Petrauskas. Lietuvos istorija IV tomas. Baltos lankos, 2009. P.188-189. ISBN 978-9955-23-239-1</ref> | |||
On 22 September 1236, the ] between ] and the ] took place close to ]. The Livonian Brothers were defeated during it and their further conquest of the ] lands were stopped.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Zikaras|first1=Karolis|title=Battle of Saulė 1236|date=2014|publisher=]|location=Domeikava, Kaunas District|isbn=978-609-412-017-6|url=https://kam.lt/download/30977/saules%20musis%20angliskai%201.pdf|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808020815/https://kam.lt/download/30977/saules%20musis%20angliskai%201.pdf|archive-date=8 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The battle inspired rebellions among the ], ], ], ], tribes previously conquered by the Sword-Brothers. Some thirty years' worth of conquests on the left bank of ] were lost.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |editor=Jonas Zinkus |encyclopedia=Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija |title=Saulės mūšis |year=1987 |publisher=Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija |volume=3 |location=Vilnius |page=633|language=lt|display-editors=etal}}</ref> In 2000, the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments declared 22 September to be the Day of Baltic Unity.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Battle of Saule|url=http://visitlithuania.net/lithuania/history/major-battle/1661-the-battle-of-saule|website=VisitLithuania.net|access-date=28 December 2017|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625113823/http://visitlithuania.net/lithuania/history/major-battle/1661-the-battle-of-saule|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Po dviejų vidaus karų 1392 m. Lietuvoje įsitvirtino ]. Valdant Vytautui Lietuva pasiekė didžiausią teritorinį išsiplėtimą, valstybė pradėta centralizuoti, ] buvo įtraukti į valstybės politiką. 1399 m. Vytauto ir Ordos chano ] pajėgos buvo Aukso ordos pajėgų ]. Šis pralaimėjimas lėmė tai, kad Vytautui nepavyko įgauti visiškai savarankiško statuso. 1410 m. bendro Lietuvos ir Lenkijos karinio žygio metu ] buvo nugalėtas ]. Ši pergalė ilgainiui lėmė tai, kad buvo pašalinta kelis amžius trukusi Teutonų ordino grėsmė. | |||
], the former residence of the ] and capital city of the medieval state]] | |||
1429 m. sausį ] remiant ] Vytautas gavo karaliaus titulą, tačiau pasiuntiniai, kurie vežė jam karūną 1430 m. rudenį buvo sustabdyti Lenkijos didikų. Buvo išsiųsta kita karūna, tačiau nesulaukęs karūnacijos Vytautas mirė ir buvo palaidotas Vilniaus katedroje.<ref>„“. Partizanai.org. Tikrinta 2017 m. gruodžio 22 d.</ref> | |||
According to the legend, Grand Duke ] was once hunting near the ]; tired after the successful hunt, he settled in for the night and dreamed of a huge ] standing on top a hill and howling as strong and loud as a hundred wolves. ''Krivis'' (pagan priest) Lizdeika interpreted the dream that the Iron Wolf represents ]. Gediminas, obeying the will of the gods, built the city and gave it the name ] – from the stream of the Vilnia River.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Legend of the Founding of Vilnius – Gediminas Dream|url=https://ironwolf.lt/the-legend-of-the-founding-of-vilnius/|website=ironwolf.lt|access-date=19 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 1362 or 1363, Grand Duke ] achieved a decisive victory in the ] against the ] and stopped its further expansion in the present-day ].<ref>{{cite book | title=Lithuania Ascending: A Pagan Empire Within East-Central Europe, 1295–1345 | first=C. S. | last=Rowell | pages=97, 100 | year=1994 | publisher=Cambridge University Press | series=Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought: Fourth Series| isbn=978-0-521-45011-9 }}</ref> The victory brought the city of ] and a large part of present-day Ukraine, including sparsely populated ] and ], under the control of the expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania.<ref name=baran>{{cite journal| first=Tomas |last=Baranauskas |author-link=Tomas Baranauskas |title=Mėlynųjų Vandenų mūšis: atminties sugrįžimas po 650 metų |url=http://www.veidas.lt/melynuju-vandenu-musis-atminties-sugrizimas-po-650-metu |journal=] |issn=1392-5156 |issue=25 |pages=30–32 |date=23 June 2012|language=lt}}</ref> After taking Kyiv, Lithuania became a direct neighbor and rival of the ].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xxREnBcMFcEC&pg=PA88 |title=A Companion to Russian Studies: An Introduction to Russian History |first1=Robert |last1=Auty |first2=Dimitri |last2=Obolensky | publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1981 |page=86 | isbn=978-0-521-28038-9}}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos didysis kunigaikštis Kazimieras, kuris buvo išrinktas ir Lenkijos karaliumi, išplėtė ] įtaką Europoje. Lenkijos vasalu tapo Prūsija, Čekijos ir Vengrijos sostą užėmė Kazimiero sūnus Vladislovas II. 1492–1526 m. Vidurio Europoje gyvavo Jogailaičių valstybių sistema, apėmusi Lenkiją (su vasalinėmis Prūsija ir Moldavija), Lietuvą, Čekiją ir Vengriją. | |||
By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was one of the largest countries in Europe and included present-day ], ], and parts of ] and ].<ref>Paul Magocsi (1996). ''History of the Ukraine''. University of Toronto Press. p. 128. {{ISBN|978-0-8020-7820-9}}.</ref> The geopolitical situation between the west and the east determined the multicultural and multi-confessional character of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The ruling elite practised religious tolerance and the ] language was used as an auxiliary language to ] for official documents.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Babinskas |first1=Nerijus |title=Etninė ir konfesinė LDK įvairovė. Reformacija |url=http://www.xn--altiniai-4wb.info/index/details/86 |website=šaltiniai.info |access-date=20 May 2019 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
=== Abiejų Tautų Respublika === | |||
{{main|ATR}} | |||
In 1385, the Grand Duke ] accepted Poland's offer to become its king. ] embarked on gradual ] and established a ] between Poland and Lithuania. Lithuania was one of the last ] areas of Europe to adopt Christianity. While territories to the north had been Christianized in 1186 by ] merchants and missionaries who formed the Order of the Brothers and the Sword to spread Christianity through military organization, the Lithuanians had defeated the Order's militant efforts in 1236.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Blomkvist|first=Nils|title=Culture clash or compromise?: the europeanisation of the Baltic Sea area 1100-1400 AD|publisher=Gotland Centre of Baltic Studies|year=1998|isbn=978-91-630-7439-4|location=Gotland University College|pages=240}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Broderick|first=Kristin J.|title=The Economy and Political Culture in New Democracies: An Analysis of Democratic Support in Central and Eastern Europe: An Analysis of Democratic Support in Central and Eastern Europe|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=978-1-351-73292-5|chapter=Lithuania}}</ref> | |||
Jogaila nesujungė Lietuvos ir Lenkijos į vieną valstybę – šių valstybių santykiai XV a. – XVI a. pradžioje nebuvo pastovūs – Lietuva dažnai turėjo atskirą valdovą iš Gediminaičių dinastijos, kurį rinkosi atskirai nuo Lenkijos. XV a. pabaigoje Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystės pašonėje sustiprėjo Maskvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė, kuri ėmė pretenduoti į visas Rusios žemes. Visą XV a. rusenęs konfliktas su Maskva XV a. pabaigoje peraugo į karą.<ref>J.Kiaupienė. Rytų ir pietryčių kryptys: Lietuvos Didžiosios kunigaikštystės kova dėl teritorijų ir įtakos.// J.Kiaupienė, R.Petrauskas. Lietuvos istorija IV tomas. Baltos lankos, 2009. P. 453. ISBN 978-9955-23-239-1</ref> Kelis dešimtmečius trukę karai išsekino šalį, neigiamai paveikė jos finansus, valstybė neteko didelės savo teritorijos dalies. Lietuvos kariuomenei pavyko pasiekti ir ženklių pergalių. 1514 m. rugsėjo 8 d. didžiojo etmono Konstantino Ostrogiškio vadovaujama 30 000 lietuvių ir lenkų kariuomenė ] sumušė apie 80 000 Maskvos karių, užėmė jų stovyklą bei paėmė jų vadą ir daugybę karių į nelaisvę<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808020734/http://www.llks.lt/Varpas/Varpo%20archyvas/Varpas%202014/2014%20lapkritis.pdf |date=2019-08-08 }} (PDF). Varpas. 2014 m. lapkritis, Nr.11.</ref>, bet LDK neįgijo persvaros šiame kare. | |||
] and ] in the centre]] | |||
Kovose prieš Maskvą ir ypač prasidėjus Livonijos karui Lietuvos didikai ir bajorija tikėjosi paramos iš Lenkijos, kuri siekė įsitvirtinti Livonijoje ir reikalavo unijos stiprinimo. Be to, buvo baiminamasi Jogailaičių dinastijos išmirimo ir su tuo susijusio netikrumo dėl naujo valdovo.<ref>Jūratė Kiaupienė. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės kaitos laikas – 1529–1588 metai.// J.Kiaupienė, I. Lukšaitė. Lietuvos istorija T. V. Baltos lankos, 2013. P.206-7. ISBN 978-9955-23-680-1 </ref> Tokiomis aplinkybėmis sudaryta ] (] m.). Jos aktu Lietuvos ir Lenkijos personalinė unija buvo pertvarkyta į vadinamąją ], turėjusią bendrą valdovą ir bendrą ], tačiau išlaikiusią atskiras sienas, muitus, kariuomenes, teisę, valstybines pareigybes ir institucijas.<ref>Jūratė Kiaupienė. Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės kaitos laikas – 1529–1588 metai.// J.Kiaupienė, I. Lukšaitė. Lietuvos istorija T. V. Baltos lankos, 2013. P.229-30. ISBN 978-9955-23-680-1 </ref> Lietuvoje liko galioti ].<ref>Stone, Daniel. The Polish–Lithuanian State: 1386–1795. University of Washington Press, 2001. p. 63</ref> | |||
After two civil wars, ] became the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1392. During his reign, Lithuania reached the peak of its territorial expansion, centralization of the state began, and the ] became increasingly prominent in state politics. In the great ] in 1399, the combined forces of ] and Vytautas were defeated by the ]. Thanks to close cooperation, the armies of Lithuania and Poland achieved a victory over the ] in 1410 at the ], one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.<ref name="Lane">{{cite book | author = Thomas Lane| title = Lithuania: Stepping Westward | publisher = Routledge | year = 2001 | pages = ix, xxi | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=fecMC0LXU-sC | isbn = 978-0-415-26731-1}}</ref><ref>''The New Encyclopædia Britannica'' v. 17 (1998) p. 545</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Rick Fawn|title=Ideology and national identity in post-communist foreign policies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SBtYrTANgvUC&pg=PA186|year=2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-7146-5517-8|pages=186–}}</ref> | |||
In January 1429, at the ] Vytautas received the title of ] with the backing of ], but the envoys who were transporting the crown were stopped by Polish ]s in autumn of 1430. Another crown was sent, but Vytautas died in the ] several days before it reached Lithuania. He was buried in the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lucko suvažiavimas|url=http://www.partizanai.org/karys-1955m-8/4611-lucko-suvaziavimas|website=Partizanai.org|access-date=22 December 2017|language=lt-lt}}</ref> | |||
Livonijos karas baigėsi ], sudarytomis dešimčiai metų 1582 m. sausio 15 d. Pagal jas Abiejų Tautų Respublika atgavo Livoniją, Polocką ir Veližą, tačiau grąžino ] Rusijos carystei. Paliaubos 1600 m. buvo pratęsto dar dvidešimčiai metų ] diplomatinės misijos pas ] metu.<ref>Baliulis, Algirdas. (PDF). Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos institutas.</ref> faktiškai paliaubos nutrūko 1605 m. lenkų didikams pradėjus remti ] pretenzijas į Rusijos sostą ir prasidėjus ]. | |||
After the deaths of Jogaila and Vytautas, the Lithuanian nobility attempted to break the union between ] and Lithuania, independently selecting Grand Dukes from the ]. But, at the end of the 15th century, Lithuania was forced to seek a closer alliance with Poland when the growing power of the ] threatened Lithuania's Russian principalities and sparked the ] and the ]. | |||
] | |||
XVI a. vid. – XVII a. vid. veikiami ] ir ] suklestėjo kultūra, menai ir švietimas. Išmirus Gediminaičių dinastijai, Lenkijos ir Lietuvos valdovus pradėta rinkti iš visų norinčių kilmingų kandidatų. Renkami valdovai turėjo patvirtinti visas bajorų anksčiau gautas teises. Didikų ir bajorų įtaka valstybėje labai sustiprėjo, iš esmės jokie rimtesni sprendimai negalėjo būti priimami be bajorų Seimo sutikimo. Seimai dažnai baigdavo nepriėmus jokių sprendimų, tam palankias sąlygas sudarė '']'' teisė, teoriškai leidusi bet kuriam vienam atstovui atmesti bet kokį sprendimą. Savo klestėjimą Abiejų Tautų Respublika pasiekė XVII a. pradžioje. Seimuose dominavo didikai, kurie nebuvo linkę įsivelti į ]. Neutralumas šiame kare leido išsaugoti šalį nuo politinių ir religinių konfliktų, kurie nusiaubė didžiąją Europos dalį. Abiejų Tautų Respublika kovojo su ], Rusija ir ] vasalais ir net rengė ekspansinius karus prieš savo kaimynes. Didžiosios suirutės Maskvoje metu Abiejų Tautų Respublikos kariuomenė kelis kartus įžengė į Rusiją ir ], kurią išlaikė savo rankose nuo 1610 m. rugsėjo 27 d. iki 1612 m. lapkričio 4 d., kai buvo išstumti po apsiausties.<ref>„“. DELFI. Tikrinta 2018-02-24.</ref> | |||
] forces over the ] at the ] in 1514]] | |||
XVII a. pabaigoje – XVIII a. pradžioje Lietuvos-Lenkijos valstybė persirito į savo saulėlydį. 1655 m. pirmą kartą Lietuvos istorijoje jos sostinę Vilnių užėmė kazokų kariuomenė.<ref>Šapoka, Adolfas, sud. (1936). (PDF). Kaunas: Švietimo ministerijos Knygų leidimo komisijos leidinys. p. 326.</ref> Rusijos kariuomenė nusiaubė miestą, jos bažnyčias ir dvarus. Buvo nužudyti 8-10 tūkst. gyventojų, miestas degė 17 dienų. Rusijos kariuomenė didelę dalį Lietuvos laikė užėmusi iki 1661 m. Tuo metu prarasta daug istorinio ir kultūrinio palikimo, didelė valstybės archyvo ] dalis buvo prarasta arba išvežta į Maskvą. Valstybė dalį, kuri nebuvo užimta Rusijos, „]“ metu užėmė ir niokojo Švedijos kariuomenė. | |||
On 8 September 1514, the ] between Lithuanians, commanded by the ] ], and Muscovites was fought. According to '']'' by ], the primary source for information on the battle, the much smaller army of Poland–Lithuania (under 30,000 men) defeated a force of 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander.<ref>{{cite book|title=Prieš 500 metų – Oršos mūšis|date=November 2014|publisher=]|url=http://www.llks.lt/Varpas/Varpo%20archyvas/Varpas%202014/2014%20lapkritis.pdf|access-date=16 January 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808020734/http://www.llks.lt/Varpas/Varpo%20archyvas/Varpas%202014/2014%20lapkritis.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> The battle destroyed a military alliance against Lithuania and Poland. Thousands of Muscovites were captured as prisoners and used as labourers in the ], while Konstanty Ostrogski delivered the captured Muscovite flags to the Cathedral of Vilnius.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sruogienė |first1=V. |title=Kunigaikštis Konstantinas Ostrogiškis ir Oršos mūšis 1514 metais |url=http://partizanai.org/karys-1955m-10/4643-kunigaikstis-konstantinas-ostrogiskis-ir-orsos-musis-1514-metais |website=partizanai.org |access-date=16 January 2018 |language=lt-lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Pociecha |first1=Władysław |title=Królowa Bona (1494–1557), czasy i ludzie odrodzeniaie odrodzenia |date=1949 |publisher=Nakł. Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk |location=Poznań |page=253 |edition= I tome |language=pl}}</ref> | |||
The Livonian War was ceased for ten years with a ] signed on 15 January 1582 according to which the already ] recovered ], ] and ], but transferred ] to the ]. The ] was extended for twenty years in 1600, when a ] to Moscow led by ] concluded negotiations with Tsar ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Baliulis|first1=Algirdas|title=Lietuvos Didžiosios Kunigaikštystės ir Maskvos valstybės diplomatiniai santykiai XVI a. pabaigoje|publisher=Lietuvos istorijos institutas|location=Vilnius|url=http://mokslozurnalai.lmaleidykla.lt/publ/0235-716X/2002/3/L-03.pdf}}</ref> The truce was broken when ]. | |||
XVIII a. pradžioje vykęs ] parodė valstybės silpnumą ir labai išsekino kraštą, kuris nuolat buvo siaubiamas savos ir svetimų kariuomenių. Nuo 1717 m. ] Abiejų Tautų Respublika akivaizdžiai pateko Rusijos įtakon. XVIII a. pabaigoje bandyta vykdyti valstybės valdymo reformas, tačiau, daugiausia dėl Rusijos priešinimosi, jos nebuvo sėkmingos. Lietuvos Didžioji Kunigaikštystė išlaikė tam tikrą autonomiją, tačiau pagal 1791 m. ] ji faktiškai buvo panaikinta. | |||
===Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth=== | |||
=== Rusijos imperija === | |||
{{Main|Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth}} | |||
{{main|Lietuva Rusijos imperijos sudėtyje}} | |||
] in Vilnius, marked 6, in 1600]] | |||
] | |||
The ] was created in 1569 by the Union of Lublin. As a member of the Commonwealth, Lithuania retained its institutions, including a separate army, currency, and statutory laws – ].<ref>Stone, Daniel. ''The Polish–Lithuanian State: 1386–1795''. University of Washington Press, 2001. p. 63</ref> Eventually ] affected all aspects of Lithuanian life: politics, language, culture, and national identity. From the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, culture, arts, and education flourished, fueled by the ] and the ]. From 1573, the Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania were ], who were granted ever-increasing ]. These liberties, especially the '']'', led to anarchy and the eventual dissolution of the state. | |||
Po 1795 m. įvykusio ] didžiąją dabartinės Lietuvos dalį aneksavo ]. 1807 m. ] iš Prūsijos atimtų lenkų ir lietuvių žemių sukūrė ], kuri gyvavo iki 1815 m. Siekę atkurti Lenkijos ir Lietuvos valstybę bajorai ir didikai palaikė Napoleoną. Po Nepoleono pralaimėjimo Varšuvos Kunigaikštystė atiteko Rusijai ir buvo pavadinta Lenkijos Karalyste. Šis junginys dar buvo vadinamas Kongreso Lenkija, nes jo egzistavimas buvo pagrįstas ] nutarimais. Į Lenkijos Karalystės sudėtį įėjo ir po padalinimų Prūsijos kurį laiką valdyta Lietuvos Užnemunė. Taigi nuo 1815 m. visos Lietuvos Didžiajai Kunigaikštystei priklausiusios lietuvių žemės atsidūrė Rusijos imperijos sudėtyje, nors išliko gana dideli jų statuso skirtumai. Užnemunėje valstiečiams buvo anksčiausiai, palyginus su kitomis Lietuvos dalimis, suteikta asmens laisvė, čia rusinimo politika buvo silpnesnė. | |||
The Commonwealth reached its ] in the early 17th century. Its powerful ] was dominated by nobles who were reluctant to get involved in the ]; this neutrality spared the country from the ravages of a political-religious conflict that devastated most of contemporary Europe. The Commonwealth held its own against ], the ], and vassals of the ], and even launched successful ] offensives against its neighbours. In ] during the ], Commonwealth troops entered Russia and managed to take ] and hold it from 27 September 1610 to 4 November 1612, when they were driven out ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos aukso amžius – vienas sprendimas galėjo pakeisti visą istoriją|url=https://www.delfi.lt/multimedija/musu-lietuva/lietuvos-aukso-amzius-vienas-sprendimas-galejo-pakeisti-visa-istorija.d?id=74961334|website=DELFI|access-date=24 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
Po Rusijos pergalės prieš Napoleoną Lietuvoje pamažu pradėta stiprinti ]. 1830 m. lapkritį Lenkijoje kilęs ] Lietuvoje prasidėjo 1831 m. kovo mėn. Jame esminis vaidmuo teko bajorijai. Po jo pralaimėjimo buvo uždarytas Vilniaus universitetas ir daugelis katalikų vienuolynų, sukilimo dalyviai tremti į Rusiją. ] sukilimas, palaikytas valstietijos, taip pat buvo numalšintas. Po ] įvestas ] – uždraustas raštas lotyniškais rašmenimis, juos bandant pakeisti ]. Knygos ir spauda lotyniškais rašmenimis Lietuvą pasiekdavo iš Prūsijos bei ] spaustuvių, įsteigtų ir vyskupo ] bei ] pastangomis, iš kur jas nelegaliai per sieną į Lietuvą nešdavo ir platindavo ], vėliau susibūrę į keliolika organizacijų. Reakcija po sukilimo palietė ir kitas gyvenimo sritis – buvo uždaryti visi vienuolynai, sustiprėjo ] bažnyčios protegavimas. | |||
], often nicknamed as a Lithuanian ], leading peasant ] during the 1831 uprising]] | |||
XIX a. pirmoje pusėje ryškėjo lietuvių tautinio atgimimo ženklai. Pradėjo formuotis lietuvių nacionalinė, t. y. civilizacijos lygį pasiekusi kultūra. | |||
In 1655, after the extinguishing ], for the first time in history the Lithuanian capital Vilnius was taken by a foreign army.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Šapoka |editor-first= Adolfas |title=Lietuvos istorija |url=http://www.partizanai.org/failai/pdf/sapokos-istorija.pdf |year=1936 |location=Kaunas |page=326 |language=lt |publisher=Švietimo ministerijos Knygų leidimo komisijos leidinys}}</ref> The Russian army looted the city, splendid churches, and manors. Between 8,000 and 10,000 citizens were killed; the city burned for 17 days. Those who returned after the catastrophe could not recognise the city. The Russian occupation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lasted up to 1661. Many artefacts and cultural heritage were either lost or looted, significant parts of the state archive – ], collected since the 13th century, were lost and the rest was moved out of the country. During the ] (1655–1661), the Lithuanian territory and economy were devastated by the ] army. Almost all territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was occupied by Swedish and Russian armies. This period is known as ''Tvanas'' (]). | |||
Before it could fully recover, Lithuania was ravaged during the ] (1700–1721). The war, ], and ] caused the deaths of approximately 40% of the country's population.<ref>{{cite journal |volume= 16 |issue=2 |year= 2008 |url=http://www.liw.lt/archive_vid.php?shid=1211283347&id=1211283055 |title=The Roads to Independence |journal=Lithuania in the World |issn=1392-0901 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512014106/http://www.liw.lt/archive_vid.php?shid=1211283347&id=1211283055 |archive-date=12 May 2011}}</ref> Foreign powers, especially Russia, became dominant in the domestic politics of the Commonwealth.<ref name="Konstitucija1791"/> Numerous fractions among the nobility used the Golden Liberties to prevent any reforms.<ref name="Konstitucija1791"/> | |||
=== Pirmasis pasaulinis karas ir Lietuva === | |||
] | |||
Prasidėjęs ] greitai apėmė ir Lietuvos teritoriją. Per 1914–1915 m. Vokietija užėmė visą dabartinės Lietuvos teritoriją. Su besitraukiančia Rusijos kariuomene traukėsi ir rusiškoji administracinė valdžia, buvo išvaromi (kaltinant šnipinėjimu vokiečiams) žydai bei dalis lietuvių. Pasitraukę lietuviai didelėmis kolonijomis įsikūrė įvairiose Rusijos vietovėse, daugiausia ], ], ], ], ]. | |||
The ] was adopted by the ] (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth trying to save the state. The legislation was designed to redress the Commonwealth's political defects due to the system of Golden Liberties, also known as the "Nobles' Democracy," which had conferred disproportionate rights on the nobility (Szlachta) and over time had corrupted politics. The constitution sought to supplant the prevailing anarchy fostered by some of the country's ] with a more democratic ]. It introduced elements of political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under the protection of the government, thus mitigating the worst abuses of ]. It banned parliamentary institutions such as the ''liberum veto'', which had put the Sejm at the mercy of any deputy who could revoke all the legislation that had been passed by that Sejm. It was drafted in relation to a copy of the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Constitution of May 3, 1791|url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pdf/konstitucija_angliska_1.pdf|website=LRS.lt|access-date=22 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1791 m. gegužės 3 d. Konstitucija|url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pdf/Konstitucija_1791.pdf|website=LRS.lt|access-date=22 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=History of the 3 May 1791 Constitution|url=http://pmc.usc.edu/3May1791Constitution.htm|website=pmc.usc.edu|access-date=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129073353/http://pmc.usc.edu/3May1791Constitution.htm|archive-date=29 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is regarded as the world's second-oldest codified national governmental constitution after the 1787 U.S. Constitution.<ref name="Konstitucija1791">{{cite web |last1=Mačiukas |first1=Žydrūnas |title=1791 m. Gegužės 3-iosios Konstitucija |url=https://www.lrs.lt/sip/portal.show?p_r=39296&p_k=1 |website=] |access-date=7 July 2021 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
Lietuva pateko į vokiečių sukurtą administracinį darinį vadinamą ].<ref>N. Stone, The eastern front 1914–1917, New York, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1975.</ref> Lietuviai neteko visų iškovotų politinių teisių, buvo apribota asmens laisvė, pradžioje draudžiama lietuviška periodinė spauda. Gyventojai apdėti įvairiais mokesčiais. Jiems drausta išvykti iš gyvenamosios vietos. Karo reikmėms nuolat vykdytos gyvulių ir daiktų rekvizicijos. Kai kurie gyventojai išsiųsti darbams į Vokietiją. Lietuviškoji inteligentija stengėsi pasinaudoti susiklosčiusia geopolitine padėti ir ėmė ieškoti galimybių Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimui. 1917 m. rugsėjo 18-22 d. Vilniuje susirinko ],<ref>Lietuvos Taryba ir nepriklausomos valstybės atkūrimas 1914–1920 metų dokumentuose, sud. A. Eidintas, R. Lopata, Vilnius, 2017</ref> kuri įkūrė ].<ref>Maksimaitis M., ''Lietuvos valstybės Konstitucijų istorija (XX a. pirmoji pusė)'', Vilnius, 2005.</ref> Konferencijos metu buvo nutarta atkurti Lietuvos valstybę su etnografinėmis sienomis ir sostine ].<ref>Maksimaitis M., Kai kurios pirmųjų Lietuvos Konstitucijų istoriografijos problemos, ''Jurisprudencija'', 2002, t. 30(22).</ref> Lietuvos Tarybos pirmininku išrinktas ] (tik ] m. ] dieną pirmininku buvo ]). Sekdama geopolitinę situaciją ] m. ] d. Lietuvos Taryba pasirašė nutarimą, kuriame buvo skelbiama, kad atkuriama nepriklausoma Lietuvos valstybė su sostine Vilniuje, nutraukiami visi ryšiai kurie kada nors buvo užmegzti su kitomis valstybėmis ir pasisakoma už amžiną sąjungos ryšį su Vokietija. Paskutinei tezei nepritarė dalis Tarybos narių, todėl iš organizacijos sudėties pasitraukė ], ], ] ir ]. 1918 m. vasario 16 d. Lietuvos Taryba priėmė nutarimą, kuris, pripažintas Lietuvos nepriklausomybės aktu. Juo atkuriama nepriklausoma ir demokratiniais pamatais sutvarkyta Lietuvos valstybė su sostine Vilniuje, o valstybės santykius su kitomis valstybėmis turėjo nustatyti demokratiniu būdu išrinktas ].<ref>http://www3.lrs.lt/home/w5_viewer/statiniai/seimu_istorija/w5_show-p_r=286&p_k=1.html</ref> Skirtingai nuo 1917 m. gruodžio 11 d. deklaracijos, joje nebėra nuostatų dėl sąjungos su Vokietija. Šio nutarimo postulatų rėmuose buvo kuriama Lietuvos valstybė, kuri gyvavo 1918–1940 m.<ref>Vasario 16-oji – Lietuvos Valstybės atkūrimo diena: straipsnių ir dokumentų rinkinys / sud. E. Manelis, R. Samavičius, Vilnius, 2007.</ref> 1918 m. kovo 3 d. Brest-Litovsko sutartimi Sovietų Rusija atsisakė pretenzijų į Baltijos šalis. Pasirašius sutartį Vokietija Lietuvos nepriklausomybės siekius ignoravo, o vasario 16 d. deklaracijos nepripažino. | |||
===Russian Empire=== | |||
=== Nepriklausoma Lietuvos valstybė 1918–1940 m. === | |||
] resisted Russification. He urged protest against the closing of Catholic churches and organised book printing in Lithuanian in ].]] | |||
{{main|Lietuvos istorija (1918–1940)}} | |||
Eventually, ] in 1772, 1793, and 1795 by the ], ], and the ]. | |||
] | |||
] <ref> ''istorineprezidentura.lt''</ref>]] | |||
Priešinantis vokiečių aneksionistų planams 1918 m. liepą ] išrinko ] hercogą ] Lietuvos karaliumi Mindaugu II. 1918 m. lapkričio 2 d. nutarimas buvo anuliuotas, monarchijos idėjos atsisakyta, santvarkos klausimą palikus spręsti ]. 1918 m. ] d. sudaryta ].<ref>Lietuvos valstybės konstitucijų istorija (XX a. pirmoji pusė), M. Maksimaitis, Vilnius, 2005. </ref> Tuo pat metu imta organizuoti kariuomenė, sudaryta pirmoji vyriausybė, kitos valstybės institucijos. 1919 m. įvesta Prezidento pareigybė, valstybės prezidentu išrinktas ]. | |||
The largest area of Lithuanian territory became part of the Russian Empire. After the unsuccessful ] and ], the Tsarist authorities implemented a number of ] policies. In 1840 the ] was abolished. They ], closed cultural and educational institutions and made Lithuania part of a new administrative region called ]. The Russification failed, owing to an extensive network of ] and secret Lithuanian homeschooling.<ref>{{cite web |title=XX a. pradžioje rusus suerzino paviešinti lietuvių knygnešystės mastai |url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/tavo-lrt/15/22153/xx-a-pradzioje-rusus-suerzino-paviesinti-lietuviu-knygnesystes-mastai |website=] |access-date=29 July 2013 |language=lt |date=28 July 2013}}</ref> | |||
Pasitraukus pagrindinėms vokiečių pajėgoms ir į Lietuvą veržiantis bolševikams prasidėjo kovos su jais. 1918 m. gruodžio 16 d. bolševikai paskelbė Lietuvos Sovietų Respubliką. Bolševikai užėmė Vilnių, Lietuvos vyriausybė persikėlė į Kauną, tapusį laikinąja sostine. 1919 m. vasario 27 d. Vilniuje bendrame Lietuvos ir baltarusijos Centrinių Vykdomųjų komitetų posėdyje paskelbta apie Lietuvos ir Baltarusijos Sovietų Socialistinės Respublikos sukūrimą (]). Įtvirtinant valstybingumą ir norimas valstybės sienas teko kovoti su ne tik su bolševikais, bet ir su ] bei lenkais. Bermontininkai nugalėti 1919 m. lapkritį ]e. Su ] ] pasirašyta 1920 m. ] d. 1920 m. spalio 7 d. ] pasirašyta ] pagal kurią Vilnius buvo pripažintas Lietuvai, tačiau netrukus lenkai šią sutartį sulaužė ir jų veržimąsi į šalies gilumą pavyko sustabdyti tik lapkričio 21-22 d. ]. Lenkija okupavo ir vėliau aneksavo apie 20 proc. Lietuvos teritorijos, įskaitant sostinę Vilnių. | |||
After the ], when German diplomats assigned what were seen as Russian spoils of war to Turkey, the relationship between Russia and the ] became complicated. The Russian Empire resumed the construction of fortresses at its western borders for defence against a potential invasion from Germany in the West. On 7 July 1879 the ] approved a proposal from the Russian military leadership to build the largest "first-class" defensive structure in the entire state – the {{convert|65|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} ].<ref name="Kauno tvirtovė">{{Cite journal|title=Kauno tvirtovės istorija |publisher=Gintaras Česonis |url=http://tvirtove.kaunas.lt/ |year=2004 |access-date=12 June 2008 |language=lt |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510074436/http://tvirtove.kaunas.lt/ |archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> Large numbers of Lithuanians went to the United States in 1867–1868 after a ].<ref>{{CathEncy|wstitle=Lithuanians in the United States}}</ref> | |||
1920 m. ] d. susirinko pirmasis demokratiškai išrinktas ]. Jo priimti dokumentai ėmė reglamentuoti valstybės gyvenimą. Priimtos ] (1920 m.) ir ] (1922 m.) Lietuvos konstitucijos, pradėtos įgyvendinti žemės, finansų, švietimo reformos. Įvesta sava valiuta – ]. Atidarytas ]. Sukurtos visos pagrindinės valdžios institucijos ir įstaigos. Įsitvirtinus stabilumui šalyje, ją ėmė pripažinti užsienio valstybės. 1921 m. Lietuva priimta į ].<ref>http://biblioteka.gindia.lt/prancuzmetisklaipedoje/24-ii-dalis-lietuvos-valdoma-klaipeda.html?showall=&start=5 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201041841/http://biblioteka.gindia.lt/prancuzmetisklaipedoje/24-ii-dalis-lietuvos-valdoma-klaipeda.html?showall=&start=5 |date=2017-12-01 }}</ref> | |||
] promoted a return to Lithuania's pre-] traditions, which he depicted as a Golden Age of Lithuania and a renewal of the native culture, based on the ] and customs. With those ideas in mind, he wrote already in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian – ''Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių'' (''The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians''), though it was not published at that time. A colleague of S. Daukantas, ] wrote in Polish a voluminous ''Ancient History of the Lithuanian Nation'' (1835–1841), where he likewise expounded and expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and ] languages. A ], inspired by the ancient Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations of the modern Lithuanian nation and independent Lithuania. | |||
1922 m. spalį buvo išrinktas ]. Jis prezidentu išrinko ]. Vienas svarbiausių to laikotarpio pasiekimų buvo ] prijungimas prie Lietuvos teritorijos 1923 m. ir jo tarptautinis pripažinimas 1924 m. ] prezidentu išrinko liaudininką ], tačiau jo vadovavimas tęsėsi neilgai. ] valstybėje įvyko perversmas, kariškiai valdžią perdavė tautininkui A. Smetonai. ] pavesta sudaryti vyriausybę. Prasidėjo autoritarinis valstybės valdymo tarpsnis, stiprinta vienos ] įtaka šalyje. 1927 m. paleistas Seimas, 1928 m. priimta ] stiprinanti prezidento galias. Palaipsniui buvo uždraustos opozicinės partijos, griežtinama cenzūra, siaurinamos tautinių mažumų teisės.<ref>http://www.lietava.lt/tarpukario_lietuva_laikinosios_sostines_kasdienybe_ir_sventes/?img=6</ref> | |||
===20th and 21st centuries=== | |||
Gyventojams situaciją sunkino ir prasidėjusi pasaulinė ekonominė krizė. Ženkliai krito žemės ūkio produktų supirkimo kainos.]. Jų metu be ekonominių, buvo keliami ir politiniai reikalavimai. Vyriausybė neramumus numalšino, 1936 m. pavasarį už riaušes nuteisti ir sušaudyti 4 valstiečiai.<ref>http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/Istorija/lz-archyvas-neramus-1935-uju-rugpjutis/133290/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201030625/http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/Istorija/lz-archyvas-neramus-1935-uju-rugpjutis/133290/ |date=2017-12-01 }}</ref> | |||
====1918–1939==== | |||
] after signing the ], 16 February 1918]] | |||
As a result of the ] during ], Germany occupied the entire territory of Lithuania and ] by the end of 1915.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.draugas.org/news/the-great-war-in-lithuania-1914-1918/|title=The Great war in Lithuania 1914 -1918|website=Draugas.org}}</ref> A new administrative entity, ], was established. Lithuanians lost all political rights they had gained: personal freedom was restricted, and at the beginning, the Lithuanian press was banned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/bdr-2002-8-11.pdf|title=The Baltic States from 1914 to 1923: The First World War and the Wars of Independence|website=Bdcol.ee|access-date=18 October 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808020728/http://www.bdcol.ee/files/docs/bdreview/bdr-2002-8-11.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the Lithuanian intelligentsia tried to take advantage of the existing geopolitical situation and began to look for opportunities to restore Lithuania's independence. On 18–22 September 1917, the ] elected the 20-member ]. The council adopted the ] on 16 February 1918 which proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania governed by ] principles, with ] as its capital. The state of Lithuania which had been built within the framework of the Act lasted from 1918 until 1940. | |||
] ''Gediminas 3'', used in ] and Lithuanian soldiers]] | |||
Antrojo pasaulinio karo išvakarėse keičiantis regiono geopolitinei situacijai Lietuva buvo priversta priimti kaimyninių valstybių ultimatumus. 1938 m. ] d. ] reikalaudama užmegzti diplomatinius santykius. Nors tai praktiškai reiškė Vilniaus „atsisakymą“ ultimatumas buvo priimtas. Po metų, ] m. ] d. ]. Buvo reikalaujama perduoti Klaipėdos kraštą Vokietijai. Lietuvos vyriausybė šį ultimaltumą taip pat priėmė. | |||
Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the first Provisional ] was adopted and the first government of Prime Minister ] was organized. At the same time, the army and other state institutions began to be organized. Lithuania fought ]: ] who proclaimed the ], against the ], and ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Pirmosios Lietuvos nepriklausomybės kovos|url=http://www.partizanai.org/index.php/karys-4-5-1951m/4055-pirmosios-lietuvos-nepriklausomybes-kovos|website=Partizanai.org|access-date=23 December 2017|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lesčius|first1=Vytautas|title=Lietuvos kariuomenė nepriklausomybės kovose 1918–1920. Monografija|url=http://www.lka.lt/download/7665/lietuvos_kariuomene_1.pdf|website=LKA.lt|access-date=23 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150102043921/http://www.lka.lt/download/7665/lietuvos_kariuomene_1.pdf|archive-date=2 January 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a result of the staged ] in October 1920, ] took control of ] and annexed it as ] in 1922.<ref name="Iskauskas">{{cite web|last1=Iškauskas|first1=Česlovas|title=Č.Iškauskas. Vidurio Lietuva: lenkų okupacijos aidai...|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/ringas/lit/ciskauskas-vidurio-lietuva-lenku-okupacijos-aidai.d?id=53879817|website=]|access-date=8 January 2012}}</ref> Lithuania continued to claim Vilnius as its '']'' capital (the '']'', provisional capital being ]) and relations with Poland remained particularly tense and hostile for the entire interwar period. In January 1923, Lithuania staged the ] and captured ] (Memel territory) which was detached from ] by the ]. The region became an autonomous region of Lithuania. | |||
] was the first and last president of '']'' Lithuania (1919–1920, 1926–1940).]] | |||
Pagal 1939 m. Molotovo-Ribentropo paktą Lietuva buvo priskirta Vokietijos įtakos sferai, vėliau papildomais protokolais Vokietija mainais už dalį Lenkijos Lietuvą atidavė sovietų įtakos sferai. Po Lenkijos žlugimo Sovietų Sąjunga, neprieštaraujant Vokietijai, pasiūlė sudaryti sutartį, pagal kurią Lietuvoje būtų dislokuotos sovietų karinės įgulos. Pagal 1939 m. spalio 10 d. su SSRS sudarytą sutartį Lietuva leido įkurti savo teritorijoje sovietų karines bazes ir atgavo Vilnių bei dalį Vilniaus krašto. 1940 m. sovietai ėmė kurti įtampą ir apkaltino Lietuvą Raudonosios armijos kareivių grobimu. Nors valdžia šiuos kaltinimus neigė, sovietai ] m. ] SSRS įteikė Lietuvai ultimatumą, kuriame reikalavo pakeisti vyriausybę ir įsileisti sutartimis neribotą ] dalinių kontingentą, o tai reiškė valstybės okupaciją.<ref>http://www.archyvai.lt/exhibitions/okupac/pratarme.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221162521/http://www.archyvai.lt/exhibitions/okupac/pratarme.htm |date=2019-12-21 }}</ref> | |||
On 15 May 1920, the first meeting of the democratically elected ] took place. The documents it adopted, i. e. the temporary (1920) and permanent (1922) constitutions of Lithuania, strove to regulate the life of the new state. Land, finance, and educational reforms started to be implemented. The currency of Lithuania, the ], was introduced. The ] was opened.<ref>{{cite web|title=VMU Now and Before|url=http://www.vdu.lt/en/about-vmu/vmu-now-and-before/|website=]|access-date=23 December 2017|date=10 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224101656/http://www.vdu.lt/en/about-vmu/vmu-now-and-before/|archive-date=24 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> All major public institutions had been established. As Lithuania began to gain stability, foreign countries started to recognize it. In 1921 Lithuania was admitted to the ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Kantautas|first1=Adam|last2=Kantautas|first2=Filomena|title=A Lithuanian Bibliography: A Check-list of Books and Articles Held by the Major Libraries of Canada and the United States|date=1975|publisher=University of Alberta|isbn=978-0-88864-010-9|pages=–296|url=https://archive.org/details/lithuanianbiblio0000kant|url-access=registration}}</ref> | |||
On 17 December 1926, a military ] took place, resulting in the replacement of the democratically elected government with a conservative authoritarian government led by Antanas Smetona. ] was appointed to form a government. The so-called authoritarian phase had begun strengthening the influence of one party, the ], in the country. In 1927, the Seimas was dissolved.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrs.lt/sip/portal.show?p_r=16275&p_k=1|website=LRS.lt|title=III Seimas (1926–1927 m.)|access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> A new constitution was adopted in 1928, which consolidated presidential powers. Gradually, opposition parties were banned, censorship was tightened, and the rights of national minorities were narrowed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Karinis perversmas Lietuvoje: kas ir kodėl nuvertė valstiečių valdžią?|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/karinis-perversmas-lietuvoje-kas-ir-kodel-nuverte-valstieciu-valdzia.d?id=73190690|website=]|access-date=17 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Katinas|first1=Petras|title=Perversmas ar išgelbėjimas?|url=http://www.xxiamzius.lt/numeriai/2007/01/04/istving_01.html|website=xxiamzius.lt|access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> The only democratically elected body that continued to exist at the time was a ]. | |||
=== Antrasis pasaulinis karas ir Lietuvos okupacija 1940–1990 m. === | |||
]]] | |||
] (Mažeikių r., ])]] | |||
{{main|Lietuvos TSR}} | |||
]'' above ] in 1933. The transatlantic flight was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed, ]'s classic flight.]] | |||
Po ultimatumo ] m. ] d. ] okupavo šalies teritoriją. Lietuvoje iškart pradėta vykdyti sovietizaciją – imtasi turto nacionalizacijos ir gyventojų deportacijos. Taip pat uždrausta opozicija, jos spauda, organizacijos, apriboti ryšiai su užsieniu. Suorganizuoti prievartiniai rinkimai į ] ir suklastoti jų rezultatai. Buvo paskelbta Lietuvos Sovietų Socialistinė Respublika, kuri įjungta į Sovietų Sąjungą. Lietuvos aneksiją pripažino ne visos valstybės. 1940 m. liepos 23 d. JAV paskelbta ] įspėjo Sovietų Sąjungą, kad Lietuvos aneksija nebus pripažinta, ] nurodymu įsakyta įšaldyti Lietuvos, kaip okupuotos valstybės, finansinį kapitalą. | |||
On 15 July 1933, ] and ], Lithuanian pilots, emigrants to the United States, made a significant flight in the ]. They flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of {{convert|6411|km|mi|abbr=on}} without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes ({{convert|107.1|mph|km/h|abbr=on|order=flip}}). In terms of comparison, as far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of ] and ]. | |||
The provisional capital Kaunas, which was nicknamed ''Little Paris'', and the country itself had a ] standard of living with sufficiently high salaries and low prices. At the time, qualified workers there were earning very similar ] as workers in ], ], ] and ], the country also had a surprisingly high ] of 9.7 and the ] of Lithuania increased by 160% from 1913 to 1940.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kodėl Kaunas buvo vadinamas mažuoju Paryžiumi?|url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/istorija/kodel-kaunas-buvo-vadinamas-mazuoju-paryziumi.htm|website=lrytas.lt|access-date=3 January 2013|language=lt-LT|archive-date=2 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210702014111/https://kultura.lrytas.lt/istorija/kodel-kaunas-buvo-vadinamas-mazuoju-paryziumi.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lapinskas|first1=Anatolijus|title=Lietuva tarpukariu nebuvo atsilikėlė|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/lietuva-tarpukariu-nebuvo-atsilikele.d?id=61355765|website=]|access-date=29 September 2013}}</ref> | |||
Kartu su SSRS ir Vokietijos karo pradžia ] m. ] Lietuvoje įvyko sukilimas, buvo sudaryta ]. Pastaroji tikėjosi vokiečių pripažinimo, tačiau naciai jos veiklą nutraukė ir Lietuvą įtraukė į vokiečių ] kaip Lietuvos generalinę sritį, valdomą civilinės administracijos. Prasidėjo naujas okupacinis laikotarpis. Nacionalizuotas turtas gyventojams nebuvo grąžintas. Žydų tautybės piliečiai suvaryti į getus ir palaipsniui naikinami juos sušaudant arba išsiunčiant į ].<ref>http://genocid.lt/centras/lt/2258/a/</ref> 1941–1944 m. buvo nužudyti 80–85 proc. Lietuvos žydų (130 000–140 000).<ref>, , encyclopedia.ushmm.org (tikrinta 2019-08-13).</ref><ref>Jennifer Rosenberg, , ThoughtCo (tikrinta 2019-08-13).</ref> | |||
The situation was aggravated by the global economic crisis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thebalance.com/the-great-depression-of-1929-3306033|title=What Happened During the Great Depression?|website=Thebalance.com}}</ref> The purchase price of agricultural products had declined significantly. In 1935, farmers began strikes in ] and ]. In addition to economic ones, political demands were made. The government cruelly suppressed the unrest. In the spring of 1936, four peasants were sentenced to death for starting the riots.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globallabour.info/en/2009/03/trade_unions_in_lithuania_a_br.html|title=Trade Unions in Lithuania – A Brief History – Sergejus Glovackas (2009) (Global Labour Institute – English)|website=Globallabour.info|access-date=29 November 2017|archive-date=5 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180505021533/http://www.globallabour.info/en/2009/03/trade_unions_in_lithuania_a_br.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
1944 m. liepos–spalio mėn. frontui ritantis į Vakarus, operacijos „Bagrationas“ metu SSRS vėl užėmė Lietuvą. Prasidėjo antroji sovietinė okupacija.<ref>V. Tininis, Sovietų Sąjungos politinės struktūros Lietuvoje ir jų nusikalstama veikla: antroji sovietinė okupacija (1944–1953), Vilnius, 2008.</ref> Vėl atnaujintos politinės represijos, masiniai gyventojų ] į Sibirą vykdyti iki ] mirties 1953 m. Uždrausti bet kokie tautiškumo simboliai. Už jų naudojimą žmonės buvo persekiojami. Gyventojams buvo prievarta brukama komunistinė ideologija ir ateizmas. | |||
====1939–1944==== | |||
Lietuvos ūkio atkūrimo pretekstu ] valdžia skatino darbininkų ir kitų gyventojų migraciją į Lietuvą; taip buvo ketinama labiau integruoti Lietuvą į ] ir plėtoti pramonę. Tuo pačiu metu Lietuvos darbingi gyventojai buvo viliojami darbams ] gilumoje, žadant visokeriopas įsikūrimo naujoje vietoje lengvatas. | |||
{{main|Occupation of the Baltic states|June Uprising in Lithuania|German occupation of Lithuania during World War II}} | |||
On 20 March 1939, after years of rising tensions, Lithuania was handed an ultimatum by ] demanding it relinquish the ]. Two days later, the Lithuanian government accepted the ultimatum.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vareikis|first1=Vygantas|title=Politiniai ir kariniai Klaipėdos krašto praradimo aspektai 1938–1939 metais|url=http://briai.ku.lt/downloads/AHUK_21/21_069-084_Vareikis.pdf|website=]|access-date=23 December 2017}}</ref> When Nazi Germany and Soviet Union concluded the ], Lithuania was initially assigned to the German ] but was later transferred to the Soviet sphere. At the outbreak of ], Lithuania declared ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Liekis|first1=Šarūnas|title=1939: The Year that Changed Everything in Lithuania's History|date=2010|publisher=Rodopi|location=New York|isbn=978-90-420-2762-6|pages=119–122|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ST3LrBPOM4gC&pg=PA120}}</ref> | |||
] enter the territory of Lithuania during the first ] in 1940.]] | |||
] | |||
In October 1939, Lithuania was forced to sign the ]: five Soviet military bases with 20,000 troops were established in Lithuania in exchange for ], which the ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gureckas|first1=Algimantas|title=Ar Lietuva galėjo išsigelbėti 1939–1940 metais?|url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/-12778267981275752223-ar-lietuva-gal%C4%97jo-i%C5%A1sigelb%C4%97ti-1939-1940-metais.htm|website=lrytas.lt|access-date=30 June 2010|language=lt-LT|archive-date=15 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115200746/https://kultura.lrytas.lt/-12778267981275752223-ar-lietuva-gal%C4%97jo-i%C5%A1sigelb%C4%97ti-1939-1940-metais.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Delayed by the ] with Finland, the ] on 14 June 1940. They demanded the replacement of the Lithuanian government and that the ] be allowed into the country. The government decided that, with Soviet bases already in Lithuania, armed resistance was impossible and accepted the ultimatum.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Musteikis|first1=Kazys|title=Prisiminimų fragmentai|date=1989|publisher=Mintis|location=Vilnius|pages=56–57|url=http://www.šaltiniai.info/files/istorija/II00/Ultimatumas_ir_paskutinis_vyriausyb%C4%97s_pos%C4%97dis.II0300.pdf|access-date=10 December 2017}}</ref> President Smetona left the country, hoping to form a ], while more than 200,000 Soviet Red Army soldiers crossed the ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Senn|first1=Alfred Erich|title=Lithuania 1940: Revolution from Above|date=2007|publisher=Rodopi|isbn=978-90-420-2225-6|page=99}}</ref> The next day, identical ultimatums were presented to Latvia and Estonia. The ]. The Soviets followed semi-constitutional procedures for transforming the independent countries into soviet republics and incorporating them into the Soviet Union. | |||
] was sent to supervise the formation of the puppet ] and the rigged election to the ]. The ] was proclaimed on 21 July and accepted into the Soviet Union on 3 August. Lithuania ]: political parties and various organizations (except the ]) were outlawed, some 12,000 people, including many prominent figures, were arrested and imprisoned in ] as "enemies of the people", larger private property was nationalized, the ] was replaced by the ], farm taxes were increased by 50–200%, the Lithuanian Army was transformed into the ].<ref name="ArmyDestruction">{{cite web|last1=Knezys|first1=Stasys|title=Lietuvos kariuomenės naikinimas (1940 m. birželio 15 d.–1941 m.)|url=http://genocid.lt/GRTD/Tremtis/stasys.htm|website=Genocid.lt|access-date=14 December 2017}}</ref> On 14–18 June 1941, less than a week before the Nazi invasion, some 17,000 Lithuanians were deported to ], where many perished due to inhumane living conditions (see the ]).<ref>Anušauskas (2005), p. 140</ref><ref>{{cite journal| first=Aleksandras|last=Gurjanovas|title=Gyventojų trėmimo į SSRS gilumą mastas (1941 m. gegužės–birželio mėn.)|journal=Genocidas Ir Resistencija|url=http://www.genocid.lt/Leidyba/2/aleksand1.htm |year=1997|issue=2|volume=2|issn=1392-3463|language=lt}}</ref> The occupation was not recognized by Western powers and the ], based on pre-war consulates and legations, continued to represent independent Lithuania until 1990. | |||
Antrąją sovietinę okupaciją lydėjo ginkluota Lietuvos gyventojų rezistencija vykusi 1944–1953 m. Ji siekė atkurti nepriklausomą Lietuvos valstybę, įtvirtinti demokratiją sunaikinant komunizmą šalyje, grąžinti tautines vertybes, religijos laisvę.<ref>http://genocid.lt/centras/lt/1193/a/</ref> Partizanais tapdavo įvairaus socialinio sluoksnio, amžiaus grupių ir išsilavinimo asmenys, kurie tarybinės valdžios buvo vadinami banditais. Vienų norą pasitraukti į miškus ir priešintis ginklu lėmė okupacija, kitų – iš jų atimtas ūkis bei turtas. Ginkluota rezistencija skirstoma į tris etapus. Pirmasis prasidėjo 1944 m. vasarą ir truko iki 1946 m. vasaros. Jo metu kūrėsi didelio būriai, tačiau nebuvo vieningos organizacijos. Vyko dažni kariniai susirėmimai su ]. Antrais etapas apėmė 1946 m. vasarą – 1948 m. pabaigą. Tuo metu susiformavo partizanų organizacinė struktūra, būriai susmulkėjo iki 5–15 asmenų gyvenančių bunkeriuose. Naudota pogrindinė kovos taktika, organizuoti netikėti išpuoliai. Trečias etapas – 1949–1953 m. pabaiga. Jo metu buvo įkurtas Lietuvos laisvės kovų sąjūdis vadovaujamas Jono Žemaičio-Vytauto. Būriai sumažėjo iki 3–5 asmenų, retai vyko atviri susirėmimai, dažniausiai naudotas sabotažas ir teroras. Nepaisant to, kad partizaninis karas nepasiekė savo tikslo išlaisvinti Lietuvos valstybę ir pareikalavo daugiau kaip 20 tūkst. partizanų aukų, ši ginkluota rezistencija parodė pasauliui, jog Lietuva ne savo noru įstojo į SSRS ir legitimavo tautos norą būti nepriklausomai.<ref>Gailius B., Partizanai tada ir šiandien, Vilnius, 2006. </ref> Net ir nuslopinus partizaninį pasipriešinimą sovietinė valdžia neužgniaužė judėjimo už Lietuvos nepriklausomybę. Veikė persekiojamos pogrindinės disidentinės grupės, leidusios pogrindinę spaudą, katalikišką literatūrą. Aktyviausiais represuotais judėjimo dalyviais laikomi ], ], ].<ref>http://genocid.lt/centras/lt/1497/a/</ref> ] m. po ] susideginimo kilo kelias dienas trukę neramumai ]. Po tarptautinės konferencijos Suomijos sostinėje, kur buvo pripažintos po Antrojo pasaulinio karo nusistovėjusios sienos, Lietuvoje susikūrusi ] per užsienio radiją paskelbė nepriklausomybės reikalavimą. Disidentinis judėjimas kėlė tautos dvasią, bėgant laikui neleido pamiršti istorijos, tautinių vertybių.<ref>Štromas A., Mockūnas L., Laisvės horizontai, Vilnius, 2001.</ref> Jų veiklos dėka pasaulis buvo informuojamas apie situaciją LSSR, žmogaus teisių pažeidimus, o tai vertė Maskvą švelninti režimą.<ref>Tininis V., Sovietinė Lietuva ir jos veikėjai, Vilnius, 1994.</ref> | |||
]. The armed resistance was 50,000 strong at its peak.]] | |||
=== Nepriklausomybės atkūrimas 1990 m. ir dabartinė Lietuva === | |||
When Nazi Germany ] on 22 June 1941, Lithuanians began the anti-Soviet ], organized by the ]. Lithuanians proclaimed independence and organized the ]. This government quickly self-disbanded.<ref name="mi47">{{cite book |title=The Baltic States: Years of Dependence 1940–1990 |first=Romuald J. |last=Misiunas |author2=Rein Taagepera |publisher=University of California Press |edition=expanded |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-520-08228-1 |page= |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/balticstatesyear00misi/page/47 }}</ref> Lithuania became part of the ], German civil administration.<ref>{{cite book |editor=Anušauskas, Arvydas|title=Lietuva, 1940–1990 |year=2005 |publisher= ] |location=Vilnius |isbn=978-9986-757-65-8|language=lt|display-editors=etal |page=177}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
]]] | |||
1986 m. Tarybų Sąjungoje prasidėjus viešumo ('']'') politikai viešasis gyvenimas laisvėjo. 1988 m. birželio 3 d. buvo įkurtas ], Sąjūdžio idėjas palaikantys asmenys būrėsi į LPS rėmimo grupes visoje Lietuvoje. 1988 m. rugpjūčio 23 d. įvyko didžiulis mitingas Vilniaus ]. Jame dalyvavo apie 250 tūkst. žmonių. Dar po metų, 1989 rugpjūčio 23 d., minint 50-ąsias ] metines ir siekiant atkreipti viso pasaulio dėmesį į Baltijos šalių okupaciją suorganizuota ] akcija.<ref>Anušauskas A., Kelias į nepriklausomybę – Lietuvos sąjūdis, Kaunas, 2010.</ref> Lietuvos Persitvarkymo Sąjūdžio organizuotas „Baltijos kelias“ buvo maždaug 600 km ilgio susikibusių žmonių grandinė, sustojusi sujungti trijų Baltijos šalių sostines – Vilnių, Rygą ir Taliną. Tai parodė Lietuvos, ] ir ] žmonių siekį atsiskirti nuo SSRS<ref>http://www.thebalticway.eu/lt/istorija/</ref>. | |||
], where the ]s and their collaborators executed up to 100,000 people of various nationalities. About 70,000 of them were ].]] | |||
] m. ] d. ] paskelbė atkuriantis Lietuvos nepriklausomybę. Sovietų vadovybė į jų požiūriu „vienašališkus“ Lietuvos veiksmus reagavo ekonomine blokada. 1990 m. balandžio 18 d. SSRS sustabdė žaliavų (pirmiausia naftos) tiekimą Lietuvai. Ne tik šalies pramonei, bet ir gyventojams ėmė trūkti kuro, būtiniausių prekių, net karšto vandens. ] truko 76 dienas, tačiau Lietuva neatsisakė nepriklausomybės deklaracijos.<ref>http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/Istorija/74-lemtingos-dienos-zvilgsnis-is-uzkulisiu/200756/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031923/http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/Istorija/74-lemtingos-dienos-zvilgsnis-is-uzkulisiu/200756/ |date=2017-12-01 }}</ref> Palaipsniui ūkiniai ryšiai imti atkūrinėti. Įtampa pasiekė kulminaciją 1991 m. sausio mėnesį. Tuo metu buvo mėginta įvykdyti valstybės perversmą panaudojant SSRS ginkluotąsias pajėgas, Vidaus reikalų ministerijos vidaus kariuomenę ir SSRS Valstybės saugumo komitetą. Dėl blogos ekonominės situacijos tikėtasi gyventojų paramos perversmui, tačiau į Vilnių ginti teisėtai išrinktos valdžios ir nepriklausomybės plūdo žmonės iš visos Lietuvos. Perversmo bandymas baigėsi taikių gyventojų aukomis ir padarė didelių materialinių nuostolių. Nebuvo nė vieno atvejo, kad ginklą būtų panaudoję taikūs gyventojai ir valstybinių įstaigų gynėjai, šaudė tik sovietų kariuomenė. Dėl ginklo panaudojimo žuvo 14 žmonių, šimtai buvo sužeisti. Neilgai trukus pirmoji Lietuvos nepriklausomybę 1991 m. vasario 11 d. pripažino ]. Plataus ] Lietuva sulaukė po nepavykusios ] Maskvoje. Tų pačių metų ] Lietuva buvo priimta į ]. | |||
By 1 December 1941, over 120,000 ], or 91–95% of Lithuania's pre-war Jewish community, had been killed.<ref name="PBBG">{{cite book |author=Prit Buttar |title=Between Giants |isbn=978-1-78096-163-7|date=21 May 2013}}</ref>{{rp|110}} Nearly 100,000 Jews, Poles, Russians and Lithuanians were ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Michalski|first1=Czesław|title=Ponary - Golgota Wileńszczyzny (Ponary – the Golgotha of Wilno)|url=http://www.wsp.krakow.pl/konspekt/konspekt5/ponary.html|publisher=Konspekt nº 5, Winter 2000–01, ]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224124407/http://www.wsp.krakow.pl/konspekt/konspekt5/ponary.html|archive-date=24 December 2008|language=pl}}</ref> However, thousands of Lithuanian families risking their lives also protected Jews from the Holocaust.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sakaitė |first1=Viktorija |title=Žydų gelbėjimas |url=http://genocid.lt/Leidyba/4/viktorij.htm |website=genocid.lt |access-date=25 July 2018}}</ref> ] has recognized 918 Lithuanians (as of 1 January 2021) as ] for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yadvashem.org/righteous/statistics|title=Names of Righteous by Country|date=2017}}</ref> | |||
Approximately 13,000 men served in the ].<ref>Anušauskas, et al. (2005), p. 232</ref> 10 of the 26 Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions working with the Nazi ], were involved in the mass killings. Rogue units organised by ] and supervised by ] ''Brigadeführer'' Walter Stahlecker started the ] in and around ] on 25 June 1941.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.genocid.lt/Leidyba/13/bubnys.htm|website=Genocid.lt|title=Arūnas Bubnys. Lietuvių saugumo policija ir holokaustas (1941–1944) | ''Lithuanian Security Police and the Holocaust (1941–1944)''}}</ref><ref>Oshry, Ephraim, ''Annihilation of Lithuanian Jewry'', Judaica Press, Inc., New York, 1995</ref> In 1941, the ] (''Lietuvos saugumo policija''), subordinate to Nazi Germany's Security Police and Nazi Germany's Criminal Police, was created. The ''Lietuvos saugumo policija'' targeted the communist underground.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bubnys|first=Arūnas|author-link=Arūnas Bubnys|title=Vokiečių okupuota Lietuva (1941–1944)|publisher=]|year=1998| location=Vilnius|isbn=978-9986-757-12-2}}</ref> | |||
], pasiekti didžiuliai emigracijos mastai, ypač provincijoje.]] | |||
A new occupation had begun. Nationalized assets were not returned to the residents. Some of them were forced to fight for Nazi Germany or were taken to German territories as forced labourers. ] people were herded into ghettos and gradually killed by shooting or sending them out to concentration camps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.travel-earth.com/lithuania/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060823064325/http://www.travel-earth.com/lithuania/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 August 2006 |title=Lithuania: Back to the Future |website=Travel-earth.com |date=1 May 2004 |access-date=5 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Michalski|first1=Czesław|title=Ponary – Golgota Wileńszczyzny (Ponary – the Golgotha of Wilno)|url=http://www.wsp.krakow.pl/konspekt/konspekt5/ponary.html|publisher=Konspekt nº 5, Winter 2000–01, ]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224124407/http://www.wsp.krakow.pl/konspekt/konspekt5/ponary.html|archive-date=24 December 2008|language=pl|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
] m. ] d. LR piliečių ] priimta šiuo metu galiojanti Lietuvos Respublikos ]. Pirmuoju ] po Lietuvos ] nepriklausomybės atkūrimo, ] m. ] d. tiesioginių visuotinių ] metu, buvo išrinktas ]. Tų pačių metų rugpjūčio 31 d. išvesti paskutiniai sovietinės kariuomenės daliniai. Nuo ] m. ] d. Lietuva priklauso ] blokui, o ] m. ] d. Lietuva tapo visateise ] nare. | |||
====1944–1990==== | |||
== Politinė sistema == | |||
{{Main|Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic|Lithuanian partisans|Guerrilla war in the Baltic states}} | |||
]]] | |||
] in memory of the ]]] | |||
{{main|Lietuvos politinė sistema}} | |||
After the retreat of the ], the ] in July–October 1944. The ] to ] were resumed and lasted until the death of ] in 1953. ], the leader of the ] from 1940 to 1974,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Motyl |first1=Alexander J. |title=Encyclopedia of Nationalism, Two-Volume Set |date=2000 |publisher=Elsevier |isbn=978-0-08-054524-0 |pages=494–495 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pvHRNNk9hHEC&pg=PA494}}</ref> supervised the arrests and deportations.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roszkowski |first1=Wojciech |title=Biographical Dictionary of Central and Eastern Europe in the Twentieth Century |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-47593-4 |page=2549 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RnKlDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA2549}}</ref> All Lithuanian national symbols were banned. Under the pretext of Lithuania's economic recovery, the ] authorities encouraged the migration of workers and other specialists to Lithuania with the intention to further integrate Lithuania into the ] and to develop the country's industry. At the same time, Lithuanians were lured to work in the ] by promising them all the privileges of settling in a new place. | |||
Lietuva yra daugiapartinė parlamentinė respublika. Pagrindinis šalies įstatymas yra ] būdu 1992 m. spalio 25 d. priimta ], galiojanti nuo 1992 m. lapkričio 6 d. Remiantis ja valdžią vykdo ], ], ] ir ]. | |||
The second Soviet occupation was accompanied by the ] of the Lithuanian population, which took place in 1944–1953. It sought to restore an independent state of Lithuania, to consolidate democracy by destroying communism in the country, returning national values and the freedom of religion. About 50,000 Lithuanians took to the forests and fought Soviet occupants with a gun in their hands.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5379.htm |title=US Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs|website=State.gov |date=August 2006 |access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.partizanai.org/failai/html/fighters-for-freedom.htm|title=Fighters for Freedom. Lithuanian partisans versus the U.S.S.R.|author=Juozas Daumantas|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> In the later stages of the partisan war, Lithuanians formed the ] and its leader ] (codename Vytautas) was posthumously recognized as the president of Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lituanus.org/1969/69_1_02.htm|title=The Partisan Movement in Postwar Lithuania – V. Stanley Vardys|website=Lituanus.org|access-date=2 December 2017|archive-date=2 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302085809/http://www.lituanus.org/1969/69_1_02.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite the fact that the guerrilla warfare did not achieve its goal of liberating Lithuania and that it resulted in more than 20,000 deaths, the armed resistance ''de facto'' demonstrated that Lithuania did not voluntarily join the USSR and it also legitimized the will of the people of Lithuania to be independent.<ref name="küng1999">{{cite web |author=Küng, Andres |author-link=Andres Küng |date=13 April 1999 |url=http://www.rel.ee/eng/communism_crimes.htm |title=Communism and Crimes against Humanity in the Baltic states |url-status=dead |archive-date=1 March 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010301223347/http://www.rel.ee/eng/communism_crimes.htm |quote=A Report to the Jarl Hjalmarson Foundation seminar}}</ref> Lithuanian courts and the ] both treat the Soviets' annihilation of the Lithuanian partisans as a ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Beniušis |first1=Vaidotas |title=EŽTT: sovietų represijos prieš Lietuvos partizanus gali būti laikomos genocidu |url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/eztt-sovietu-represijos-pries-lietuvos-partizanus-gali-buti-laikomos-genocidu.d?id=80586003 |website=] |access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref> | |||
Teisminę valdžią įgyvendina teismai. Pagrindinė jų paskirtis – teisingumo vykdymas sprendžiant baudžiamąsias, civilines ir administracines bylas. Kaip ir būdinga demokratinei respublikai, valdžia šalyje renkama rinkimais. Lietuvos Respublikoje jie būna keturių rūšių: Seimo, Prezidento, savivaldybių tarybų – merų ir Europos parlamento atstovų.<ref>http://www3.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Konstitucija.htm</ref> | |||
] was a mass anti-Soviet demonstration where approx. 25% of the population of the Baltic states participated.]] | |||
=== Prezidentas === | |||
] ]]] | |||
Prezidentas renkamas tautos 5 metų kadencijai ne daugiau du kartus. Viena iš pagrindinių prezidento funkcijų yra užsienio politikos formavimas. Taip pat prezidentas skiria Ministrus, Ministrą Pirmininką ir teisėjus, yra vyriausias karinių pajėgų vadas. Dabartinis Respublikos Prezidentas ] buvo išrinktas 2019 m. | |||
Even with the suppression of partisan resistance, the Soviet government failed to stop the movement for the independence of Lithuania. The underground dissident groups were active publishing the underground press and Catholic literature. The most active participants of the movement included ], ] and ]. In 1972, after ] public self-immolation, the ] lasted for several days.<ref>{{cite web|title=Romas Kalanta|url=http://genocid.lt/UserFiles/File/Atmintinos_datos/2012/20120511_kalanta.pdf|website=genocid.lt|access-date=19 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
=== Seimas === | |||
] rally in ] of about 250,000 people. ] was a movement which led to the restoration of an Independent State of Lithuania.]] | |||
Įstatymų leidžiamoji valdžia yra vienerių rūmų parlamentas – ]. Jį sudaro 141 Seimo narys renkamas 4 metų kadencijai mišria ] (71 narys renkamas absoliučiosios daugumos būdu, o 70 – taikant proporcinį atstovavimą su galimybe reitinguoti partijų sąrašus). Rinkti Seimą teisę turi visi vyresni nei 18 m. piliečiai, būti renkami Seimo nariais – nuo 25 m. | |||
The ], which was founded in Lithuania after the international conference in Helsinki (Finland), where the post-WWII borders were acknowledged, announced a declaration for Lithuania's independence on foreign radio station.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lituanus.org/1984_2/84_2_05.htm|title=The Demise of the Lithuanian Helsinki Group|website=Lituanus.org}}</ref> The Helsinki Group informed the Western world about the situation in the Soviet Lithuania and violations of human rights. With the beginning of the increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities ('']'') in the Soviet Union, on 3 June 1988, the ] was established in Lithuania with ] acting as the key figure of the movement. Very soon it began to seek the country's independence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lokashakti.org/encyclopedia/movements/722-lithuanias-independence-movement|title=Lithuania's Independence Movement – Lokashakti Encyclopedia|website=Lokashakti.org|access-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203153801/http://www.lokashakti.org/encyclopedia/movements/722-lithuanias-independence-movement|archive-date=3 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Eventually, ] became the movement's leader.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.baltictimes.com/landsbergis_has_always_been_lithuania_s_first_head-of-state/|title=Landsbergis has always been Lithuania's first head-of-state|website=Baltictimes.com|access-date=21 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203013745/https://www.baltictimes.com/landsbergis_has_always_been_lithuania_s_first_head-of-state/|archive-date=3 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The supporters of Sąjūdis joined movement's groups all over Lithuania. On 23 August 1988 a big rally took place at the ] in Vilnius. It was attended by approx. 250,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sąjūdžio mitingas 1988 – 08 – 23 Vingio parke|url=https://www.lrt.lt/mediateka/irasas/7220/sajudzio-mitingas-1988-08-23-vingio-parke-molotovo-ribentropo-paktui-39-eri|website=LRT|date=23 August 1988|access-date=12 May 2018|language=lt}}</ref> A year later, on 23 August 1989 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ] and aiming to draw the attention of the whole world to the occupation of the ], a political demonstration, the ], was organized.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebalticway.eu/lt/istorija/|title=Istorija|website=Thebalticway.eu}}</ref> The event, led by ], was a human chain spanning {{convert|600|km}} across ], ] and ], indicating the desire of the people of Lithuania, ], and ] to break away from the ]. | |||
'''Seimo partijos''' (pagal ]) | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
====1990–present==== | |||
|+ | |||
{{multiple image | |||
!Partija | |||
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!Narių skaičius | |||
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|] | |||
| header_align = left/right/center | |||
|'''50''' | |||
| footer = On 11 March 1990, the ] announced the ].<ref name="Bell2002">{{cite book|author=Imogen Bell|title=Central and South-Eastern Europe 2003|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CrpzRJCbckC&pg=PA376|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-1-85743-136-0|page=376}}</ref> After refusal to revoke the Act, the ] stormed the ], while Lithuanians defended their ] elected Council. The Act was the first such declaration in the USSR and later served as a model, inspiration to other ], and strongly influenced the ]. | |||
|- | |||
| footer_align = left/right/center | |||
|] | |||
| image1 = | |||
|32 | |||
| image2 = Act of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania 1990-03-11.png | |||
|- | |||
}} | |||
|] | |||
On 11 March 1990, the ] announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence. On 20 April 1990, the Soviets ] by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials (primarily oil) to Lithuania.<ref>{{cite magazine |author1=Martha Brill Olcott |title=The Lithuanian Crisis |url=https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russian-federation/1990-06-01/lithuanian-crisis |website=www.foreignaffairs.com |access-date=18 November 2018 |date=1990 |quote=For over two years Lithuania has been moving toward reclaiming its independence. This drive reached a crescendo on 11 March 1990, when the Supreme Soviet of Lithuania declared the republic no longer bound by Soviet law. The act reasserted the independence Lithuania had declared more than seventy years before, a declaration unilaterally annulled by the U.S.S.R. in 1940 when it annexed Lithuania as the result of a pact between Stalin and Hitler.}}</ref> Not only the domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although the blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence. | |||
|13 | |||
|- | |||
Gradually, economic relations had been restored. However, tensions had peaked again in January 1991. At that time, attempts were made to carry out a coup using the ], the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security (]). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the ] would receive strong public support.<ref>{{cite web |title=10 svarbiausių 1991–ųjų sausio įvykių, kuriuos privalote žinoti |url= https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/10-svarbiausiu-1991-uju-sausio-ivykiu-kuriuos-privalote-zinoti-56-565845 |website=15min.lt|access-date=13 January 2016}}</ref> | |||
|] | |||
|'''13''' | |||
], Soviet forces fired live rounds at unarmed independence supporters and crushed two of them with tanks, killing 13 in total. To this day, Russia refuses to extradite the perpetrators, who were convicted of ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Lithuania convicts Russians of war crimes under Soviet rule |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47725239 |access-date=28 March 2019 |agency=BBC News |date=27 March 2019}}</ref>]] | |||
|- | |||
People from all over Lithuania flooded to ] to defend their legitimately elected ] and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties of peaceful civilians and caused huge material loss. Not a single person who defended ] or other state institutions used a weapon, but the ] did. Soviet soldiers killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the ].<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|title=On This Day 13 January 1991: Bloodshed at Lithuanian TV station|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/13/newsid_4059000/4059959.stm|access-date=13 September 2011|date=13 January 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title=Soviet crackdown; Soviet loyalists in charge after attack in Lithuania; 13 dead; curfew is imposed| author=Bill Keller|newspaper=]| date=14 January 1991| access-date=18 December 2009| url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/01/14/world/soviet-crackdown-soviet-loyalists-charge-after-attack-lithuania-13-dead-curfew.html?pagewanted=all}}</ref> Shortly after, on 11 February 1991, the ] voted to confirm that ]'s 1922 recognition of Lithuanian independence was still in full effect, as it never formally recognized the Soviet Union's control over Lithuania,<ref>{{cite news |title=Svo fljótt sem verða má |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=2927190 |access-date=28 October 2018 |work=] |date=12 February 1991 |language=is}}</ref> and that full diplomatic relations should be established as soon as possible.<ref>{{cite news |title=Stjórnmálasamband verði tekið upp svo fljótt sem verða má |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=1738122 |access-date=28 October 2018 |work=] |date=12 February 1991 |language=is}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Viðurkenning á sjálfstæði í fullu gildi |url=http://timarit.is/view_page_init.jsp?pageId=2581110 |access-date=28 October 2018 |work=] |date=12 February 1991 |language=is}}</ref> | |||
|] | |||
|'''11''' | |||
On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed seven Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://coldwarsites.net/country/lithuania/memorial-medininkai|title=Memorial. Medininkai – Cold war sites|website=coldwarsites.net}}</ref> On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the ]. | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
On 25 October 1992, the citizens of Lithuania voted in a referendum to adopt the current ]. On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, ] became the first president after the restoration of independence of Lithuania. On 31 August 1993 the last units of the Soviet Army left the territory of Lithuania.<ref>{{cite book| author=Richard J. Krickus| chapter=Democratization in Lithuania| editor=K. Dawisha and B. Parrott| title=The Consolidation of Democracy in East-Central Europe| date=June 1997| page=| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NRkpNovMd_cC&pg=PA344| isbn=978-0-521-59938-2| url=https://archive.org/details/consolidationofd0000unse/page/344}}</ref> | |||
|10 | |||
|- | |||
On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the ] (WTO).<ref>{{cite web |title=WTO - Accessions: Lithuania |url=https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/acc_e/a1_lituanie_e.htm |website=www.wto.org |access-date=30 March 2021}}</ref> Since 29 March 2004, Lithuania has been part of ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) |url=https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuanias-security-policy/lithuanian-membership-in-nato |website=urm.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=5 February 2014 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417181725/https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuanias-security-policy/lithuanian-membership-in-nato |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 1 May 2004, it became a fully-fledged member of the ],<ref>{{cite web |title=Membership |url=https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuania-member-of-the-european-union/membership |website=urm.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=6 January 2016 |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626050010/https://www.urm.lt/default/en/foreign-policy/lithuania-in-the-region-and-the-world/lithuania-member-of-the-european-union/membership |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a member of the ] on 21 December 2007.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania has joined the Schengen Area |url=http://no.mfa.lt/no/en/news/lithuania-has-joined-the-schengen-area |website=mfa.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=16 January 2008 |archive-date=26 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210626050010/http://no.mfa.lt/no/en/news/lithuania-has-joined-the-schengen-area |url-status=dead }}</ref> On 1 January 2015, ] the ] and adopted the European Union's single currency as the last of the Baltic states.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kropaite |first1=Zivile |title=Lithuania joins Baltic neighbours in euro club |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30635826 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=1 January 2015}}</ref> On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania officially becomes the 36th OECD member |url=https://lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-officially-becomes-the-36th-oecd-member |website=lrv.lt |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=5 July 2018 |archive-date=3 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703105900/https://lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-officially-becomes-the-36th-oecd-member |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
|] | |||
|4 | |||
] (2009–2019) was the first female ] and the first president to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania President Re-elected on Anti-Russian Platform {{!}} Voice of America - English |url=https://www.voanews.com/europe/lithuania-president-re-elected-anti-russian-platform |website=voanews.com |access-date=30 March 2021 |date=26 May 2014}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared the ] in response to ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania declares state of emergency after Russia invades Ukraine|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/lithuania-declares-state-emergency-after-russia-invades-ukraine-2022-02-24/|date=24 February 2022|access-date=8 June 2022|website=Reuters}}</ref> Together with the eight other NATO member states, the country also invoked NATO ] to hold consultations on security.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-business-europe-russia-vladimir-putin-71bf9d3687e1a04f11dfb895639a13ca |title=NATO vows to defend its entire territory after Russia attack |last=Cook |first=Lorne |website=Associated Press |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref> | |||
|3 | |||
|- | |||
==Geography== | |||
|] | |||
{{Main|Geography of Lithuania}} | |||
|3 | |||
] | |||
|- | |||
Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of ]{{efn|name=location}} and covers an area of {{convert|65300|km2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.canada.ca/en/sr/srb/sra.html?_charset_=UTF-8&allq=Lithuania&exctq=&anyq=&noneq=&fqupdate=&dmn=&fqocct=|title=Lithuania|publisher=]|access-date=18 June 2020}}</ref> It lies between latitudes ] and ], and mostly between longitudes ] and ] (part of the ] lies west of 21°). It has around {{convert|99|km|mi|1}} of sandy coastline, only about {{convert|38|km|mi|0}} of which face the open ], less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major ], ], lies at the narrow mouth of the ] (Lithuanian: ''Kuršių marios''), a shallow lagoon extending south to ]. The country's main and largest river, the ], and some of its tributaries carry international shipping. | |||
|] | |||
|1 | |||
Lithuania lies at the edge of the ]. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the ], and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is ] at {{convert|294|m|ft|0}} in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features ] (], for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country. ] is the largest, ] is the deepest and ] is the longest lake in Lithuania. | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the ] of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the ] (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the ] was in Lithuania, at {{coord|54|54|N|25|19|E|type:landmark|name=Purnuškės (centre of gravity)}}, {{convert|26|km|mi}} north of Lithuania's capital city of ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geosite.jankrogh.com/other.htm |title=Other Places of Interest: Central Europe |author=Jan S. Krogh |access-date=31 December 2011}}</ref> Affholder accomplished this by calculating the ] of the ] of Europe. | |||
|1 | |||
|} | |||
===Climate=== | |||
{{Main|Geography of Lithuania#Climate}} | |||
Lithuania has a temperate climate with both ] and ] influences. It is defined as ] (Dfb) under the ] (but is close to ] in a narrow coastal zone). | |||
Average temperatures on the coast are {{convert|-2.5|C}} in January and {{convert|16|°C|0|abbr=on}} in July. In Vilnius the average temperatures are {{convert|-6|°C|0|abbr=on}} in January and {{convert|17|°C|0|abbr=on}} in July. During the summer, {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}} is common during the day while {{convert|14|°C|0|abbr=on}} is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as {{convert|30|or|35|°C|0|abbr=on}}. Some winters can be very cold. {{convert|-20|°C|0|abbr=on}} occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are {{convert|-34|°C|0|abbr=on}} in coastal areas and {{convert|-43|°C|0|abbr=on}} in the east of Lithuania. | |||
The average annual precipitation is {{convert|800|mm|1|abbr=on}} on the coast, {{convert|900|mm|1|abbr=on}} in the Samogitia highlands and {{convert|600|mm|1|abbr=on}} in the eastern part of the country. Snow occurs every year, it can snow from October to April. In some years sleet can fall in September or May. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part. Severe storms are rare in the eastern part of Lithuania but common in the coastal areas. | |||
The longest records of measured temperature in the Baltic area cover about 250 years. The data show warm periods during the latter half of the 18th century, and that the 19th century was a relatively cool period. An early 20th-century warming culminated in the 1930s, followed by a smaller cooling that lasted until the 1960s. A warming trend has persisted since then.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltex-research.eu/BACC/events/goteborg/Poster_2_1.pdf |title=Assessment of Climate Change for the Baltic Sea Basin – The BACC Project – 22–23 May 2006, Göteborg, Sweden |access-date=25 April 2010}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and ] bog fires.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Research Note Effect of drought and fires on the quality of water in Lithuanian rivers|year=2003 |bibcode=2003HESS....7..423S |author=G. Sakalauskiene and G. Ignatavicius |volume=7 |pages=423–427 |journal=Hydrology and Earth System Sciences |doi=10.5194/hess-7-423-2003 |issue=3|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00304792/file/hess-7-423-2003.pdf |doi-access=free }}</ref> | |||
===Environment=== | |||
{{multiple image | |||
| caption_align = center | |||
| align = right | |||
| direction = vertical | |||
| image1 = Žadvainių ežeras.jpg | |||
| image2 = Nida sand dunes (14573723178).jpg | |||
| caption1 = Typical Lithuanian flatlands with lakes, swamps and forests. Thousands of various lakes lie in Lithuania and create magnificent sights from the bird's eye view. | |||
| caption2 = Sand dunes of the ] near ], which are the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe (])<ref>{{cite web |title=Nida and The Curonian Spit, The Insider's Guide to Visiting |url=https://www.vanlifetribe.com/nida-guide-baltic-coast/ |website=VanLife Tribe |access-date=3 January 2019 |date=23 September 2016}}</ref> | |||
}} | |||
After the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990, the ''Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas'' (Environmental Protection Act) was adopted already in 1992. The law provided the foundations for regulating social relations in the field of environmental protection, established the basic rights and obligations of legal and natural persons in preserving the biodiversity inherent in Lithuania, ecological systems and the landscape.<ref>{{cite web|title=Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas|url=https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E2780B68DE62/vsPTFQpUEB|website=e-tar.lt|access-date=27 April 2018}}</ref> Lithuania agreed to cut ] by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 40% by 2030, together with all European Union members. Also, by 2020 at least 20% (27% by 2030) of the country's total energy consumption should be from the ] sources.<ref>{{cite web|title=EU climate action|url=https://ec.europa.eu/clima/citizens/eu_en|website=European Commission|access-date=27 April 2018|date=23 November 2016}}</ref> In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effective ], which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=Europa suskubo paskui Lietuvą: kuo skiriasi šalių užstato sistemos?|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/lietuva/europa-suskubo-paskui-lietuva-kuo-skiriasi-saliu-uzstato-sistemos-56-968940|website=15min.lt|access-date=9 May 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania does not have high mountains and its landscape is dominated by blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereals. However it stands out by the abundance of ]s, which previously had castles where the ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods.<ref name="gamta">{{cite web|title=Gamta|url=http://www.lithuania.travel/lt/objektai/gamta-/80|website=lithuania.travel|language=lt|access-date=7 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322151518/http://www.lithuania.travel/lt/objektai/gamta-/80|archive-date=22 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lithuania is a particularly watered region with more than 3,000 lakes, mostly in the northeast. The country is also drained by numerous rivers, most notably the longest ].<ref name="gamta" /> Lithuania is home to two terrestrial ecoregions: ] and ].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{cite journal|last1=Dinerstein|first1=Eric|last2=Olson|first2=David|last3=Joshi|first3=Anup|last4=Vynne|first4=Carly|last5=Burgess|first5=Neil D.|last6=Wikramanayake|first6=Eric|last7=Hahn|first7=Nathan|last8=Palminteri|first8=Suzanne|last9=Hedao|first9=Prashant|last10=Noss|first10=Reed|last11=Hansen|first11=Matt|last12=Locke|first12=Harvey|last13=Ellis|first13=Erle C|last14=Jones|first14=Benjamin|last15=Barber|first15=Charles Victor|last16=Hayes|first16=Randy|last17=Kormos|first17=Cyril|last18=Martin|first18=Vance|last19=Crist|first19=Eileen|last20=Sechrest|first20=Wes|last21=Price|first21=Lori|last22=Baillie|first22=Jonathan E. M.|last23=Weeden|first23=Don|last24=Suckling|first24=Kierán|last25=Davis|first25=Crystal|last26=Sizer|first26=Nigel|last27=Moore|first27=Rebecca|last28=Thau|first28=David|last29=Birch|first29=Tanya|last30=Potapov|first30=Peter|last31=Turubanova|first31=Svetlana|last32=Tyukavina|first32=Alexandra|last33=de Souza|first33=Nadia|last34=Pintea|first34=Lilian|last35=Brito|first35=José C.|last36=Llewellyn|first36=Othman A.|last37=Miller|first37=Anthony G.|last38=Patzelt|first38=Annette|last39=Ghazanfar|first39=Shahina A.|last40=Timberlake|first40=Jonathan|last41=Klöser|first41=Heinz|last42=Shennan-Farpón|first42=Yara|last43=Kindt|first43=Roeland|last44=Lillesø|first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow|last45=van Breugel|first45=Paulo|last46=Graudal|first46=Lars|last47=Voge|first47=Maianna|last48=Al-Shammari|first48=Khalaf F.|last49=Saleem|first49=Muhammad|display-authors=1|title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm|journal=BioScience|volume=67|issue=6|year=2017|pages=534–545|issn=0006-3568|doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014|pmid=28608869|pmc=5451287}}</ref> | |||
Forest has long been one of the most important natural resources in Lithuania. Forests occupy one third of the country's territory and timber-related industrial production accounts for almost 11% industrial production in the country.<ref>{{cite book|title=Lietuvos gamtinė aplinka, būklė, procesai ir raida|date=2008|publisher=Aplinkos apsaugos agentūra|location=Vilnius|isbn=978-9955-815-27-3|page=167|url=http://files.gamta.lt/aaa/pranesimai/Lietuvos_gamtine_aplinka_bukle_procesai_ir_raida.pdf}}</ref> Lithuania has five ]s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos nacionaliniai parkai|url=https://aplinka.lt/lietuvos-nacionaliniai-parkai|website=aplinka.lt|access-date=27 April 2018|language=lt-LT}}</ref> 30 ]s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Regioniniai parkai|url=http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/13|website=vstt.lt|access-date=27 April 2018|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020225309/http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/13|url-status=dead}}</ref> 402 ]s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Draustiniai|url=http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/10|website=vstt.lt|access-date=27 April 2018|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020225309/http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/10|url-status=dead}}</ref> 668 state-protected natural heritage objects.<ref>{{cite web|title=Apie gamtos paveldo objektus|url=http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/159|website=vstt.lt|access-date=27 April 2018|archive-date=20 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191020225309/http://www.vstt.lt/VI/index.php#r/159|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
In 2018 Lithuania was ranked fifth, second to Sweden (first 3 places were not granted) in the ] (CCPI).<ref>{{cite web|title=Climate Change Performance Index 2018|url=https://www.climate-change-performance-index.org|website=Climate-change-performance-index.org|access-date=14 May 2018}}</ref> It had a 2019 ] mean score of 1.62/10, ranking it 162nd globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity - Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G }}</ref> | |||
===Biodiversity=== | |||
{{Main|Fauna of Lithuania}} | |||
] is the national bird of Lithuania<ref>{{cite web|last1=Klimka|first1=Libertas|title=Kodėl gandras – nacionalinis paukštis?|url=http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/nuomones/10/97041/libertas-klimka-kodel-gandras-nacionalinis-paukstis|website=LRT|date=26 March 2015|access-date=26 March 2015|language=lt}}</ref> which has the highest-density stork population in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Storks|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/lithuania/eastern-southern-lithuania/background/other-features/eaf58144-ae01-405e-b1bf-7dc3e3590743/a/nar/eaf58144-ae01-405e-b1bf-7dc3e3590743/360111|website=Lonelyplanet.com|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref>]] | |||
Lithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests, bogs, wetlands and meadows), and anthropogenic (agrarian and urban) ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory. Wetlands (raised bogs, fens, transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of the country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. Changes in wetland plant communities resulted in the replacement of moss and grass communities by trees and shrubs, and fens not directly affected by land reclamation have become drier as a result of a drop in the water table. There are 29,000 rivers with a total length of 64,000 km in Lithuania, the ] basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential catadromous fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication.<ref name="cbd">{{cite web|title=Lithuania – Biodiversity Facts|url=https://www.cbd.int/countries/profile/default.shtml?country=lt#facts|website=cbd.int|access-date=24 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
Agricultural land comprises 54% of Lithuania's territory (roughly 70% of that is arable land and 30% meadows and pastures), approximately 400,000 ha of agricultural land is not farmed, and acts as an ecological niche for weeds and invasive plant species. Habitat deterioration is occurring in regions with very productive and expensive lands as crop areas are expanded. Currently, 18.9% of all plant species, including 1.87% of all known fungi species and 31% of all known species of lichens, are listed in the ]. The list also contains 8% of all fish species.<ref name="cbd"/> | |||
The wildlife populations have rebounded as the hunting became more restricted and urbanization allowed replanting forests (forests already tripled in size since their lows). Currently, Lithuania has approximately 250,000 larger wild animals or 5 per each square kilometre. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is the ], with 120,000 of them. They are followed by ]s (55,000). Other ungulates are the ] (~22,000), ] (~21,000) and the largest one: ] (~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators, ]es are the most common (~27,000). ]s are, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are the ]es (~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude the ], ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fauna of Lithuania|url=http://www.truelithuania.com/tag/fauna-of-lithuania|website=TrueLithuania.com|access-date=24 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
== Government and politics== | |||
{{Main|Politics of Lithuania}} | |||
] — Parliament of Lithuania]] | |||
===Government=== | |||
Since Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56.75% of voters supported the ].<ref name="referenda">{{in lang|lt}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909201701/http://www3.lrs.lt/docs2/QKVXRGNF.DOC |date=9 September 2008}}, Microsoft Word Document, ]. Retrieved 4 June 2006.</ref> There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A ] was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the ].<ref name="referenda" /> Through compromise, a ] was agreed on.<ref name="Lina" /> | |||
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The Lithuanian ] is the president, directly elected for a five-year term and serving a maximum of two terms. The president oversees foreign affairs and national security, and is the ] of the military.<ref name="lrpf">{{cite web |title=Presidential Functions |url=https://www.lrp.lt/en/institution/presidential-functions/20800 |website=lrp.lt |access-date=15 July 2019 |archive-date=10 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510181051/https://www.lrp.lt/en/institution/presidential-functions/20800 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The president also appoints the ] and, on the latter's nomination, the rest of the cabinet, as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts except the Constitutional Court.<ref name="lrpf" /> The current Lithuanian head of state, ] was ] by unanimously winning in all ] on the second election tour.<ref name="president2019">{{cite web |title=Rezultatai – Respublikos Prezidento rinkimai 2019 |url=https://rinkimai.maps.lt/rinkimai2019/prezidentas/ |website=rinkimai.maps.lt |access-date=15 July 2019}}</ref> | |||
The judges of the ] (''Konstitucinis Teismas'') serve nine-year terms. The court is renewed by a third every three years. The judges are appointed by the Seimas, on the nomination of the President, Chairman of the Seimas, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court,. The ] Lithuanian parliament, the ], has 141 members who are elected to four-year terms. 71 of the members of its members are elected in single-member constituencies, and the others in a nationwide vote by ]. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in the Seimas.<ref name="Seimas">{{cite web|title=Seimo rinkimai|url=http://www.lrs.lt/sip/portal.show?p_r=15405&p_k=1|website=lrs.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Political parties and elections=== | |||
{{Main|Elections in Lithuania}} | |||
Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world to ] in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the ] and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as the ] (1920), ] (1945), ] (1952), ] (1971).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baronienė |first1=Daiva |title=Teisę balsuoti Lietuvos moterys gavo vienos pirmųjų pasaulyje |url=https://www.lzinios.lt/Gimtasis-krastas/teise-balsuoti-lietuvos-moterys-gavo-vienos-pirmuju-pasaulyje/287033 |website=Lzinios.lt |access-date=11 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511092317/https://www.lzinios.lt/Gimtasis-krastas/teise-balsuoti-lietuvos-moterys-gavo-vienos-pirmuju-pasaulyje/287033 |archive-date=11 May 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tlu.ee/stss/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stss_nov_2011_saarts.pdf |title=Comparative Party System Analysis in Central and Eastern Europe: the Case of the Baltic States |last1=Saarts |first1=Tõnis |publisher=Studies of Transition States and Societies |access-date=31 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019212154/http://www.tlu.ee/stss/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/stss_nov_2011_saarts.pdf |archive-date=19 October 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the ] take place on the second Sunday of October every four years.<ref name="Seimas"/> To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos Respublikos Seimo rinkimų įstatymas|url=https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.06267D86738E/lyGURhvddO|website=e-tar.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> ] won the ]s and gained 50 of 141 seats in the parliament.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vrk.lt/2020-seimo/rezultatai|title=Rezultatai - vrk.lt|website=www.vrk.lt}}</ref> In October 2020, the prime ministerial candidate of Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) ] formed a centre-right coalition with two liberal parties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.err.ee/1151388/lithuania-to-get-new-conservative-liberal-coalition-prime-minister|title=Lithuania to get new conservative-liberal coalition prime minister |author=<!-- no byline --> |date=26 October 2020|website=ERR}}</ref> | |||
] in the historical ] hall where it was originally signed in 1990. The ceremony is attended by the Lithuanian President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Seimas and other high-ranking officials.]] | |||
The ] is the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term.<ref name="Constitution">{{cite web |url=http://www3.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Constitution.htm |title=Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania |publisher=The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on the election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. Same President may serve for not more than two terms.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos Respublikos Prezidento rinkimų įstatymas|url=https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.E39827DBDE34/rYdcColjED|website=e-tar.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> ] has won the most recent election as an independent candidate in ].<ref name="president2019" /> | |||
Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a ] and a ], who is a member of the municipal council. The number of members, elected on a four-year term, in each municipal council depends on the size of the municipality and varies from 15 (in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents) to 51 (in municipalities with more than 500,000 residents). 1,524 municipal council members were elected in 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vrk.lt/naujienos/-/content/10180/1/vrk-prieme-svarbius-sprendimus-artejanciu-savivaldybiu-tarybu-rinkimu-klausimais |title=VRK priėmė svarbius sprendimus artėjančių savivaldybių tarybų rinkimų klausimais |language=lt |trans-title=CEC took important decisions regarding the upcoming election to municipal councils |date=23 September 2014 |publisher=Central Electoral Commission |access-date=31 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150212040822/http://www.vrk.lt/naujienos/-/content/10180/1/vrk-prieme-svarbius-sprendimus-artejanciu-savivaldybiu-tarybu-rinkimu-klausimais |archive-date=12 February 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Starting with 2015, the mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos Respublikos savivaldybių tarybų rinkimų įstatymas|url=https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.336A4B109EBC/HEexqWkxmV|website=e-tar.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> ] won most of the positions in the 2015 elections (372 municipal councils seats and 16 mayors).<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 m. kovo 1 d. Lietuvos Respublikos savivaldybių tarybų rinkimai|url=http://www.vrk.lt/2015-savivaldybiu-tarybu|website=vrk.lt|access-date=14 April 2018|language=lt-LT|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414234238/http://www.vrk.lt/2015-savivaldybiu-tarybu|archive-date=14 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
As of 2019, the number of seats in the ] allocated to Lithuania was 11.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/us/en/elections_2014.html |title=European Parliament 2014 |publisher=European Parliament Liaison Office with U.S. Congress |access-date=31 July 2015}}</ref> Ordinary elections take place on a Sunday on the same day as in other EU countries. The vote is open to all citizens of Lithuania, as well as citizens of other EU countries that permanently reside in Lithuania, who are at least 18 years old on the election day. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of another EU country permanently residing in Lithuania. Candidates are not allowed to stand for election in more than one country. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos Respublikos rinkimų į Europos Parlamentą įstatymas|url=https://www.e-tar.lt/portal/lt/legalAct/TAR.FE3C428580B8/DOAAhMeuda|website=e-tar.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Six political parties and one committee representatives gained seats in the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=2019 m. gegužės 26 d. Europos Parlamento rinkimai |url=https://www.vrk.lt/2019-europos-parlamento |website=vrk.lt |access-date=23 September 2019}}</ref> | |||
===Law and law enforcement=== | |||
{{Main|Law of Lithuania}} | |||
] were the central piece of Lithuanian law in 1529–1795.]] | |||
The first attempt to ] the Lithuanian laws was in 1468 when the ] was compiled and adopted by Grand Duke ].<ref name="LawVle">{{cite web |last1=Matulienė |first1=Snieguolė |last2=Spruogis |first2=Ernestas |title=Lietuvos teisės šaltiniai |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-teises-saltiniai/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=22 February 2022 |language=lt}}</ref> In the 16th century three editions of the ] were created with the First Statute being adopted in 1529, the Second Statute in 1566, and the Third Statute in 1588.<ref name="LawVle" /> On 3 May 1791, the Europe's first and the world's second ] was adopted by the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gegužės trečiosios konstitucija |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/geguzes-treciosios-konstitucija/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=22 February 2022 |language=lt}}</ref> The Third Statute was partly in force in the territory of Lithuania even until 1840, despite the ] in 1795.<ref name="LawVle" /> | |||
In 1934–1935, Lithuania held the ], the ] were sentenced to imprisonment in a ] and ]s.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gliožaitis |first1=Algirdas |title=Neumanno-Sasso byla |trans-title= The Case of Neumann-Sass |url=https://www.mle.lt/straipsniai/neumanno-sasso-byla |website=Mažosios Lietuvos enciklopedija |access-date=12 February 2022 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
After regaining of independence in 1990, the largely modified Soviet legal codes were in force for about a decade. The current ] was adopted on 25 October 1992.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos Konstitucija|url=http://www3.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Konstitucija.htm|website=lrs.lt|access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref> In 2001, the ] was passed in ]. It was succeeded by the ] and ] Code in 2003. The approach to the ] is ], as opposed to ]; it is generally characterised by an insistence on formality and rationalisation, as opposed to practicality and informality. Normative legal act enters into force on the next day after its publication in the ''Teisės aktų registras'', unless it has a later entry into force date.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nuo 2014 m. sausio 1 d. teisės aktai oficialiai skelbiami Teisės aktų registre|url=http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter/w5_show?p_r=4443&p_d=143651&p_k=1|website=3.lrs.lt|access-date=24 February 2018|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
The ] is an integral part of the Lithuanian legal system since 1 May 2004.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nacionalinės teisės aktų derinimo su Europos Sąjungos teise metodiniai nurodymai|url=http://www.etd.lt/index.php?189546198|website=etd.lt|access-date=22 October 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218090653/http://www.etd.lt/index.php?189546198|archive-date=18 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania, after breaking away from the Soviet Union, had a difficult crime situation, however, the Lithuanian law enforcement agencies fought crime over the years, making Lithuania a reasonably safe country.<ref>{{cite web|title=LRT dokumentikos ciklas "Nematoma Lietuvos istorija" – apie valstybės pergalę prieš mafiją|url=http://www.lrt.lt/televizija/anonsai/22093/lrt-dokumentikos-ciklas-nematoma-lietuvos-istorija-apie-valstybes-pergale-pries-mafija|website=LRT|access-date=5 September 2016|language=lt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228223636/http://www.lrt.lt/televizija/anonsai/22093/lrt-dokumentikos-ciklas-nematoma-lietuvos-istorija-apie-valstybes-pergale-pries-mafija|archive-date=28 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Crime in Lithuania has been declining rapidly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21469|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170508011825/https://www.osac.gov/Pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21469|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 May 2017|title=Lithuania 2017 Crime & Safety Report|date=8 May 2017}}</ref> Law enforcement in Lithuania is primarily the responsibility of local ''Lietuvos policija'' (Lithuanian Police) commissariats. They are supplemented by the ''Lietuvos policijos antiteroristinių operacijų rinktinė Aras'' (Anti-Terrorist Operations Team of the Lithuanian Police ''Aras''), ''Lietuvos kriminalinės policijos biuras'' (Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau), ''Lietuvos policijos kriminalistinių tyrimų centras'' (Lithuanian Police Forensic Research Center) and ''Lietuvos kelių policijos tarnyba'' (Lithuanian Road Police Service).<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos policija|url=https://policija.lrv.lt/|website=policija.lrv.lt|access-date=31 March 2018|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
], Vilnius]] | |||
In 2017, there were 63,846 crimes registered in Lithuania. Of these, thefts comprised a large part with 19,630 cases (13.2% less than in 2016). While 2,835 crimes were serious and very serious (crimes that may lead to more than six years imprisonment), which is 14.5% less than in 2016. In total, 129 homicides or attempted homicide occurred (19.9% less than in 2016), while serious bodily harm was registered 178 times (17.6% less than in 2016). Another problematic crime ] cases also decreased by 27.2% from 2016 numbers. Meanwhile, crimes in electronic data and information technology security fields noticeably increased by 26.6%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Užregistruota ir ištirta nusikalstamų veikų (2017 / Sausis – Gruodis)|url=https://www.ird.lt/lt/paslaugos/nusikalstamu-veiku-zinybinio-registro-nvzr-paslaugos/ataskaitos-1/nusikalstamumo-ir-ikiteisminiu-tyrimu-statistika-1/view_item_datasource?id=6763&datasource=18743|website=Ird.lt|access-date=31 March 2018|language=lt}}</ref> In the 2013 Special Eurobarometer, 29% of Lithuanians said that corruption affects their daily lives (EU average 26%). Moreover, 95% of Lithuanians regarded corruption as widespread in their country (EU average 76%), and 88% agreed that bribery and the use of connections is often the easiest way of obtaining certain public services (EU average 73%).<ref>{{cite book|title=Lithuania's EU Anti-Corruption Report|date=2014|publisher=European Commission|location=Brussels|pages=2–3|url=https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/organized-crime-and-human-trafficking/corruption/anti-corruption-report/docs/2014_acr_lithuania_chapter_en.pdf}}</ref> Though, according to local branch of Transparency International, corruption levels have been decreasing over the past decade.<ref>{{cite web|title=Korupcija Lietuvoje: prarandame milijonus, jei ne milijardus|url=http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/lietuva/salies-pulsas/korupcija-lietuvoje-prarandame-milijonus-jei-ne-milijardus-733110|website=kauno.diena.lt|access-date=7 February 2016}}</ref> | |||
] was suspended in 1996 and fully eliminated in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|title=Siūlymas grąžinti mirties bausmę pripažintas prieštaraujančiu Konstitucijai|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/siulymas-grazinti-mirties-bausme-pripazintas-priestaraujanciu-konstitucijai.d?id=62993028|website=DELFI.lt|access-date=9 October 2013}}</ref> Lithuania has the highest number of prison inmates in the EU. According to scientist Gintautas Sakalauskas, this is not because of a high criminality rate in the country, but due to Lithuania's high repression level and the lack of trust of the convicted, who are frequently sentenced to a jail imprisonment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kuo mažiau pasitikėjimo, tuo pilnesni kalėjimai: Lietuva kalinių skaičiumi pirmauja|url=https://www.lzinios.lt/lzinios/lietuva/kuo-maziau-pasitikejimo-tuo-pilnesni-kalejimai-lietuva-kaliniu-skaiciumi-pirmauja/248403|website=LZINIOS.lt|access-date=8 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812032325/http://lzinios.lt/lzinios/Lietuva/kuo-maziau-pasitikejimo-tuo-pilnesni-kalejimai-lietuva-kaliniu-skaiciumi-pirmauja/248403|archive-date=12 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
===Administrative divisions=== | |||
{{Main|Administrative divisions of Lithuania}} | |||
{{See also|Counties of Lithuania|Municipalities of Lithuania|Elderships of Lithuania}} | |||
{{Map of Counties of Lithuania|100px|float=right}} | |||
The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's ] (Lithuanian: singular – ''apskritis'', plural – ''apskritys'') are subdivided into ] (Lithuanian: singular – ''savivaldybė'', plural – ''savivaldybės''), and further divided into 500 ] (Lithuanian: singular – ''seniūnija'', plural – ''seniūnijos''). | |||
Municipalities have been the most important unit of administration in Lithuania since the system of ] (''apskrities viršininkas'') was dissolved in 2010.<ref name="county">{{in lang|lt}} , ] law database, 7 July 2009, Law no. XI-318.</ref> Some municipalities are historically called "district municipalities" (often shortened to "district"), while others are called "city municipalities" (sometimes shortened to "city"). Each has its own elected government. The election of municipality councils originally occurred every three years, but now takes place every four years. The council appoints ] to govern the elderships. Mayors have been directly elected since 2015; prior to that, they were appointed by the council.<ref>{{in lang|lt}} Justinas Vanagas, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014091111/https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/seimas-iteisino-tiesioginius-meru-rinkimus.d?id=65139619 |date=14 October 2017 }}, Delfi.lt, 26 June 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2015.</ref> | |||
Elderships, numbering over 500, are the smallest administrative units and do not play a role in national politics. They provide necessary local public services—for example, registering births and deaths in rural areas. They are most active in the social sector, identifying needy individuals or families and organizing and distributing welfare and other forms of relief.<ref name="elderates">{{in lang|lt}} , ] law database, 12 October 2000, Law no. VIII-2018. Retrieved 3 June 2006.</ref> Some citizens feel that elderships have no real power and receive too little attention, and that they could otherwise become a source of local initiative for addressing rural problems.<ref>{{in lang|lt}} Indrė Makaraitytė, , Atgimimas, Delfi.lt, 16 December 2004. Retrieved 4 June 2006.</ref> | |||
=== Vyriausybė === | |||
]]] | |||
Vykdomoji valdžia yra Vyriausybės rankose. Ją sudaro ] ir ministrai, vadovaujantys ministerijoms, kurių Lietuvoje yra 14. | |||
{| class="sortable wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:90%;" | |||
Ministrų kabineto sudėtis :<ref>http://www3.lrs.lt/pls/inter3/dokpaieska.showdoc_l?p_id=376048&p_query=&p_tr2=</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
!Ministerija | |||
!Vardas, pavardė | |||
! colspan="2" |Partija | |||
|- | |- | ||
! style="width:170px;"|County !! style="width:70px;"|Area (km<sup>2</sup>)!! style="width:50px;"|Population (thousands) (2019)<ref name="Counties">{{cite web|title=BENDRASIS VIDAUS PRODUKTAS PAGAL APSKRITIS 2021 M.|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/informaciniai-pranesimai?eventId=285891|publisher=Statistics Lithuania|access-date=22 November 2018|language=lt|date=25 November 2016}}</ref>!! style="width:50px;"|Nominal GDP (billion EUR)<ref name="Counties" /> !! style="width:50px;"|GDP per capita (EUR)<ref name="Counties" /> | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
| style="background:#DDDDDD;" | | |||
|'''Nepriklausoma''' | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 5,425 | |||
|] | |||
| 134 | |||
| style="background:#F29402;" | | |||
| 1.6 | |||
|] | |||
| 11,500 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 8,089 | |||
|] | |||
| 562 | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
| 11.6 | |||
|] | |||
| 20,400 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 5,209 | |||
|] | |||
| 319 | |||
| style="background:#F6005E;" | | |||
| 6.0 | |||
|] | |||
| 18,400 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 4,463 | |||
|] | |||
| 136 | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
| 1.6 | |||
|] | |||
| 11,800 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 7,881 | |||
|] | |||
| 221 | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
| 3.0 | |||
|] | |||
| 14,100 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 8,540 | |||
|] | |||
| 261 | |||
| style="background:#F29402;" | | |||
| 3.9 | |||
|] | |||
| 15,000 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 4,411 | |||
|] | |||
| 91 | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
| 1.1 | |||
|] | |||
| 10,900 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 4,350 | |||
|] | |||
| 130 | |||
| style="background:#DDDDDD;" | | |||
| 1.8 | |||
|Nepriklausomas | |||
| 13,500 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 7,201 | |||
|] | |||
| 124 | |||
| style="background:#DDDDDD;" | | |||
| 1.4 | |||
|Nepriklausomas | |||
| 11,200 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|] | |||
| 9,731 | |||
|] | |||
| 820 | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
| 24.2 | |||
|] | |||
| 29,800 | |||
|- | |- | ||
! Lithuania | |||
|] | |||
! 65,300 | |||
|] | |||
! 2,828 | |||
| style="background:#F6005E;" | | |||
! 56.2 | |||
|] | |||
! 20,000 | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
|] | |||
|- | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
| style="background:#00CED1;" | | |||
|] | |||
|} | |} | ||
===Foreign relations=== | |||
== Kariuomenė == | |||
{{Main|Foreign relations of Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
Lithuania became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the ], the ], ], as well as ] and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council. Lithuania gained membership in the ] on 31 May 2001, and joined the ] on 5 July 2018,<ref name="Lithuania's accession to the OECD">{{cite web |url=http://www.oecd.org/countries/lithuania/lithuania-accession-to-the-oecd.htm |publisher=]|title=Lithuania's accession to the OECD|date=5 July 2016|access-date=6 July 2016}}</ref> while also seeking membership in other Western organizations. | |||
] sudaro keturių rūšių pajėgos: ], ], ], ] ir atskirieji vienetai (atskirieji batalionai, valdybos, junginiai, tarnybos, departamentai ir kt.). Nuo 2004 m. Lietuva priklauso ]. 2017 m. ]<nowiki/>r Lenkijoje dislokuota NATO priešakinių pajėgų bataliono kovinė grupė. Šis sprendimas demonstruoja NATO aljanso solidarumą, vienybę ir yra patikimo atgrasymo ir pasiruošimo kolektyvinei gynybai išraiška. Nuo 1994 m. Lietuva dalyvauja tarptautinėse operacijose. Šiuo metu Lietuvos karių yra vykdomose operacijose ], ], ], ]. Lietuvos dalyvavimas tarptautinėse operacijose yra pagrįstas Lietuvos pasirašytomis kolektyvinės gynybos ir saugumo sutartimis. Vykdydama šiuos įsipareigojimus Lietuva prisideda prie tarptautinės bendruomenės pastangų stiprinti saugumą ir stabilumą euroatlantinėje erdvėje, tuo pačiu Lietuva įgyvendina savo užsienio politikos prioritetus.<ref>http://www.jungtinisstabas.lt/lt/vykdomos-to/{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=2021 m. sausio mėn. |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 2017 m. Lietuva pateko į geriausiai gynybą finansuojančių NATO šalių aštuntuką, lyginant su ekonomikos dydžiu, rodo Aljanso paskelbti duomenys. Šalis krašto apsaugai 2017 m. skyrė 1,77 proc. bendrojo vidaus produkto. Lietuva įsigijimams skiria kiek daugiau nei 31 proc. viso gynybos biudžeto ir pagal tai užima trečią vietą Aljanse. Lietuva ilgą laiką atsiliko nuo NATO sąjungininkų pagal išlaidas gynybai, bet pastaraisiais metais ėmė sparčiai didinti finansavimą. 2018 m. Lietuva gynybai numato skirti 2,06 proc. BVP ir pasiekti NATO reikalaujamą finansavimo standartą.<ref>https://lietuvosdiena.lrytas.lt/aktualijos/2017/06/30/news/lietuva-geriausiai-gynyba-finansuojanciu-nato-saliu-astuntuke-1819096/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201040246/https://lietuvosdiena.lrytas.lt/aktualijos/2017/06/30/news/lietuva-geriausiai-gynyba-finansuojanciu-nato-saliu-astuntuke-1819096/ |date=2017-12-01 }}</ref> | |||
Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.urm.lt/index.php?949836981 |title=Ministry of Foreign Affairs: List of countries with which Lithuania has established diplomatic relations |website=Urm.lt |access-date=2 January 2011 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209094022/http://www.urm.lt/index.php?949836981 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
== Administracinis suskirstymas == | |||
{{main|Lietuvos administracinis suskirstymas}} | |||
In 2011, Lithuania hosted the ] Ministerial Council Meeting. During the second half of 2013, Lithuania assumed the role of the ]. | |||
] | |||
] | |||
Lietuvos teritorija suskirstyta į 60 ]. ]–] m. buvo 10 ], tačiau jos panaikintos kaip administraciniai vienetai, nors kaip teritoriniai vienetai dar išlikę (dažnai vadinamos regionais). Savivaldybėse yra 546 ], seniūnijos skirstomos į seniūnaitijas (nuo 2009 m.). | |||
Lithuania is also active in developing cooperation among northern European countries. It is a member of the interparliamentary ], the intergovernmental ] and the ]. | |||
Lithuania also cooperates with Nordic and the two other Baltic countries through the ] format. A similar format, NB6, unites Nordic and Baltic members of EU. NB6's focus is to discuss and agree on positions before presenting them to the Council of the European Union and at the meetings of EU foreign affairs ministers. | |||
Savivaldybės: | |||
The ] (CBSS) was established in ] in 1992 as an informal regional political forum. Its main aim is to promote integration and to close contacts between the region's countries. The members of CBSS are ], ], ], ], ], ], Lithuania, ], ], ], ], and the European Commission. Its observer states are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], the ], the ], and ]. | |||
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The ] and Lithuania engage in political cooperation to attain mutual goals and to determine new trends and possibilities for joint cooperation. The council's information office aims to disseminate ] concepts and to demonstrate and promote Nordic cooperation. | |||
== Geografija == | |||
{{main|Lietuvos geografija}} | |||
] | |||
]. Its representatives are on the right side.]] | |||
Lietuva yra ] šalis (Jungtinės Tautos ją priskiria ]i). Nuo Lietuvos teritorijos geografinio centro ties ]s iki ] yra 3870 km, iki pusiaujo apie 6130 km, iki ] – 1488 kilometrai. 26 km į šiaurę nuo Vilniaus, tarp ] kaimo ir ], yra ] nacionalinio geografijos instituto nustatytas ] (54° 54′ šiaurės platumos ir 25° 19′ rytų ilgumos). Labiausiai į rytus nutolusi Lietuvos vietovė yra ]s teritorijoje ties ] ir ] kaimais (26° 51′ rytų ]), į vakarus – ties ] (20° 56′ rytų ilgumos), į šiaurę – ]s teritorijoje ties ] kaimu (56° 27′ šiaurės ]), į pietus – ]s teritorijoje ties ] kaimu (53° 54′ šiaurės platumos). Toje pačioje geografinėje platumoje vakariau Lietuvos yra ], ] (] šiaurinė dalis), ryčiau – ] ir ] centrinės sritys, toje pačioje geografinėje ilgumoje šiauriau yra ], ], ], piečiau – Rytų ], ] vakarinė dalis, ], ], ].<ref>{{VLE|XII|7|]|Lietuva}}.</ref> | |||
Lithuania, together with the five Nordic countries and the two other Baltic countries, is a member of the ] and cooperates in its NORDPLUS programme, which is committed to education. | |||
The Baltic Development Forum (BDF) is an independent nonprofit organization that unites large companies, cities, business associations and institutions in the Baltic Sea region. In 2010 the BDF's 12th summit was held in Vilnius.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bdforum.org/|title=Home – Baltic Development Forum|website=Baltic Development Forum|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos teritorija iš rytų į vakarus driekiasi 373 km, iš šiaurės į pietus – 276 km. Lietuva plotu (65,3 tūkst. km²) yra didesnė už ] (41,5 tūkst. km²), ] (30,5 tūkst. km²), ] (43,1 tūkst. km²), ] (41,2 tūkst. km²), ] (45,2 tūkst. km²), mažesnė – už ] (83,9 tūkst. km²), ] (78,9 tūkst. km²) ir beveik lygi su ] (64,6 tūkst. km²) ir ] (70,3 tūkst. km²). | |||
] was highly supportive of Lithuanian independence, despite Lithuania's ] of its ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Situation of Polish minorities in Lithuania is a discrimination of EU citizens |url=http://media.efhr.eu/2017/05/09/situation-polish-minorities-lithuania-discrimination-eu-citizens/ |work=] |date=9 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Dyskryminacja Polaków na Litwie. Zbierają pieniądze na grzywnę |url=https://www.polskieradio.pl/5/3/Artykul/1028881,Dyskryminacja-Polakow-na-Litwie-Zbieraja-pieniadze-na-grzywne |work=] |date=20 January 2014}}</ref> The former ] leader and Polish President ] criticised the government of Lithuania over discrimination against the Polish minority and rejected Lithuania's ].<ref>" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014092518/http://thenews.pl/1/10/Artykul/54645,Walesa-declines-Lithuanian-honour |date=14 October 2017 }}". Radio Poland. 7 September 2011.</ref> Lithuania maintains greatly warm mutual relations with ] and strongly supports its European Union and NATO aspirations.<ref>{{cite web|title=Valdo Adamkaus bulvaras Gruzijoje|url=http://global.truelithuania.com/lt/tag/valdas-adamkus-boulevard-in-anaklia-georgia/|website=True Lithuania|access-date=16 January 2018|language=lt-LT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Premjeras: Lietuvą ir Gruziją sieja daugiau nei paprasta draugystė|url=https://ministraspirmininkas.lrv.lt/lt/naujienos/premjeras-lietuva-ir-gruzija-sieja-daugiau-nei-paprasta-draugyste|website=MinistrasPirmininkas.LRV.lt|access-date=30 March 2017|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=L. Linkevičius: esame pasirengę remti Gruziją ruošiantis ES Rytų partnerystės viršūnių susitikimui|url=https://ua.mfa.lt/default/lt/naujienos/l-linkevicius-esame-pasirenge-remti-gruzija-ruosiantis-es-rytu-partnerystes-virsuniu-susitikimui-|website=ua.mfa.lt|access-date=8 February 2017|language=lt|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222040/https://ua.mfa.lt/default/lt/naujienos/l-linkevicius-esame-pasirenge-remti-gruzija-ruosiantis-es-rytu-partnerystes-virsuniu-susitikimui-|url-status=dead}}</ref> During the ] in 2008, when the Russian troops were occupying the territory of Georgia and approaching towards the Georgian capital ], President ], together with the Polish and Ukrainian presidents, went to Tbilisi by answering to the Georgians request of the international assistance.<ref>{{cite web|title=V.Adamkus išskrenda į rusų okupuojamą Gruziją|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/pasaulis/v.adamkus-isskrenda-i-rusu-okupuojama-gruzija-atnaujinta-07.36-val-57-2552|website=]|access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=V.Adamkus: mes esame su Gruzija|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/vadamkus-mes-esame-su-gruzija.d?id=18078623|website=]|access-date=12 August 2008}}</ref> Shortly, Lithuanians and the ] also began collecting financial support for the war victims.<ref>{{cite web|title=Renkamos aukos nukentėjusiems nuo karo Gruzijoje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/renkamos-aukos-nukentejusiems-nuo-karo-gruzijoje.d?id=18053959|website=]|access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Bažnyčia ragina nelikti abejingiems karui Gruzijoje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/baznycia-ragina-nelikti-abejingiems-karui-gruzijoje.d?id=18071947|website=]|access-date=11 August 2008}}</ref> | |||
Saulė Lietuvos rytuose teka 23 min. 20 sek. anksčiau negu vakaruose. Lietuvos laiko juosta yra PL + 2 h (kaip ], ], ], ]). Lietuvoje naudojama sezoninė laiko skaičiavimo kaita.<ref>{{VLE|XII|8|]|Lietuva}}</ref> | |||
In 2004–2009, ] served as ] within the ]-led Commission.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Andreas |last2=Reichel |first2=Sarah |last3=Jonas |first3=Alexandra |title=The Future European Commission The Debate Regarding Leadership, Collegiality and Tasks |url=https://www.swp-berlin.org/publications/products/comments/comments2004_25_mrr_ks.pdf |access-date=28 October 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hollar|first=Sherman|date=1 June 2012|title=Dalia Grybauskaite president of Lithuania|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dalia-Grybauskaite|access-date=25 June 2021|website=Britannica}}</ref> | |||
Gamtinės geografijos požiūriu, Lietuva yra vidutinių platumų šalis ] vakarinėje dalyje, pereinamojo iš ] į ] klimato, Rytų Europos mišriųjų miškų geografinėje zonoje. | |||
In 2013, Lithuania was elected to the ] for a two-year term,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=46277&Cr=security+council&Cr1=#.UmFPr1OWDtk |title=Chad, Chile, Lithuania, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia elected to serve on UN Security Council |website=Un.org |date=17 October 2013 |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> becoming the first ] country elected to this post. During its membership, Lithuania actively supported ] and often condemned ] for the ], immediately earning vast Ukrainians esteem.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uatoday.tv/geopolitics/lithuania-calls-un-security-council-meeting-on-ukraine-403385.html|title=Lithuania calls UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine|website=Uatoday.tv|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Lankininkaitė|first1=Rūta|title=Ukrainiečiai: Lietuva – mums pavyzdys|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/world/ukrainieciai-lietuva-mums-pavyzdys.d?id=67403332|website=], ]|access-date=11 March 2015}}</ref> As the ] progressed, President Dalia Grybauskaitė has compared the Russian President ] to ] and to ], she has also called Russia a "terrorist state".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.eu/article/the-baltic-iron-lady-putins-solitary-foe-dalia-grybauskaite/|title=The Baltic 'Iron Lady': Putin's solitary foe|website=Politico.eu|date=21 May 2015|access-date=2 May 2016}}</ref> | |||
Laukai ir pievos užima 57 proc., ] ir ] – 30 %, ]s – 3 %, vidaus vandenys – 4 %, kitos žemės – 6 % teritorijos. | |||
In 2018 Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia were awarded the {{ill|Peace of Westphalia Prize|de|Internationaler Preis des Westfälischen Friedens}} – for their exceptional model of democratic development and contribution to peace in the continent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Prestigious Peace of Westphalia Prize – for Lithuania and the Baltic states |url=https://www.lrp.lt/en/press-centre/press-releases/prestigious-peace-of-westphalia-prize-for-lithuania-and-the-baltic-states/29212 |website=Lrp.lt |access-date=14 July 2018 |archive-date=3 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703111813/https://www.lrp.lt/en/press-centre/press-releases/prestigious-peace-of-westphalia-prize-for-lithuania-and-the-baltic-states/29212 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2019 Lithuania condemned the ].<ref>{{cite news |title=EU condemning Turkey is only the beginning, says Lithuanian Foreign Minister |url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/news-in-english/19/1106677/eu-condemning-turkey-is-only-the-beginning-says-lithuanian-foreign-minister |work=LRT RADIJAS |date=14 October 2019}}</ref> In December 2021, Lithuania reported that in an escalation of the diplomatic spat with ] over its ],<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lau |first1=Stuart |last2=Moens |first2=Barbara |title=China's trade attack on Lithuania exposes EU's powerlessness |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/china-trade-attack-on-lithuania-exposes-eu-powerlessness/ |website=politico.eu |publisher=Politico |date=16 December 2021}}</ref> China had stopped all imports from Lithuania.<ref>{{cite news |title=China blocking EU imports with Lithuanian components over Taiwan row, says Brussels |url=https://www.euronews.com/2021/12/24/china-blocking-eu-imports-with-lithuanian-components-over-taiwan-row-says-brussels |work=Euronews |date=24 December 2021}}</ref> | |||
The 2023 ] will be held in the Lithuanian capital ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuania to host 2023 NATO summit, first event 'of such a scale' |url=https://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/19/1431705/lithuania-to-host-2023-nato-summit-first-event-of-such-a-scale |website=] |access-date=15 June 2021 |date=15 June 2021}}</ref> | |||
=== Klimatas === | |||
{{main|Lietuvos klimatas}} | |||
] | |||
Lithuania’s president ] called for more NATO troops on 22 April 2022, saying NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank following ], during a meeting in Vilnius.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lithuania's president calls for more NATO troops |url=https://wtvbam.com/2022/04/22/lithuanias-president-calls-for-more-nato-troops/ |access-date=2022-04-22 |website=WTVB {{!}} 1590 AM · 95.5 FM {{!}} The Voice of Branch County |language=en}}</ref> | |||
{| class="mw-collapsible" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" {{Graži lentelė}} | |||
|----- | |||
| height="25" colspan="13" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">'''Vidutinė daugiametė temperatūra Lietuvoje (°C)'''</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="110" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Mėnesis</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Sau</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Vas</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Kov</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Bal</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" |<div align="center">Geg</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Bir</div> | |||
| width="52" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Lie</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Rug</div> | |||
| width="51" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Rug</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Spa</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Lap</div> | |||
| width="64" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Gru</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="110" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Vidutinė šilčiausia</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">-2 </div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">-2</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+5</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+14</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+15</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+16,4</div> | |||
| width="52" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+17,5</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+15</div> | |||
| width="51" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+13</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+10</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+5</div> | |||
| width="64" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">0</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="110" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Vidutinė vėsiausia</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-5</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-5</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-2</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">0</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+8</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+10</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+11</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+10</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+8</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">+2</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">0</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-5</div> | |||
|} | |||
Lietuvos ] yra vidutiniškai šiltas vidutinių platumų, iš ] pereinantis į ]. Žemyninis klimatas ryškesnis šalies rytuose. Lietuva yra vėsiojo vidutinio klimato zonoje, su vidutinio šiltumo vasaromis, bei vidutinio šaltumo žiemomis. Vidutinė liepos mėnesio temperatūra yra apie 17 °C, o žiemą apie -5 °C, o intervalas tarp temperatūrų yra apie 20 °C. Lietuvoje būna labai karštų vasarų, kai oras sušyla iki 30 °C, o taip pat ir labai šaltų žiemų, kai oras atšąla iki -20 °C, o naktimis ir iki -30 °C. Daugiausiai kritulių iškrenta vasarą (iki 50 % metinio kritulių kiekio). Mažiau kritulių tenka ], ]i ir ]. Mažiausiai kritulių tenka pavasariui, nes dažniausiai vyrauja ]. | |||
===Military=== | |||
=== Temperatūrų rekordai === | |||
{{Main|Lithuanian Armed Forces}} | |||
] yra aukščiausios Europoje dreifuojančios ] smėlio kopos (] ]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Nida and The Curonian Spit, The Insider's Guide to Visiting |url=https://maptrotting.com/nida-guide-baltic-coast/ |website=MapTrotting |accessdate= 2019-01-03 |date=2016-09-23}}</ref>]] | |||
] allies during Iron Sword 2014]] | |||
]s in ]. An ] stands out with a ].]] | |||
The Lithuanian Armed Forces is the name for the unified armed forces of ], ], ], ] and other units: Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Battalion, ]. Directly subordinated to the ] are the ] and Military Police. The Reserve Forces are under command of the ]. | |||
The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of some 20,000 active personnel, which may be supported by ].<ref>{{cite book |last=IISS |title=The Military Balance 2019|year=2019 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-85743-988-5}}</ref> Compulsory ] ended in 2008 but was reintroduced in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://en.delfi.lt/politics/conscription-notices-to-be-sent-to-37-000-men-in-lithuania.d?id=67940028|title=Conscription notices to be sent to 37,000 men in Lithuania|website=DELFI}}</ref> The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently have deployed personnel on international missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Mali and Somalia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kariuomene.kam.lt/download/65839/atnaujintas%20factsheet'as%20apie%20to%202014%2007.pdf |title=Lietuvos dalyvavimas tarptautinėse operacijose |date=10 July 2014 |access-date=20 May 2015 |archive-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523051822/http://kariuomene.kam.lt/download/65839/atnaujintas%20factsheet%27as%20apie%20to%202014%2007.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos temperatūrų rekordai pagal mėnesius. Absoliutūs metų karščio ir šalčio rekordai paryškinti ir pabraukti.<ref>, Lietuvos hidrometeorologijos tarnyba prie Aplinkos ministerijos</ref> | |||
Lithuania became a full member of ] in March 2004. ] of NATO members are deployed in ] and ]. | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|----- | |||
| height="25" colspan="13" bgcolor="#f9f9f9" | <div align="center">'''Lietuvos temperatūrų rekordai (°C)'''</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="120" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Mėnesis</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Sau</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Vas</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Kov</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Bal</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Geg</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Bir<ref>, meteo.lt</ref></div> | |||
| width="52" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Lie</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Rug</div> | |||
| width="51" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Rug</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Spa</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Lap</div> | |||
| width="64" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center">Gru</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="110" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Karščio rekordai</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FFBB70" | <div align="center">+12,6 </div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FFA264" | <div align="center">+16,5</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+21,8</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FC5425" | <div align="center">+31,0</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FC2A25" | <div align="center">+34</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FC2A25" | <div align="center">+35,7</div> | |||
| width="52" bgcolor="FD0009" | <div align="center"><u>'''+37,5'''</u></div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD0009" | <div align="center">+37,4</div> | |||
| width="51" bgcolor="FC2A25" | <div align="center">+35,1</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FD7339" | <div align="center">+26</div> | |||
| width="55" bgcolor="FFA264" | <div align="center">+18,5</div> | |||
| width="64" bgcolor="FFBB70" | <div align="center">+15,6</div> | |||
|----- | |||
| width="110" bgcolor="#E7EEF1" | <div align="center" class="style2">Šalčio rekordai</div> | |||
| bgcolor="0A427E" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-40,5</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="0A427E" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;"><u>'''-42,9'''</u></span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="2467B4" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-37,5</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="6289CB" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-23,0</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="96B8E8" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-6,8</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-2,8</div> | |||
| bgcolor="FEFFB9" | <div align="center">+0,9</div> | |||
| bgcolor="D6E4F7" | <div align="center">-2,9</div> | |||
| bgcolor="B2D5F4" | <div align="center">-6,3</div> | |||
| bgcolor="96B8E8" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-19,5</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="6289CB" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-23</span></div> | |||
| bgcolor="0A427E" | <div align="center"><span style="color:white;">-34</span></div> | |||
|} | |||
Since the summer of 2005, Lithuania has been part of the ] in Afghanistan (ISAF), leading a ] (PRT) in the town of ] in the province of ]. The PRT includes personnel from ], Iceland and the ]. There are also ] units in Afghanistan, placed in ]. Since joining international operations in 1994, Lithuania has lost two soldiers: Lt. Normundas Valteris fell in ], as his patrol vehicle drove over a mine. Sgt. Arūnas Jarmalavičius was fatally wounded during an attack on the camp of his Provincial Reconstruction Team in ].<ref>{{in lang|lt}} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018173406/http://kariuomene.kam.lt/en/international_operations_1446/in_remembrance.html |date=18 October 2018 }}. Kariuomene.kam.lt. Retrieved on 24 December 2011.</ref> | |||
=== Kraštovaizdis === | |||
Lietuvos kraštovaizdžio tipai: | |||
* molingosios lygumos – 55,2 proc; | |||
* kalvotos moreninės aukštumos – 21,2 proc; | |||
* smėlingosios lygumos – 17,8 proc; | |||
* upių slėniai – 3,6 proc; | |||
* pajūrio lygumos – 2,2 proc. | |||
The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the ] and ] of the state, the ] of its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states.<ref name="WB">{{cite web |url=http://www.kam.lt/kam/download/7963/bk-en1.pdf |title=White Paper Lithuanian defence policy |language=lt |website=Kam.lt |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304031046/http://www.kam.lt/kam/download/7963/bk-en1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
=== Upės ir ežerai === | |||
Lietuvoje yra apie 3 tūkstančius upių ir ežerų.<ref>Lithuania. Microsoft Encarta Premium 2009. žr. 2008 rugpjūčio 3 d.</ref> Bendras upių ir kanalų vagų ilgis Lietuvoje – 76 800 km. Didžiausia upė – ], kurio ištakos yra Baltarusijoje. Nemuno baseinas apima apie 70 proc. šalies teritorijos. Ilgiausia tik Lietuvos teritorija tekanti upė yra ]. Pagrindinis upių vandens šaltinis yra krituliai, po žiemos tirpstantis sniegas neretai sukelia upių potvynius. Lietuvoje paplitusios pelkės, ypač šiaurinėje ir vakarinėje dalyje, nors dauguma yra nusausintos. | |||
The ] is responsible for combat forces, ], and intelligence operations. The 5,000 ] fall under the ]'s supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with the ] for ] and drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and ]. In 2015 ] was created. Paramilitary organisation ] acts as a civilian self-defence institution. | |||
] | |||
{| | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
Ilgiausios ]: | |||
# ] – 937 km (Lietuvos teritorijoje – 475 km), | |||
# ] – 510 km (234 km), | |||
# ] – 343 km (161 km), | |||
# ] – 298 km (209 km), | |||
# ] – 284 km (133 km). | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
According to NATO, in 2020, Lithuania allocated 2.13% of its ] to the national defense.<ref name="nato-lt-spending">{{cite web|title=Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2013-2020)|url=https://www.nato.int/nato_static_fl2014/assets/pdf/2021/3/pdf/210316-pr-2020-30-en.pdf|publisher=NATO|date=2021-03-16|access-date=2021-04-23}}</ref> For a long time, especially after the ] in 2008, Lithuania lagged behind NATO allies in terms of defence spending. However, in recent years it has begun to rapidly increase the funding, exceeding the NATO guideline of 2% in 2019. | |||
Didžiausi ]: | |||
# ] – 44,8 km²; | |||
# ] – 24,0 km²; | |||
# ] – 23,3 km²; | |||
# ] – 13,4 km²; | |||
# ] – 12,9 km². | |||
|} | |||
==Economy== | |||
=== Lietuvos reljefas === | |||
{{Main|Economy of Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
] | |||
{| | |||
Lithuania has an open and ] that is classified as ] by the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111190936/https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/knowledgebase/articles/906519|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=World Bank Country and Lending Groups – World Bank Data Help Desk|date=11 January 2018|website=Datahelpdesk.worldbank.org}}</ref> | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
According to data from 2016, the three largest sectors in Lithuanian economy are – services (68.3% of GDP), industry (28.5%) and agriculture (3.3%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/lithuania/|title=GDP – composition, by sector of origin|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> ] ] ranks Lithuania 41st (of 137 ranked countries). | |||
Reljefą sudaro: | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* ], | |||
* dalis ] ir ] aukštumų. | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
Lithuania joined ] in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nato.int/invitees2004/lithuania/chronology.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111192030/https://www.nato.int/invitees2004/lithuania/chronology.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=7 Invitees – Lithuania|date=11 January 2018|website=Nato.int}}</ref> EU in 2004,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries_en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111191856/https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/countries/member-countries_en|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=EUROPA – EU member countries in brief – European Union|date=11 January 2018|website=Europa.eu}}</ref> ] in 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=https://il.mfa.lt/il/en/travel-and-residence/coming-to-lithuania/lithuania-in-the-schengen-area|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111191923/https://il.mfa.lt/il/en/travel-and-residence/coming-to-lithuania/lithuania-in-the-schengen-area|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=Lithuania in the Schengen area – Coming to Lithuania – Travel and Residence – Ministry of Foreign Affairs|date=11 January 2018}}</ref> and ] in 2018.<ref name="Lithuania's accession to the OECD"/> | |||
==== Kalvos ==== | |||
] absoliutūs aukščiai: | |||
On 1 January 2015, the euro became the national currency, replacing ] at the rate of EUR 1.00 = LTL 3.45280.<ref name=iso4217news2014>{{cite web | url=http://www.currency-iso.org/dam/downloads/dl_currency_iso_amendment_159.docx | title=ISO Currency – ISO 4217 Amendment Number 159 | publisher=SIX Interbank Clearing | work=Currency Code Services – ISO 4217 Maintenance Agency | date=15 August 2014}}</ref> | |||
# ] – 293,8 m; | |||
# ] – 293,6 m; | |||
# ] – 293,4 m; | |||
# ] – 288,9 m; | |||
# ] – 284,8 m. | |||
|} | |||
Agricultural products and food comprise 18.3% of exports; other major sectors include chemical products and plastics (17.8%), machinery and appliances (15.8%), mineral products (14.7%), wood and furniture (12.5%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.enterpriselithuania.com/en/lithuanian-export-map/2017-2/|title=Lithuanian export map|website=Enterpriselithuania.com|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> According to data from 2016, more than half of all Lithuanian exports go to 7 countries including Russia (14%), Latvia (9.9%), Poland (9.1%), Germany (7.7%), Estonia (5.3%), Sweden (4.8%) and United Kingdom (4.3%).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/ltu/show/all/2016/|title=Where does Lithuania export to? (2016)|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-date=24 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171024223637/http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/visualize/tree_map/hs92/export/ltu/show/all/2016/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Exports equaled 81.31 percent of Lithuania's GDP in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/country/LTU/startyear/LTST/endyear/LTST/indicator/NE-EXP-GNFS-ZS|title=Lithuania Exports of goods and services % of GDP 1988–2017 |access-date=1 October 2019}}</ref> | |||
=== Miškai === | |||
]]] | |||
{{main|Lietuvos miškai}} | |||
Lithuanian GDP experienced very high real growth rates for decade up to 2009, peaking at 11.1% in 2007. As a result, the country was often termed as a ]. However, in 2009 due to a ] marked experienced a drastic decline – GDP contracted by 14.9%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seb.lt/sites/default/files/web/document/lietuvos_ekonomikos_apzvalga_LMR/lmr58_0.pdf |title=Lithuanian Macroeconomic Review No 58 |publisher=SEB |date=December 2014 |access-date=22 May 2015 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308134859/https://www.seb.lt/sites/default/files/web/document/lietuvos_ekonomikos_apzvalga_LMR/lmr58_0.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> and unemployment rate reached 17.8% in 2010.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.seb.lt/documents/660/662 | title="Lietuvos makroekonomikos apžvalga" nr. 62 | publisher=SEB | date=April 2014 | access-date=7 September 2016 | archive-date=3 July 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703115931/https://www.seb.lt/documents/660/662 | url-status=dead }}</ref> After the decline of 2009, Lithuanian annual economic growth has been much slower compared to pre-2009 years. According to IMF, financial conditions are conducive to growth and financial soundness indicators remain strong. The public debt ratio in 2016 fell to 40 percent of GDP, to compare with 42.7 in 2015 (before global finance crisis – 15 percent of GDP in 2008).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/~/media/Files/Publications/CR/2017/cr17177.ashx |title= REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA. 2017 ARTICLE IV CONSULTATION—PRESS RELEASE AND STAFF REPORT | publisher=IMF | format=PDF | page=4 | access-date=28 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
{| | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
Didžiausi ] masyvai: | |||
* ] (]-] miškai) – 1450 km²; | |||
* ] – 911 km²; | |||
* ] – 587 km²; | |||
* ] (]-]s miškai) – 427 km²; | |||
* ] – 375 km². | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
] | |||
Miškų plotų pasiskirstymas pagal vyraujančias ] rūšis (procentais): | |||
* ] – 37,6; | |||
* ] – 24,0; | |||
* ] – 19,5; | |||
* ] – 5,6; | |||
* ] – 5,6; | |||
* ] – 2,7; | |||
* ] – 2,6; | |||
* ] – 1,8; | |||
* kiti medžiai – 0,6. | |||
|} | |||
On average, more than 95% of all ] in Lithuania comes from ] countries. Sweden is historically the largest investor with 20% – 30% of all FDI in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lb.lt/lt/tiesiogines-uzsienio-investicijos-lietuvoje-pagal-sali-1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109194528/https://www.lb.lt/lt/tiesiogines-uzsienio-investicijos-lietuvoje-pagal-sali-1|url-status=dead|archive-date=9 January 2018|title=Tiesioginės užsienio investicijos Lietuvoje pagal šalį – Lietuvos bankas|date=9 January 2018}}</ref> FDI into Lithuania spiked in 2017, reaching its highest ever recorded number of greenfield investment projects. In 2017, Lithuania was third country, after ] and ] by the average job value of investment projects.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Dencik |first1=Jacob |last2=Spee |first2=Roel |title=Global Location Trends – 2018 Annual Report: Getting ready for Globalization 4.0 |url=https://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/93/en/93017793usen/93017793usen-00_93017793USEN.pdf |publisher=IBM Institute for Business Value |pages=7 |date=July 2018 |quote=Ireland continues to lead the world for attracting high-value investment, generating substantial inward investment with strengths in key high-value sectors such as ICT, financial and business services and life sciences. But Singapore is now a close second, with Lithuania and Switzerland right behind. |access-date=15 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410223308/https://public.dhe.ibm.com/common/ssi/ecm/93/en/93017793usen/93017793usen-00_93017793USEN.pdf |archive-date=10 April 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
== Ekonomika == | |||
The US was the leading source country in 2017, 24.59% of total FDI. Next up are Germany and the UK, each representing 11.48% of total project numbers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fdiintelligence.com/Trend-Tracker/Lithuania-FDI-skyrockets-in-2017|title=Lithuania FDI skyrockets in 2017|access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> Based on the Eurostat's data, in 2017, the value of Lithuanian exports recorded the most rapid growth not only in the Baltic countries, but also across Europe, which was 16.9 per cent.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lithuanian exports which grew most across Europe last year will beat value records this year |url=https://www.verslilietuva.lt/en/news/lithuanian-exports-grew-across-europe-last-year-will-beat-value-records-year/ |website=www.verslilietuva.lt |access-date=24 November 2018}}</ref> | |||
{{main|Lietuvos ekonomika}} | |||
In the period between 2004 and 2016, one out of five Lithuanians emigrated, primarily due to insufficient income for residents;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/ieskodami-darbuotoju-jau-verciasi-per-galva-net-tokiomis-algomis-nepavyksta-sugundyti.d?id=77973215|title=Ieškodami darbuotojų jau verčiasi per galvą: net tokiomis algomis nepavyksta sugundyti|language=lt|website=delfi.lt|access-date=13 May 2018}}</ref> secondarily seeking to study abroad. Long term emigration and economy growth has resulted in a noticeable shortage in the labor market<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/verslas/verslas/emigracija-smogia-negailestingai-lietuvoje-vis-labiau-truksta-darbuotoju.d?id=75467805|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111194908/https://www.delfi.lt/verslas/verslas/emigracija-smogia-negailestingai-lietuvoje-vis-labiau-truksta-darbuotoju.d?id=75467805|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=Emigracija smogia negailestingai: Lietuvoje vis labiau trūksta darbuotojų – DELFI Verslas|date=11 January 2018}}</ref> and growth in salaries being larger than growth in labor efficiency.<ref name="archive org 11">{{cite web|url=https://verslas.lrytas.lt/izvalgos-ir-nuomones/2017/06/13/news/ekspertai-ispeja-virs-lietuvos-ekonomikos-kaupiasi-debesys-1665764/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111195018/https://verslas.lrytas.lt/izvalgos-ir-nuomones/2017/06/13/news/ekspertai-ispeja-virs-lietuvos-ekonomikos-kaupiasi-debesys-1665764/|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2018|title=Ekonomistai įspėja: virš Lietuvos kaupiasi debesys|date=11 January 2018}}</ref> Unemployment rate in 2017 was 8.1%.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania: Unemployment rate from 2007 to 2017|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/375259/unemployment-rate-in-lithuania/|website=Statista.com|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
Po nepriklausomybės atkūrimo 1990 m. prasidėjo sovietinės ekonomikos transformacija į laisvos rinkos ekonomiką. 2000–2008 m. vyravo spartus BVP augimas. 2003 m. BVP augimas pasiekė rekordinius 10,3 proc. 2009 m. pasaulinės ekonominės krizės metu Lietuvos BVP krito 14,8%.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113225755/http://www.ukmin.lt/uploads/documents/Apzvalgos/2013%20m.%20VASARIS%20-%20m%C4%97nesin%C4%97%20ap%C5%BEvalga.pdf |date=2016-01-13 }}</ref> Nuo 2010 m. ekonomika vėl ėmė kilti. 2013 m. Pasaulio bankas Lietuvą priskyrė prie išsivysčiusių šalių, o 2015 m. Tarptautinis Valiutos Fondas Lietuvai suteikė „pažengusios ekonomikos“ statusą. Lietuva turi labai aukštą Žmogaus raidos indeksą ir yra pažengusi daugelyje sričių. Lietuva Europos Sąjungoje užima pirmą vietą pagal konkurencingumo augimą, 28 vietą pasaulyje pagal lyčių lygybę (lenkia tokias šalis kaip Ispanija, Prancūzija, Estija ar Rusija), 32 vietą pagal spaudos laisvę (lenkia tokias šalis kaip JAV, Jungtinė Karalystė ar Rusija), 43 vietą pasaulyje pagal Transparency International sudaromą Korupcijos suvokimo indeksą, lenkdama tokias šalis kaip Italija, Graikija ir Čekija, toli palikdama tokias šalis kaip Rusija, Meksika ar Brazilija. 2015 m. sausio 1 d. Lietuva tapo eurozonos nare, ] pakeitė nuo 1993 m. galiojusią nacionalinę valiutą ].<ref></ref> | |||
] | |||
Lietuva laikoma žemos politinės ir ekonominės rizikos šalimi, jos BVP augimas yra vienas didžiausių Europoje. Lietuva yra aukšto pragyvenimo lygio šalis, pagal ūkio raidos, nominalaus BVP, BVP vienam gyventojui ir kitus parametrus ji tarptautinių organizacijų priskiriama prie aukšto išsivystymo valstybių. Pagal BVP vienam gyventojui Lietuva lenkia Estiją ir Latviją, visas posovietines šalis, Graikiją ir Portugaliją. Ekonomikos plėtrai svarbūs faktoriai yra makroekonominis stabilumas, tarptautinės prekybos ryšiai, geopolitinė padėtis tarp Rytų ir Vakarų. Tarp pažangių ūkio šakų yra biotechnologijų, farmacijos pramonė, lazerių gamyba. | |||
As of 2021, Lithuanian ] wealth per adult was ]28,400 (] was $63,500), while the total national wealth was $138 billion.<ref name=CS2022-1>{{Cite web|title = Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook 2022|url = https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf|publisher = ]|format = PDF|archive-date = 23 September 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220923030157/https://www.credit-suisse.com/media/assets/corporate/docs/about-us/research/publications/global-wealth-databook-2022.pdf|url-status = live}} See table 3-1 for all countries, on pages 119-122, for mean and median wealth, ], distribution of adults (%) by wealth range, and number of adults. All of that info (except the Gini coefficient) is also in table 2-2 on pages 109-112. See the end of table 2-2 on page 112 for regional numbers. Page 4 mentions "46 countries lacking sufficient suitable data for wealth estimation". Pages 20-24 (table 2-1) then feature estimates for ] per adult for said countries, with wealth data quality characterized as "n.a." (not available)</ref> As of December 2022, the average monthly gross salary in Lithuania was €2,042.<ref name="https://osp.stat.gov.lt">{{Cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?indicator=S10R026#/|title=Darbo užmokestis šalyje|website=osp.stat.gov.lt}}</ref> Although, ] in the country also is sufficiently less with the price level for ] (HFCE) – 63, being 39% lower than EU average – 102 in 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Comparative price levels of consumer goods and services – Statistics Explained|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Comparative_price_levels_of_consumer_goods_and_services|website=]|access-date=16 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania has a ] rate rather than a ]. According to Eurostat,<ref name="epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu">{{cite web | url=http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/taxation/gen_info/economic_analysis/tax_structures/2014/report.pdf | title=Taxation trends in the European Union | publisher=Eurostat | date=2014 | access-date=22 May 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509130331/http://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/resources/documents/taxation/gen_info/economic_analysis/tax_structures/2014/report.pdf | archive-date=9 May 2015}}</ref> the personal income tax (15%) and corporate tax (15%) rates in Lithuania are among the lowest in the EU. The country has the lowest implicit rate of tax on capital (9.8%) in the EU. Corporate tax rate in Lithuania is 15% and 5% for small businesses. 7 ] are operating in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pramoniniai parkai ir LEZ|url=https://ukmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/investiciju-veiklos-sritis/pramoniniai-parkai-ir-lez|website=ukmin.lrv.lt|access-date=24 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180424071555/https://ukmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/investiciju-veiklos-sritis/pramoniniai-parkai-ir-lez|archive-date=24 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
=== Makroekonomikos rodikliai === | |||
] | |||
] production is growing in the country, reaching €1.9 billion in 2016.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Samuolis|first1=Gediminas|title=Informacinės technologijos Lietuvoje|date=2017|publisher=Lietuvos statistikos departamentas|location=Vilnius|page=8|url=https://ivpk.lrv.lt/uploads/ivpk/documents/files/Naujienos/IT%20Lietuvoje%202017.pdf|access-date=16 January 2018|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308150136/https://ivpk.lrv.lt/uploads/ivpk/documents/files/Naujienos/IT%20Lietuvoje%202017.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2017 only, 35 | |||
Lietuvos ] rodikliai 2011−2019 m.:<ref>, seb.lt</ref> | |||
<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania Registered 35 New Fintech Companies in 2017|url=https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2018/02/128160-lithuania-registered-35-new-fintech-companies-2017|website=Crowdfundinsider.com|date=8 February 2018|access-date=18 March 2018}}</ref> ] companies came to Lithuania – a result of Lithuanian government and Bank of Lithuania simplified procedures for obtaining licences for the activities of e-money and payment institutions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Institutions Enhance Focus on New Financial Technologies and Fintech Sector Development in Lithuania|url=https://finmin.lrv.lt/en/news/lithuanian-institutions-enhance-focus-on-new-financial-technologies-and-fintech-sector-development-in-lithuania|website=finmin.lrv.lt|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-date=14 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714164452/https://finmin.lrv.lt/en/news/lithuanian-institutions-enhance-focus-on-new-financial-technologies-and-fintech-sector-development-in-lithuania|url-status=dead}}</ref> Europe's first international Blockchain Centre launched in Vilnius in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kostaki |first1=Irene |title=Lithuania debuts as EU gateway for global blockchain industry |url=https://www.neweurope.eu/article/lithuania-debuts-eu-gateway-global-blockchain-industry/ |website=Neweurope.eu |date=31 January 2018 |quote=The Lithuanian capital Vilnius launched Europe’s first international Blockchain Centre on January 27, making it the EU’s only hub for the digital ledger. The new hub will help Europe connect with partner Blockchain Centres in Australia, China, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Georgia, Gibraltar, Ukraine, Israel, and Latvia. |access-date=14 July 2018 |archive-date=3 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210703110944/https://www.neweurope.eu/article/lithuania-debuts-eu-gateway-global-blockchain-industry/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lithuania has granted a total of 39 e-money licenses, second in the EU only to the U.K. with 128 licenses. In 2018 ] set up a payment company in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Milda Šeputytė |author2=Jeremy Kahn |title=Google Payment Expands With E-Money License From Lithuania |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-21/google-payment-expands-with-e-money-license-from-lithuania |website=www.bloomberg.com |publisher=Bloomberg | quote=Google Payment, a company owned by Alphabet Inc., obtained an e-money license in Lithuania, joining a growing number of fintech firms that have secured permission from the Baltic nation to offer financial services across the European Union. |access-date=22 December 2018 |date=21 December 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Companies=== | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
Largest companies of Lithuania in 2021, by revenue:<ref name="vz-largest-corp">{{cite web|title=Didžiausios Lietuvos bendrovės 2022|url=https://www.vz.lt/reitingai/|trans-title=Largest companies of Lithuania 2022|language=lt|date=31 May 2022|website=Verslo Žinios|access-date=4 August 2022}}</ref> | |||
!rowspan="2"|Rodiklis | |||
!colspan="9"|Metai | |||
|- | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2011 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2012 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2013 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2014 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2015 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2016 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2017 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2018 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2019 | |||
|- | |||
|Realus metinis <br />BVP pokytis, % | |||
|align="center"|6,0 | |||
|align="center"|3,8 | |||
|align="center"|3,6 | |||
|align="center"|3,5 | |||
|align="center"|2,0 | |||
|align="center"|2,6 | |||
|align="center"|4,0 | |||
|align="center"|3,6 | |||
|align="center"|3,9 | |||
|- | |||
|Nominalus BVP, mlrd. ] | |||
|align="center"|31,2 | |||
|align="center"|33,3 | |||
|align="center"|35,0 | |||
|align="center"|36,5 | |||
|align="center"|37,3 | |||
|align="center"|38,9 | |||
|align="center"|42,3 | |||
|align="center"|45,3 | |||
|align="center"|48,4 | |||
|} | |||
Vidutinė metinė infliacija<ref>, seb.lt</ref> ir valstybės skola:<ref>, seb.lt</ref><ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=2021 m. vasario mėn. |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>, osp.stat.gov.lt</ref> | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
!rowspan="2"|Rodiklis | |||
!colspan="9"|Metai | |||
|- | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2011 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2012 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2013 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2014 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2015 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2016 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2017 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2018 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2019 | |||
|- | |||
|Vidutinė metinė <br />infliacija, % | |||
|align="center"| 4,1 | |||
|align="center"| 3,2 | |||
|align="center"| 1,2 | |||
|align="center"| 0,2 | |||
|align="center"| -0,7 | |||
|align="center"| 0,7 | |||
|align="center"| 3,7 | |||
|align="center"| 2,5 | |||
|align="center"| 2,2 | |||
|- | |||
|Nominali valdžios <br />sektoriaus skola, mln. ] | |||
|align="center"| | |||
|align="center"|13 264 | |||
|align="center"|13 550 | |||
|align="center"|14 825 | |||
|align="center"|15 940 | |||
|align="center"|15 524 | |||
|align="center"|16 630 | |||
|align="center"|15 425 | |||
|align="center"| | |||
|- | |||
|Valdžios skolos <br />santykis su BVP, % | |||
|align="center"|37,2 | |||
|align="center"|39,8 | |||
|align="center"|38,7 | |||
|align="center"|40,6 | |||
|align="center"|42,6 | |||
|align="center"|39,7 | |||
|align="center"|39,1 | |||
|align="center"|33,8 | |||
|align="center"|36,2 | |||
|} | |||
], located in K29 business centre in ], Vilnius<ref>{{cite web |title=Nasdaq Vilnius |url=https://nasdaqbaltic.com/en/about-us/nasdaq-vilnius/ |website=nasdaqbaltic.com |access-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716220952/https://nasdaqbaltic.com/en/about-us/nasdaq-vilnius/ |archive-date=16 July 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>]] | |||
]“ pastatas ], Vilniuje]] | |||
Sukauptos tiesioginės užsienio investicijos pagal šalis investuotojas<ref>https://osp.stat.gov.lt/informaciniai-pranesimai?articleId=5028854</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;" | ||
|- style="background:#efefef;" | |||
! rowspan="2" | | |||
! style="text-align:center;"| Rank|| style="text-align:center;"| Name|| style="text-align:center;"| Headquarters|| style="text-align:center;"| Revenue<br />(bil. €) || style="text-align:center;"| Employees || style="text-align:center;"| Industry<br /> | |||
! colspan="3" |2016-12-31 | |||
! colspan="2" |2015-12-31 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}1. || style="text-align:left;"| ], AB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 4.263 || 1,427 || style="text-align:left;"| ], ] | |||
!mln. Eur | |||
!struktūra, % | |||
!pokytis, palyginti su 2015-12-31 % | |||
!mln. Eur | |||
!struktūra, % | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}2. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 1.941 || 1,790 || style="text-align:left;"| ], ] | |||
|Iš viso | |||
|13 066,24 | |||
|100,0 | |||
| -3,2 | |||
|13 496,82 | |||
|100,0 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}3. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 1.759 || 12,339 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Švedija | |||
|2 496,73 | |||
|19,1 | |||
| -20,0 | |||
|3 122,24 | |||
|23,1 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}4. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 1.145 || 1,516 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Nyderlandai | |||
|1 585,68 | |||
|12,1 | |||
| -6,2 | |||
|1 691,33 | |||
|12,5 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}5. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 0.862 || 325 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Vokietija | |||
|1 315,42 | |||
|10,1 | |||
|5,5 | |||
|1 246,53 | |||
|9,2 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}6. || style="text-align:left;"| ], AB || style="text-align:left;" | ] || 0.743 || 120 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Lenkija | |||
|967,82 | |||
|7,3 | |||
|37,9 | |||
|694,74 | |||
|5,1 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}7. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 0.688 || 1,098 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Norvegija | |||
|919,18 | |||
|7,0 | |||
|9,9 | |||
|836,18 | |||
|6,2 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}8. || style="text-align:left;"| Sanitex, UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 0.618 || 1,189 || style="text-align:left;"| ], ] | |||
|Estija | |||
|696,41 | |||
|5,3 | |||
|0,7 | |||
|691,53 | |||
|5,1 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}9. || style="text-align:left;"| ], AB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 0.590 || 1,238 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Kipras | |||
|660,88 | |||
|5,1 | |||
|42,3 | |||
|464,58 | |||
|3,4 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| style="text-align:center;"| {{0}}10. || style="text-align:left;"| ], UAB || style="text-align:left;"| ] || 0.578 || 2,513 || style="text-align:left;"| ] | |||
|Danija | |||
|591,06 | |||
|4,5 | |||
|4,6 | |||
|564,83 | |||
|4,2 | |||
|- | |||
|Suomija | |||
|588,29 | |||
|4,5 | |||
|4,1 | |||
|564,89 | |||
|4,2 | |||
|- | |||
|Malta | |||
|405,42 | |||
|3,1 | |||
| -7,1 | |||
|436,60 | |||
|3,2 | |||
|- | |||
|Kitos šalys | |||
|2 849,35 | |||
|21,9 | |||
| -10,5 | |||
|3 183,37 | |||
|23,8 | |||
|} | |} | ||
===Agriculture=== | |||
=== Užimtumas ir socialiniai rodikliai === | |||
{{Main|Agriculture in Lithuania}} | |||
Pagal ] 2019 m. paskelbtą statistiką, iš 189 valstybių Lietuva užėmė 34-ą vietą ir pateko į itin aukšto išsivystymo valstybių kategoriją, vertinant pagal ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721104321/http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/LTU |date=2019-07-21 }}; tikrinta 2020-08-29</ref> | |||
Agriculture in Lithuania dates to the ] period, about 3,000 to 1,000 ]. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jurginis|first1=J.|title=Arimo įrankių reikšmė žemdirbystės sistemoms|url=http://lad.lt/data/com_ladlibrary/988/156-163.pdf|website=lad.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Lithuania's accession to the ] in 2004 ushered in a new agricultural era. The EU pursues a very high standard of food safety and purity. In 1999, the ] (parliament) of Lithuania adopted a Law on Product Safety, and in 2000 it adopted a Law on Food.<ref>{{cite web|title=Law on Product Safety|url=https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/f9a7f340736a11e6a0f68fd135e6f40c?jfwid=-brx0ubedz|website=e-seimas.lrs.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Law on Food|url=https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/74505e2018da11e6aa14e8b63147ee94?jfwid=rivwzvpvg|website=e-seimas.lrs.lt|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> The reform of the agricultural market has been carried out on the basis of these two laws. | |||
In 2016, agricultural production in Lithuania was €2.29 billion. ] occupied the largest part of it (5709.7 tons), other significant types include: ]s (933.9 tons), ] (392.5 tons) and ]es (340.2 tons). Products totaling €4,385.2 million were exported from Lithuania to foreign markets, of which products for €3,165.2 million were Lithuanian origin. Export of agricultural and food products accounted for 19.4% of all exports of goods from the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Žemės ir maisto ūkio 2016 metų apžvalga|url=https://zum.lrv.lt/uploads/zum/documents/files/LT_versija/Veiklos_sritys/Statistin%C4%97%20informacija/%C5%BDem%C4%97s%20ir%20maisto%20%C5%ABkio%202016%20met%C5%B3%20ap%C5%BEvalga%20(03).pdf|website=zum.lrv.lt|pages=1–3|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
2019 m. duomenimis Lietuvoje absoliutaus skurdo riba buvo 251 eurų pajamos per mėnesį asmeniui.<ref>, BNS, 2020/07/22, tikrinta 2020-08-28.</ref> 2011 m. 20 % Lietuvos gyventojų priklausė skurdo rizikos lygiui (t. y. jų mėnesinės pajamos buvo mažesnės už skurdo ribą).<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113163108/http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/faq/view/?id=888 |date=2012-11-13 }}</ref> | |||
] is constantly becoming more popular in Lithuania. The status of organic growers and producers in the country is granted by the public body ''Ekoagros''. In 2016, there were 2539 such farms that occupied 225,541.78 hectares. Of these, 43.13% were cereals, 31.22% were perennial grasses, 13.9% were leguminous crops and 11.75% were others.<ref>{{cite web|title=Veiklos ataskaita, 2016 m.|url=https://www.ekoagros.lt/media/1/2016-m-veiklos-ataskaita.pdf|website=ekoagros.lt|pages=1–4|access-date=15 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
{| | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
Užimtumo rodikliai 2012−2016 m. pagal LR Ūkio Ministerijos 2017 m. birž. mėn ataskaitą:<ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=2021 m. vasario mėn. |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
!rowspan="2"|Rodiklis | |||
!colspan="6"|Metai | |||
|- | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2012 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2013 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2014 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2015 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2016 | |||
|- | |||
|], % | |||
|align="center"|50,0 | |||
|align="center"|51,2 | |||
|align="center"|52,6 | |||
|align="center"|53,8 | |||
|align="center"|55,6 | |||
|- | |||
|], % | |||
|align="center"|13,4 | |||
|align="center"|11,8 | |||
|align="center"|10,7 | |||
|align="center"|9,1 | |||
|align="center"|7,9 | |||
|} | |||
|width=15% valign="top"| | |||
===Science and technology=== | |||
Socialiniai rodikliai 2012−2016 m. pagal LR Ūkio Ministerijos 2017 m. birž. mėn ataskaitą:<ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=2021 m. vasario mėn. |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
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Foundation of the ] in 1579 was a major factor of establishing local scientist community in Lithuania and making connections with other universities and scientists of Europe. ], ], ] and many other visiting scientists have worked at University of Vilnius. | |||
Lithuanian '']'' and ] artillery expert ] is a pioneer of ]ry, who has published ''Artis Magnae Artilleriae'' in 1650 that for over two centuries was used in Europe as a basic ] manual and contains a large chapter on caliber, construction, production and properties of rockets (for military and civil purposes), including ]s, ], and rockets with ] ].<ref>{{cite book|page=44|title=Astronautics|author=Ulrich Walter|publisher=]|year=2008|isbn=978-3-527-40685-2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Kazimieras Simonavičius|url=http://www.ksu.lt/en/kazimieras-simonavicius-2/|website=]|access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref> A botanist ] (1771–1849), created first systematic guide of Lithuanian flora ''Taislius auguminis'' (''Botany''), written in Samogitian dialect, the Latin-Lithuanian dictionary of plant names, first Lithuanian textbook of geography. German scientist ] (1785–1822), who proposed the ], lived and worked in the {{Ill|Gedučiai manor|lt|Gedučių dvaras}} where he gained prominence amongst the locals for his effort in educating the peasants and improving their well-being.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Kajėnas |first1=Kostas |last2=Stankevičius |first2=Martynas |date=21 June 2022 |title=Theodoras von Grotthussas. Garsiausias Lietuvos mokslininkas, pralenkęs laiką |url=https://www.bernardinai.lt/theodoras-von-grotthussas-garsiausias-lietuvos-mokslininkas-pralenkes-laika/ |access-date=21 June 2022 |website=Bernardinai.lt |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
During the Interwar period humanitarian and social scientists emerged such as ], Levas Karsavinas, ]. | |||
Due to the World Wars, Lithuanian science and scientists suffered heavily from the occupants, however some of them reached a world-class achievements in their lifetime. Most notably, ], ], ], ], A. J. Kliorė, ], ] ], Algirdas Antanas Avižienis.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos kronika 1993 – 16 (1674) Marija Alseikaitė – Gimbutienė|url=http://www.lrt.lt/mediateka/irasas/31010/lietuvos-kronika-1993-16-1674-marija-alseikaite-gimbutiene|website=LRT|date=15 September 1993|access-date=29 March 2018|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Bulota|first1=Šarūnas|title=Garsiausia pasaulio orangutanų tyrinėtoja Birutė Galdikas: "Lietuvių kultūra – mano kraujyje"|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/gyvunu-klubas/ivykiai/garsiausia-pasaulio-orangutanu-tyrinetoja-birute-galdikas-lietuviu-kultura-mano-kraujyje-172-331747|website=15min.lt|access-date=2 May 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Arvydas Kliorė|url=http://www.yrasalis.lt/desimt/inzinieriai/dr-arvydas-kliore/|website=yrasalis.lt|access-date=15 February 2018|language=lt-LT}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Biografija – A. J. Greimas|url=http://www.greimas.eu/biografija/|website=greimas.eu|access-date=15 February 2018|language=lt-LT|archive-date=16 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216091947/http://www.greimas.eu/biografija/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=STAR (Self-Testing And Repairing) computer|url=http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/STAR.html|website=Daviddarling.info|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
], long-term rector of the ] is known for works in ], ], Theorem of Kubilius and ] bear his name. Jonas Kubilius successfully resisted attempts to Russify the University of Vilnius.<ref>{{cite web |title=Iš Vilniaus universiteto istorijos, 1955–1990|date=5 November 1995|pages=1–2|url=http://www.draugas.org/archive/1994_reg/1994-11-05-PRIEDAS-DRAUGAS-i5-8.pdf}}</ref> | |||
Nowadays, the country is among moderate innovators group in the ].<ref>{{cite book|title=Lietuvos ekonomikos ilgalaikio konkurencingumo iššūkiai|date=2015|publisher=Lietuvos mokslo taryba|page=18|url=http://www.lmt.lt/data/public/uploads/2016/09/ekonomikos-moksliniu-tyrimu-programos-rekomendacijos.pdf}}</ref> | |||
and in the ] ranked 15th among EU countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/growth/industry/innovation/facts-figures/scoreboards_lt |website= ec.europa.eu |title= European Innovation Scoreboard |access-date= 31 March 2018}}</ref> Lithuania was ranked 39th in the ] in 2021<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Innovation Index 2021 |url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2021/|work=]|publisher=]|access-date=2022-03-05 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Global Innovation Index 2019|url=https://www.wipo.int/global_innovation_index/en/2019/index.html|access-date=2 September 2021|website=www.wipo.int}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=RTD - Item|url=https://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/rtd/items/691898|access-date=2 September 2021|website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=28 October 2013|title=Global Innovation Index|url=https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|access-date=2 September 2021|website=INSEAD Knowledge|archive-date=2 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210902101622/https://knowledge.insead.edu/entrepreneurship-innovation/global-innovation-index-2930|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
]s and ] are flagship fields of the Lithuanian science and high tech industry.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/lithuania-leading-light-laser-technology|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110175105/https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/lithuania-leading-light-laser-technology|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 January 2018|title=Lithuania, a leading light in laser technology – Digital Single Market|date=10 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Daugiausiai inovacijų lietuviai sukūrė gyvybės mokslų srityje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/partnerio-turinys/lietuvos-amziaus-inovacijos/daugiausiai-inovaciju-lietuviai-sukure-gyvybes-mokslu-srityje.d?id=75754757|website=]|access-date=14 September 2017}}</ref> Lithuanian "Šviesos konversija" (Light Conversion) has developed a femtosecond laser system that has 80% marketshare worldwide, and is used in DNA research, ophthalmological surgeries, nanotech industry and science.<ref>{{cite web|title=Light Conversion – About Us|url=http://lightcon.com/about-us.html|website=lightcon.com|access-date=5 February 2018|archive-date=20 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120194735/http://www.lightcon.com/about-us.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Įgyvendinta svajonė sukėlė perversmą pasaulinėje lazerių rinkoje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/partnerio-turinys/lietuvos-amziaus-inovacijos/igyvendinta-svajone-sukele-perversma-pasaulineje-lazeriu-rinkoje.d?id=75532853|website=]|access-date=25 August 2017}}</ref> ] Laser Research Center has developed one of the most powerful femtosecond lasers in the world dedicated primarily to ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuviai sukūrė vieną galingiausių lazerių pasaulyje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/partnerio-turinys/lietuvos-amziaus-inovacijos/lietuviai-sukure-viena-galingiausiu-lazeriu-pasaulyje.d?id=75607431|website=]|access-date=31 August 2017}}</ref> In 1963, ] and his coworkers created ] that is used in ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vilniaus astrofotometrinė sistema|url=http://astronomija.lt/enciklopedija/index.php/Vilniaus_astrofotometrin%C4%97_sistema|website=astronomija.lt|access-date=4 February 2018|language=lt|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205072446/http://astronomija.lt/enciklopedija/index.php/Vilniaus_astrofotometrin%C4%97_sistema|archive-date=5 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Noninvasive intracranial pressure and blood flow measuring devices were developed by ] scientist A. Ragauskas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://m.epo.org/european-inventor/finalists/2016/ragauskas.html|website=m.epo.org/|title=Finalist for the European Inventor Award 2016|access-date=7 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180407184238/https://m.epo.org/european-inventor/finalists/2016/ragauskas.html|archive-date=7 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> K.Pyragas contributed to ] with his way of delayed feedback control – ]. ] laureate ] is known for his discoveries in ] field – invention of CRISPR-].<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://www.wired.com/2015/10/battle-genome-editing-gets-science-wrong/|author=Sarah Zhang|date=10 April 2015|magazine=Wired|title=The Battle Over Genome Editing Gets Science All Wrong|access-date=17 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author=Giorgia Guglielmi|date=31 May 2015|journal=Nature|title=Million-dollar Kavli prize recognizes scientist scooped on CRISPR|volume=558|issue=7708|pages=17–18|doi=10.1038/d41586-018-05308-5|pmid=29872189|s2cid=46949947|doi-access=free}}</ref> | |||
<!-- Deleted image removed: ] in the thermal-vacuum chamber.]] --> | |||
Lithuania has launched three satellites to space: ], ] and ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rutkauskas|first1=Adomas|title=Į kosmosą pakilo trečiasis Lietuvos palydovas|url=https://it.lrytas.lt/laboratorija/2017/06/23/news/i-kosmosa-kyla-treciasis-lietuvos-palydovas-1755953/|website=]|date=23 June 2017|access-date=23 June 2017|language=lt-LT|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308143523/https://it.lrytas.lt/laboratorija/2017/06/23/news/i-kosmosa-kyla-treciasis-lietuvos-palydovas-1755953/|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] and ] is located in ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology|url=http://www.etnokosmomuziejus.lt/en/|access-date=4 February 2018}}</ref> 15 R&D institutions are members of ]; Lithuania is a cooperating state with ].<ref>{{cite web|title=First Baltic Space Activities Roundtable|url=https://www.eas.ee/images/doc/ettevotjale/innovatsioon/kosmos/roundtable1/baltic_roundtable_vidmantas_tomkus.pdf|access-date=12 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180411174553/https://www.eas.ee/images/doc/ettevotjale/innovatsioon/kosmos/roundtable1/baltic_roundtable_vidmantas_tomkus.pdf|archive-date=11 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania becomes eighth ESA Cooperating State|url=https://www.esa.int/About_Us/Welcome_to_ESA/Lithuania_becomes_eighth_ESA_European_Cooperating_State|website=Esa.int|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> ] is the only ethnically Lithuanian ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vienintelis Lietuvos kosmonautas R.Stankevičius tėvynės neiškeitė į vietą raketoje|url=https://www.delfi.lt/video/mokslas-ir-gamta/vienintelis-lietuvos-kosmonautas-rstankevicius-tevynes-neiskeite-i-vieta-raketoje.d?id=62705647#o8TgpziG|website=DELFI|access-date=12 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania in 2018 became Associated Member State of ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania becomes Associate Member State of CERN|url=https://home.cern/about/updates/2018/01/lithuania-becomes-associate-member-state-cern|website=home.cern|access-date=18 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180314173513/https://home.cern/about/updates/2018/01/lithuania-becomes-associate-member-state-cern|archive-date=14 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two CERN incubators in Vilnius and Kaunas will be hosted.<ref>{{cite web |title=Davos: Final decision on CERN business incubation centers in Lithuania |url=https://mission-geneva.mfa.lt/mission-geneva/en/news/davos-final-decision-on-cern-business-incubation-centers-in-lithuania |access-date=14 April 2019 |archive-date=17 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417192724/https://mission-geneva.mfa.lt/mission-geneva/en/news/davos-final-decision-on-cern-business-incubation-centers-in-lithuania |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Most advanced scientific research in Lithuania is being conducted at the Life Sciences Center,<ref>{{cite web|title=Life Sciences Center. Lithuania|url=http://www.gmc.vu.lt/en/|website=Gmc.vu.lt|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> Center For Physical Sciences and Technology.<ref>{{cite web|title=Center For Physical Sciences and Technology. Lithuania|url=https://www.ftmc.lt/en|website=Ftmc.lt|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
As of 2016 calculations, yearly growth of Lithuania's biotech and life science sector was 22% over the past 5 years. 16 academic institutions, 15 R&D centres (science parks and innovation valleys) and more than 370 manufacturers operate in the Lithuanian life science and biotech industry.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com/export/sites/trade/files/market_studies/Life%20science%20and%20biotech%20industry_Lituania_2016.pdf|website=Flandersinvestmentandtrade.com|title=The life science industry in Lithuania|page=2|access-date=31 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2008 the Valley development programme was started aiming to upgrade Lithuanian scientific research infrastructure and encourage business and science cooperation. Five R&D Valleys were launched – Jūrinis (maritime technologies), Nemunas (agro, bioenergy, forestry), Saulėtekis (laser and light, semiconductor), Santara (biotechnology, medicine), Santaka (sustainable chemistry and pharmacy).<ref>{{cite web |title=R&D in Lithuania |url=https://investlithuania.com/why-lithuania/innovation/ |website=investlithuania.com |access-date=6 October 2019}}</ref> Lithuanian Innovation Center is created to provide support for innovations and research institutions.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Innovation Center|url=http://lic.lt/en/|website=lic.lt|access-date=12 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Tourism=== | |||
{{Main|Tourism in Lithuania}} | |||
] is a popular ].]] | |||
Statistics from 2016 showed that 1.49 million tourists from foreign countries visited Lithuania and spent at least one night in the country. The largest number of tourists came from ] (174,800), ] (171,900), ] (150,600), ] (148,400), ] (134,400), ] (84,000), and the ] (58,200). | |||
The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to country GDP was €2,005.5 million, 5.3% of GDP in 2016, and is forecast to rise by 7.3% in 2017, and to rise by 4.2% pa to €3,243.5 million, 6.7% of GDP in 2027.<ref>{{cite web|title=TRAVEL & TOURISM ECONOMIC IMPACT 2017 LITHUANIA|url=https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2017/lithuania2017.pdf|website=Wttc.org|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320105359/https://www.wttc.org/-/media/files/reports/economic-impact-research/countries-2017/lithuania2017.pdf|archive-date=20 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hot air ballooning is very popular in Lithuania, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially in Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. ] routes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. Total length of bicycle tracks amounts to | |||
3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Geography of Tourism of Central and Eastern European Countries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cf36DQAAQBAJ&q=bicycle+tourism+in+lithuania&pg=PA260|access-date=5 May 2018|isbn = 978-3-319-42205-3|last1 = Widawski|first1 = Krzysztof|last2 = Wyrzykowski|first2 = Jerzy|date = 24 January 2017}}</ref> | |||
] and ] are known for birdwatching.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fatbirder. Lithuania|url=http://fatbirder.com/links_geo/europe/lithuania.html|website=Fatbirder.com|access-date=5 May 2018}}</ref> | |||
Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities—], ], and ], seaside resorts, such as ], ], and ]s – ], ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Turizmas Lietuvoje 2016|url=http://www.tourism.lt/uploads/documents/Turizmas-Lietuvoje_2016.pdf|website=tourism.lt|access-date=18 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201042530/http://www.tourism.lt/uploads/documents/Turizmas-Lietuvoje_2016.pdf|archive-date=1 December 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
==Infrastructure== | |||
===Communication=== | |||
{{Main|Telecommunications in Lithuania}} | |||
] (skyscraper with the old ] logo) and ] headquarters in ]]] | |||
Lithuania has a well developed communications infrastructure. The country has 2.8 million citizens<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ve.lt/naujienos/lietuva/lietuvos-naujienos/lietuvos-gyventoju-skaicius-sumazejo-dar-40-tukstanciu-1527125/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104123442/http://www.ve.lt/naujienos/lietuva/lietuvos-naujienos/lietuvos-gyventoju-skaicius-sumazejo-dar-40-tukstanciu-1527125/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Lietuvos gyventojų skaičius sumažėjo dar 40 tūkstančių|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> and 5 million SIM cards.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/mokslas/technologijos/lietuvoje-3-mln-gyventoju-ir-5-mln-mobiliojo-rysio-naudotoju.d?id=60719345|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104123305/https://www.delfi.lt/mokslas/technologijos/lietuvoje-3-mln-gyventoju-ir-5-mln-mobiliojo-rysio-naudotoju.d?id=60719345|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Lietuvoje – 3 mln. gyventojų ir 5 mln. mobiliojo ryšio naudotojų – DELFI Mokslas|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> The largest LTE (4G) mobile network covers 97% of Lithuania's territory.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ryšio kokybės žemėlapis rodo: du operatoriai lygūs, trečias – iš paskos |url=https://www.15min.lt/mokslasit/straipsnis/technologijos/rysio-kokybes-zemelapis-rodo-du-operatoriai-lygus-o-trecias-is-paskos-646-767870 |website=15min.lt |access-date=13 March 2017 |archive-date=23 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222406/https://www.15min.lt/mokslasit/straipsnis/technologijos/rysio-kokybes-zemelapis-rodo-du-operatoriai-lygus-o-trecias-is-paskos-646-767870 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Usage of fixed phone lines has been rapidly decreasing due to rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/mokslas/technologijos/laidinio-rysio-telefonams-gresia-isnykimas.d?id=58099004|title=Laidinio ryšio telefonams gresia išnykimas?|website=Delfi.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2017, Lithuania was top 30 in the world by average mobile broadband speeds and top 20 by average fixed broadband speeds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.speedtest.net/global-index|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104105117/https://www.speedtest.net/global-index|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Speedtest Global Index – Monthly comparisons of internet speeds from around the world|date=4 January 2018|website=Speedtest.net|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania was also top 7 in 2017 in the ]. In 2016, Lithuania was ranked 17th in United Nations' e-participation index.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/about/overview/e-participation|title=E-Participation Index|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321192535/https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/about/overview/e-participation|archive-date=21 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Data-Center|title=Data Center|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321192858/https://publicadministration.un.org/egovkb/en-us/Data-Center|archive-date=21 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
There are four TIER III datacenters in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uptimeinstitute.com/TierCertification/allCertifications.php?page=1&ipp=All&clientId=&countryName=Lithuania&tierLevel=3|title=Uptime Institute. Country: Lithuania, Tier Level: Tier III|access-date=19 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180320044020/https://uptimeinstitute.com/TierCertification/allCertifications.php?page=1&ipp=All&clientId=&countryName=Lithuania&tierLevel=3|archive-date=20 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania is 44th globally ranked country on data center density according to Cloudscene.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cloudscene.com/market/data-centers-in-lithuania/all|title=Colocation Lithuania – Data Centers|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
Long-term project (2005–2013) – Development of Rural Areas Broadband Network (RAIN) was started with the objective to provide residents, state and municipal authorities and businesses with fibre-optic broadband access in rural areas. RAIN infrastructure allows 51 communications operators to provide network services to their clients. The project was funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sumin.lrv.lt/en/news/strategic-project-for-lithuania-rain-2-won-the-international-award|title=Strategic project for Lithuania RAIN-2 won the international award|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=4988&usg=AOvVaw0HNGsJE3UEplZ5ekHB2MgY|title=RAIN project in Lithuania|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> 72% of Lithuanian households have access to internet, a number which in 2017 was among EU's lowest<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Internet_access_and_use_statistics_-_households_and_individuals|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104125212/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Internet_access_and_use_statistics_-_households_and_individuals|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Internet access and use statistics – households and individuals – Statistics Explained|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> and in 2016 ranked 97th by ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104130822/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2153rank.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> Number of households with internet access is expected to increase and reach 77% by 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eshopworld.com/blog-articles/lithuania-ecommerce-insights/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104125319/https://www.eshopworld.com/blog-articles/lithuania-ecommerce-insights/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Lithuania eCommerce will nearly triple its online shoppers in 4 years|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> Almost 50% of Lithuanians had smartphones in 2016, a number that is expected to increase to 65% by 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/568195/predicted-smartphone-user-penetration-rate-in-lithuania/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104125609/https://www.statista.com/statistics/568195/predicted-smartphone-user-penetration-rate-in-lithuania/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=• Lithuania: smartphone user penetration 2015–2022 – Forecast|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania has the highest FTTH (Fiber to the home) penetration rate in Europe (36.8% in September 2016) according to FTTH Council Europe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ftthcouncil.eu/documents/PressReleases/2016/PR20160217_FTTHranking_panorama_award.pdf|title=Breaking news from the FTTH Conference 2016: Croatia, Germany and Poland join the FTTH ranking|website=Ftthcouncil.eu|access-date=1 January 2017|archive-date=30 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430204430/https://www.ftthcouncil.eu/documents/PressReleases/2016/PR20160217_FTTHranking_panorama_award.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
===Transport=== | |||
{{Main|Transport in Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
Lithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when the ] was constructed. It included a stretch from ] via Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operating ] was completed in 1860. | |||
] consists of {{convert|1762|km|0|abbr=on}} of {{convert|1520|mm|ftin|1|abbr=on}} ] railway of which {{convert|122|km|0|abbr=on}} are electrified. This railway network is incompatible with European ] and requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has {{convert|115|km|0|abbr=on}} of ] lines.<ref>{{cite web|title=Geležinkelių infrastruktūra|url=http://infrastructure.litrail.lt/|website=Infrastructure.litrail.lt|access-date=24 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006220502/http://infrastructure.litrail.lt/|archive-date=6 October 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Freight_transport_statistics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104135126/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Freight_transport_statistics|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Freight transport statistics – Statistics Explained|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> The Trans-European standard gauge ] railway, linking ]–]–]–]–] and continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017, ], a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-3622_en.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104135749/http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-17-3622_en.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=European Commission – PRESS RELEASES – Press release – Antitrust: Commission fines Lithuanian Railways €28 million for hindering competition on rail freight market|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
], completed in 1924]] | |||
Transportation is the third largest sector in Lithuanian economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sumin.lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-is-ready-to-implement-transport-investment-projects-of-a-strategic-importance|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104145320/https://sumin.lrv.lt/en/news/lithuania-is-ready-to-implement-transport-investment-projects-of-a-strategic-importance|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Lithuania is ready to implement transport investment project of a strategic importance – Ministry of Transport and Communications|date=4 January 2018}}</ref> Lithuanian transport companies drew attention in 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Largest-Fleet-Order-from-Eastern-Europe-for-Mercedes-Benz-Trucks-in-Its-History-Major-order-of-1000-Mercedes-Benz-Actros-by-Girteka-Logistics.xhtml?oid=9918964|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104150306/http://media.daimler.com/marsMediaSite/en/instance/ko/Largest-Fleet-Order-from-Eastern-Europe-for-Mercedes-Benz-Trucks-in-Its-History-Major-order-of-1000-Mercedes-Benz-Actros-by-Girteka-Logistics.xhtml?oid=9918964|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Largest Fleet Order from Eastern Europe for Mercedes-Benz Trucks in Its History: Major order of 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros by Girteka Logistics – Daimler Global Media Site|date=4 January 2018}}</ref> and 2017<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.volvogroup.com/en-en/news/2017/sep/record-breaking-agreement-for-volvo-trucks.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104150048/http://www.volvogroup.com/en-en/news/2017/sep/record-breaking-agreement-for-volvo-trucks.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Record breaking agreement for Volvo Trucks – Volvo Group|date=4 January 2018}}</ref> with huge and record-breaking orders of trucks. Almost 90% of commercial truck traffic in Lithuania is international transports, the highest of any EU country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Freight_transport_statistics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104135126/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Freight_transport_statistics|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Freight transport statistics – Statistics Explained|date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Lithuania has an extensive network of motorways. WEF grades Lithuanian roads at 4.7 / 7.0<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GCR2017-2018/05FullReport/TheGlobalCompetitivenessReport2017%E2%80%932018.pdf|title=The Global Competitiveness Report 2017–2018|page=185|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> and Lithuanian road authority (LAKD) at 6.5 / 10.0.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plius.lakd.lt/lt.php/naujienos/susumuoti_keliu_apziuros_rezultatai/11801;_wai;1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326104027/http://plius.lakd.lt/lt.php/naujienos/susumuoti_keliu_apziuros_rezultatai/11801;_wai;1|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 March 2018|title=Lietuvos automobilių kelių direkcija prie Susisiekimo ministerijos|date=26 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
The ] is the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. In 2011 45.5 million tons of cargo were handled (including ] figures)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shortsea.lt/index.php/pagrindinis_meniu/naujienos/klaipedos_ir_kitu_baltijos_juros_rytines_pakrantes_uostu_krovos_apzvalga__m_sausiogruodzio_men_/1201|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019182532/http://www.shortsea.lt/index.php/pagrindinis_meniu/naujienos/klaipedos_ir_kitu_baltijos_juros_rytines_pakrantes_uostu_krovos_apzvalga__m_sausiogruodzio_men_/1201|url-status=dead|archive-date=19 October 2013|title=Short Sea|date=19 October 2013|website=shortsea.lt|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> ] is outside of EU's 20 largest ports,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Maritime_ports_freight_and_passenger_statistics|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104132949/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Maritime_ports_freight_and_passenger_statistics|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Maritime ports freight and passenger statistics – Statistics Explained|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Top_20_container_ports_in_2015_-_on_the_basis_of_volume_of_containers_handled_in_(1000_TEUs).png|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104133109/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Top_20_container_ports_in_2015_-_on_the_basis_of_volume_of_containers_handled_in_(1000_TEUs).png|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=File:Top 20 container ports in 2015 - on the basis of volume of containers handled in (1000 TEUs).png – Statistics Explained|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> but it is the eighth largest port in the Baltic Sea region<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/good_for_business/?doc=90478|title=Riga and Klaipeda included in TOP-10 ports in Baltic Sea Region by container turnover :: The Baltic Course – Baltic States news & analytics|date=21 December 2017|website=Baltic-course.com|access-date=21 December 2017|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221104115/http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/good_for_business/?doc=90478|archive-date=21 December 2017}}</ref> | |||
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://actiaforum.pl/en/assets/files/realizacje/pdf/PM-17-EN.pdf|title=2016 – a better year for most of the Top 10 Baltic container ports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104132642/http://actiaforum.pl/en/assets/files/realizacje/pdf/PM-17-EN.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> with ongoing expansion plans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://port.today/klaipeda-outer-port-constructed/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104132737/https://port.today/klaipeda-outer-port-constructed/|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 January 2018|title=Klaipeda outer port to be constructed – port.today|date=4 January 2018|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
] is the largest airport in Lithuania, 91st busiest airport in Europe (]). It served 3.8 million passengers in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vilnius-airport.lt/en/news/?id=1930281 |title=The Lithuanian Airports Have Presented the Results for the Year 2016: the Number of Passengers Has Surged to Record Levels of 4.8 Million |date=12 January 2017 |access-date=24 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171004085407/http://www.vilnius-airport.lt/en/news/?id=1930281 |archive-date=4 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Other international airports include ], ] and ]. ] is also a small commercial cargo airport which started regular commercial cargo traffic in 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kaunozinios.lt/naujienos/kauno-oro-uoste-ivykdytas-pirmas-reguliarus-krovininis-reisas_36224.html|title=Kauno oro uoste įvykdytas pirmas reguliarus krovininis reisas|website=Kaunozinios.lt}}</ref> The inland river cargo port in Marvelė, linking Kaunas and Klaipėda, received first cargo in 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marvelės uostą pasiekė pirmasis krovinys!|url=https://klaipeda.diena.lt/naujienos/kaunas/miesto-pulsas/marveles-uosta-pasieke-pirmasis-krovinys-910893 |website=klaipeda.diena.lt |access-date=3 May 2019 |language=LT}}</ref> | |||
===Water supply and sanitation=== | |||
]]] | |||
Lithuania has one of the largest fresh water supplies, compared with other countries in Europe. Lithuania and ] are the only countries in Europe, which are fully equipped with fresh groundwater. Lithuanians consume about 0.5 million cubic metres of water per day, which is only 12–14 percent of all explored fresh groundwater resources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gėlo vandens ištekliais Lietuva išsiskiria iš kitų Europos šalių|url=http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/137832/gelo-vandens-istekliais-lietuva-issiskiria-is-kitu-europos-saliu|website=LRT|date=25 May 2016|access-date=25 May 2016|language=lt}}</ref> Water quality in the country is very high and is determined by the fact that drinking water comes from deep layers that are protected from pollution on the surface of the earth. Drilling depth usually reaches 30–50 metres, but in ] it even reaches 250 metres. Consequently, Lithuania is one of very few European countries where groundwater is used for centralized water supply. With a large underground fresh water reserves, Lithuania exports mineral-rich water to other countries. Approved mineral water quantity is about 2.7 million cubic metres per year, while production is only 4–5 percent of all mineral water resources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gėlas vanduo – milžiniškas turtas Lietuvos gelmėse|url=http://alkas.lt/2012/03/15/gelas-vanduo-milziniskas-turtas-lietuvos-gelmese/|website=alkas.lt|date=15 March 2012|access-date=15 March 2012|language=lt-LT}}</ref> | |||
] is the only Baltic capital that uses centralized water supplying from deep water springs, which are protected from pollution and has no ] or ] that are harmful to the human body. Water is cleaned without chemicals in Lithuania. About 20% of the consumed water in the state is a non-filtered very high quality water.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Raudonis|first1=Jokūbas|title=Vilniaus turtas – švarus vanduo iš giluminių šaltinių|url=https://verslas.lrytas.lt/rinkos-pulsas/2013/05/08/news/vilniaus-turtas---svarus-vanduo-is-giluminiu-saltiniu-5024475/|website=lrytas.lt|date=8 May 2013|access-date=8 May 2013|language=lt-LT|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308021218/https://verslas.lrytas.lt/rinkos-pulsas/2013/05/08/news/vilniaus-turtas---svarus-vanduo-is-giluminiu-saltiniu-5024475/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
===Energy=== | |||
{{Main|Energy in Lithuania}} {{See also|Renewable energy in Lithuania}} | |||
] in port of Klaipėda]] | |||
Systematic diversification of energy imports and resources is Lithuania's key energy strategy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lsta.lt/files/seminarai/2015-04-09_Ryga/03.-ey-bus-2015-rokas-masiulis.pdf|title=Lithuania's Energy Sector Development Trends|page=2|website=Lsta.lt|access-date=7 April 2018}}</ref> Long-term aims were defined in National Energy Independence strategy in 2012 by Lietuvos Seimas.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamyba.le.lt/sites/default/files/media/dynamic/files/481/nationalenergyindependencestrategy.pdf|title=National Energy Independence Strategy |website=Gamyba.le.lt|access-date=13 April 2018}}</ref> It was estimated that strategic energy independence initiatives will cost €6.3–7.8 billion in total and provide annual savings of €0.9–1.1 billion. | |||
After the decommissioning of the ], Lithuania turned from electricity exporter to electricity importer. Unit No. 1 was closed in December 2004, as a condition of Lithuania's entry into the European Union; Unit No. 2 was closed down on 31 December 2009. Proposals have been made to construct a new – ] in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuania shuts down Soviet-era NPP, but being a nuclear-free nation is still under question |url=http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2010/ignalina_shut_down |date=12 January 2010 |author=Andrei Ozharovsky, Maria Kaminskaya and Charles Digges |website=Bellona.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423155352/http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2010/ignalina_shut_down |archive-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> However, ] held in October 2012 clouded the prospects for the Visaginas project, as 63% of voters said no to a new nuclear power plant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-G-N/Lithuania/|title=Nuclear Power in Lithuania – Lithuanian Nuclear Energy – World Nuclear Association|website=World-nuclear.org|access-date=18 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126160031/http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-G-N/Lithuania/|archive-date=26 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
The country's main primary source of electrical power is ]. Other primary sources of Lithuania's electrical power are ] and ]. ] is the only in the Baltic states power plant to be used for regulation of the power system's operation with generating capacity of 900 MW for at least 12 hours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kruoniohae.lt/lt/main/activity|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928033447/http://www.kruoniohae.lt/lt/main/activity|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 September 2012|title=Kruonio hidroakumuliacinė elektrinė > Veikla|date=28 September 2012|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> {{As of|2015}}, 66% of electrical power was imported.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.litgrid.eu/index.php/energetikos-sistema/elektros-energetikos-sistemos-informacija/elektros-gamybos-ir-vartojimo-balanso-duomenys/2287|title=Litgrid|website=www.litgrid.eu|access-date=7 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161118024627/http://www.litgrid.eu/index.php/energetikos-sistema/elektros-energetikos-sistemos-informacija/elektros-gamybos-ir-vartojimo-balanso-duomenys/2287|archive-date=18 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> First geothermal heating plant (]) in the Baltic Sea region was built in 2004. | |||
Lithuania–Sweden submarine electricity interconnection ] and Lithuania–Poland electricity interconnection ] were launched at the end of 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ceer.eu/documents/104400/3736793/C16_NR_Lithuania-EN.pdf/1c379f34-4e09-7311-e715-5974e45eab3f|title=Annual Report on Electricity and Natural Gas Markets of the Republic of Lithuania to the European Commission|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
In order to break down ]'s monopoly<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/33113758-8680-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/33113758-8680-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Lithuania becomes first ex-Soviet state to buy US natural gas | website=Financial Times |date=21 August 2017 | access-date=26 March 2018 | language=LT|last1=Sheppard |first1=David }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/lithuania-breaks-gazprom-s-monopoly-by-signing-first-lng-deal/ |title=Lithuania breaks Gazprom's monopoly by signing first LNG deal | website=Euractiv.com |date=21 August 2014 | access-date=26 March 2018 | language=LT}}</ref> in natural gas market of Lithuania, first large scale LNG import terminal (]) in the Baltic region was built in port of Klaipėda in 2014. The Klaipėda LNG terminal was called Independence, thus emphasising the aim to diversify energy market of Lithuania. Norvegian company ] supplies {{convert|540|e6m3|abbr=off}} of natural gas annually from 2015 until 2020.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://enmin.lrv.lt/uploads/enmin/documents/files/EN_Versija/Activities/Activity_benchmarks/Strategic_projects/Liquefied_natural_gas_terminal_in_Klaip%C4%97da/LNG_factsheet_EN.pdf | title=Klaipėda LNG terminal Factsheet | publisher=Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Lithuania | date=27 October 2014 | access-date=19 March 2018 | archive-date=19 March 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319214309/http://enmin.lrv.lt/uploads/enmin/documents/files/EN_Versija/Activities/Activity_benchmarks/Strategic_projects/Liquefied_natural_gas_terminal_in_Klaip%C4%97da/LNG_factsheet_EN.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> The terminal is able to meet the Lithuania's demand 100 percent, and Latvia's and Estonia's national demand 90 percent in the future.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lrt.lt/en/news-in-english/29/119304/klaipeda-lng-terminal-one-year-on-independence-or-responsibility |title= Klaipėda LNG Terminal one year on – independence or responsibility?|website=Lrt.lt| date=11 November 2015 | access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
] (GIPL), also known as Lithuania–Poland pipeline, is a proposed natural gas pipeline interconnection between Lithuania and Poland that is expected to be finished by 2019. In 2018 synchronising the Baltic States' electricity grid with the ] has started.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-18-4285_en.htm |title= Questions and answers on the synchronisation of the Baltic States' electricity networks with the continental European network (CEN) | date=28 June 2018 | access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2016, 20.8% of electricity consumed in Lithuania came from renewable sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Table_1-Share_of_renewables_in_gross_inland_energy_consumption_2016.png|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326100659/http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/File:Table_1-Share_of_renewables_in_gross_inland_energy_consumption_2016.png|url-status=dead|archive-date=26 March 2018|title=File:Table 1-Share of renewables in gross inland energy consumption 2016.png – Statistics Explained|date=26 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
==Demographics== | |||
{{Main|Demographics of Lithuania}} | |||
] | |||
] | |||
Since the Neolithic period the native inhabitants of the Lithuanian territory have not been replaced by any other ethnic group, so there is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have preserved the genetic composition of their forebears relatively undisturbed by the major demographic movements,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Česnys | first1 = G. | year = 1991 | title = Anthropological roots of the Lithuanians | journal = Science, Arts and Lithuania | volume = 1 | pages = 4–10 }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people=akad. Rimantas Jankauskas |date=6 May 2018|title="Mokslo ekspresas": tūkstantmečiai kapai atskleidžia Lietuvos priešistorės paslaptis|medium=Video |language=lt |url=https://www.delfi.lt/video/laidos/mokslo-ekspresas/mokslo-ekspresas-tukstantmeciai-kapai-atskleidzia-lietuvos-priesistores-paslaptis.d?id=77886901 |access-date=11 May 2018 |time=04:06}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region |authors=Alissa Mittnik, Chuan-Chao Wang, Saskia Pfrengle, Mantas Daubaras, Gunita Zariņa, Fredrik Hallgren, Raili Allmäe, Valery Khartanovich, Vyacheslav Moiseyev, Mari Tõrv, Anja Furtwängler, Aida Andrades Valtueña, Michal Feldman, Christos Economou, Markku Oinonen, Andrejs Vasks, Elena Balanovska, David Reich, Rimantas Jankauskas, Wolfgang Haak, Stephan Schiffels & Johannes Krause |journal=Nature Communications|volume=9 |doi=10.1038/s41467-018-02825-9|pmid=29382937 |pmc=5789860 |issue=1|pages=442 |bibcode=2018NatCo...9..442M|year=2018}}</ref> although without being actually isolated from them.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Daiva Ambrasienė, Vaidutis Kučinskas|title=Genetic variability of the Lithuanian human population according to Y chromosome microsatellite markers|url=http://www.ebiblioteka.lt/resursai/LMA/Ekologija/E-89.pdf|page=89|journal=Ekologija|year=2003|volume=1}}</ref> The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://images.katalogas.lt/maleidykla/act41/A-01.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227130058/http://images.katalogas.lt/maleidykla/act41/A-01.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2008 |title=Mitochondrial DNA Sequence Analysis in the Lithuanian Population |author=Dalia Kasperavičiūtė and Vaidutis Kučinskas |journal=Acta Medica Lituanica |year=2004 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
A 2004 analysis of ] in the Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are close to the ] and ] speaking populations of Northern and Eastern Europe. ] SNP ] analysis showed Lithuanians to be closest to ] and ].<ref>{{cite journal|pmid=15469421 |author=D Kasperaviciūte, V Kucinskas and M Stoneking |url=http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Kasperavicuite.2004.pdf |title=Y Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA Variation in Lithuanians |year=2004 |volume=68 |issue=Pt 5 |pages=438–52 |doi=10.1046/j.1529-8817.2003.00119.x |journal=Annals of Human Genetics |s2cid=26562505 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090225205400/http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Kasperavicuite.2004.pdf |archive-date=25 February 2009}}</ref> | |||
In 2021, the age structure of the population was as follows: 0–14 years, 14.86% (male 214,113/female 203,117); 15–64 years: 65.19% (male 896,400/female 934,467); 65 years and over: 19.95% (male 195,269/female 365,014).<ref name="population2022">{{cite web|title=The population of Lithuania (edition 2022)|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lietuvos-gyventojai-2022/salies-gyventojai|publisher=]|access-date=23 September 2022}}</ref> The median age in 2022 was 44 years (male: 41, female: 47).<ref name="population2022"/> | |||
Lithuania has a ]: the ] (TFR) in Lithuania was 1.34 children born/woman in 2021, the mean age of women at childbirth was 30.3 years, that of women at the birth of the first child – 28.2 years. The ] is male leaning for the age categories 15–44 with 1.0352 males for every female.<ref name="population2022"/> {{As of|2021}}, 25.6% of births were to unmarried women. The mean ] in 2021 was 28.3 years for women and 30.5 years for men.<ref name="population2022"/> | |||
===Functional urban areas=== | |||
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;" | |||
|-style="font-size:100%; text-align:center;" | |||
!align=center|]<ref name="FUA,Euro">{{Cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/urb_lpop1/default/table?lang=en|title=Eurostat|website=eurostat.ec.europa.eu}}</ref>{{fv|date=February 2023}} | |||
!align=center|Population <br />(2021) | |||
{|class="wikitable" | |||
!rowspan="2"|Rodiklis | |||
!colspan="6"|Metai | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2012 | |||
| align=right|708,203 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2013 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2014 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2015 | |||
!style="width:4em;font-size:90%"|2016 | |||
|- | |- | ||
| ] | |||
|Vidutinis bruto <br />mėnesinis ], ] | |||
|align= |
| align=right|385,787 | ||
|- | |||
|align="center"|646,3 | |||
| ] | |||
|align="center"|677,4 | |||
|align= |
| align=right|124,526 | ||
|align="center"|774,0 | |||
|- | |- | ||
|Valstybinė vidutinė <br />mėnesinė ], ] | |||
|align="center"|236,2 | |||
|align="center"|238,1 | |||
|align="center"|240,3 | |||
|align="center"|244,5 | |||
|align="center"|255,3 | |||
|} | |||
|} | |} | ||
=== |
===Ethnic groups=== | ||
{{Main| |
{{Main|Lithuanians|Ethnic minorities in Lithuania}} | ||
{{bar box | |||
Lietuvos užsienio prekybos balansas 2007−2013 m. buvo neigiamas. 2013 m. Lietuvos eksportas sudarė 84 779,0 mln. Lt, importas – 91 521,4 mln. Lt.<ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=sausio 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309062952/http://www.ukmin.lt/uploads/documents/Apzvalgos/2014%20m.%20VASARIS-m%C4%97nesin%C4%97%20ap%C5%BEvalga.pdf |date=2014-03-09 }}</ref> 2007−2011 m. nesikeitė 5 didžiausios importo rinkos ir 4 didžiausios eksporto rinkos. | |||
| width = 300px | |||
| float = right | |||
| title = Residents of Lithuania by ethnicity (2021)<ref name="2011a">{{Cite web |url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/informaciniai-pranesimai?articleId=223122 |date=15 March 2013 |title=Ethnicity, mother tongue and religion |publisher=Statistics Lithuania |website=Official Statistics Portal |access-date=15 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215184122/https://osp.stat.gov.lt/informaciniai-pranesimai?articleId=223122 |archive-date=15 December 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
| titlebar = #ddd | |||
| bars = | |||
{{bar percent|Lithuanians|green|84.6}} | |||
{{bar percent|Poles|red|6.5}} | |||
{{bar percent|Russians|blue|5.0}} | |||
{{bar percent|Belarusians|purple|1.0}} | |||
{{bar percent|Ukrainians|brown|0.5}} | |||
{{bar percent|Others|gray|2.3}} | |||
}} | |||
Ethnic Lithuanians make up about five-sixths of the country's population and Lithuania has the most homogeneous population in the Baltic States. In 2015, the population of Lithuania stands at 2,921,262, 84.2% of whom are ethnic ] who speak ], which is the official language of the country. Several sizeable minorities exist, such as ] (6.6%), ] (5.8%), ] (1.2%) and ] (0.5%).<ref name="2011a"/> | |||
] are the largest minority, concentrated in southeast Lithuania (the ]). ] are the second largest minority, concentrated mostly in two cities. They constitute sizeable minorities in ] (12%)<ref>Delfi (2012) ; Retrieved on 7 January 2017</ref> and ] (19.6%),<ref name="osp.stat.gov.lt">{{cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/217110/Gyv_kalba_tikyba.pdf/1d9dac9a-3d45-4798-93f5-941fed00503f|format=PDF|title=GYVENTOJAI PAGAL TAUTYBĘ, GIMTĄJĄ KALBĄ IR TIKYBĄ : Lietuvos Respublikos 2011 metų visuotinio gyventojų ir būstų surašymo rezultatai|website=Ops.stat.gov.lt|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> and a majority in the town of ] (52%).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visaginas.lt/town/inhabit?lang=en |title=The inhabitants |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219181605/http://www.visaginas.lt/town/inhabit?lang=en |archive-date=19 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> About 3,000 ] live in Lithuania, mostly in Vilnius, ] and Panevėžys; their organizations are supported by the National Minority and Emigration Department.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tspmi.vu.lt/files/mprojektai/finallithsecpapergalutinis.pdf |title=Lithuanian Security and Foreign Policy |website=Tspmi.vu.lt |access-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325051515/http://www.tspmi.vu.lt/files/mprojektai/finallithsecpapergalutinis.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009}}</ref> For centuries a small ] community has flourished in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/lithuanian_tatars.shtml|title=The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire|website=Eki.ee}}</ref> | |||
{| width="100%" | |||
|- valign="top" | |||
The official language is ], but in some areas there is a significant presence of minority languages, such as ], ], ] and ]. The greatest presence of minorities and the use of these languages is in ], ] and ]. ] is spoken by members of the tiny remaining ] in Lithuania. The state laws guarantee education in minority languages and there are numerous publicly funded schools in the areas populated by minorities, with Polish as the language of instruction being the most widely available.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lrkm.lrv.lt/en/activities/national-minorities|title=Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania, National Minorities|access-date=28 December 2020}}</ref> | |||
| width="50%" | | |||
2011 m. eksporto rinkos<ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=sausio 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
According to the survey carried out within the framework of the ], 85.33% of the country's population speak Lithuanian as their native language, 6.8% are native speakers of Russian and 5.1% of Polish. {{Asof|2021}}, 60.6% of residents speak Russian as a foreign language, 31.1% – English, 10.5% – Lithuanian, 8% – German, 7.9% – Polish, 1.9% – French, 2.6% – various others.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/en/gyventoju-ir-bustu-surasymai1|title=Population by command of languages in municipality|access-date=23 September 2022}}</ref> Most Lithuanian schools teach English as the first foreign language, but students may also study German, or, in some schools, French or Russian. Around 80% of young people in Lithuania know English.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Employees fluent in three languages – it's the norm in Lithuania|url=https://investlithuania.com/news/employees-fluent-in-three-languages-its-the-norm-in-lithuania/|access-date=21 February 2021|website=Invest Lithuania}}</ref> | |||
{{lentelės viršus}} | |||
! Vieta | |||
! Valstybė | |||
! Procentai | |||
|----- | |||
| 1 | |||
| {{RUSv}} | |||
| 11,6 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 2 | |||
| {{LATv}} | |||
| 10,2 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 3 | |||
| {{GERv}} | |||
| 9,3 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 4 | |||
| {{POLv}} | |||
| 7,0 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 5 | |||
| {{ESTv}} | |||
| 6,6 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 6 | |||
| {{NEDv}} | |||
| 6,1 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 7 | |||
| {{BLRv}} | |||
| 5,2 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 8 | |||
| {{GBRv}} | |||
| 4,1 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 9 | |||
| {{FRAv}} | |||
| 4,1 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 10 | |||
| {{SWEv}} | |||
| 3,6 % | |||
|----- | |||
|} | |||
===Urbanization=== | |||
| width="70%" | | |||
{{See also|List of cities in Lithuania}} | |||
There has been a steady ] since the 1990s, encouraged by the planning of regional centres, such as ], ], ], ], and ]. By the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the total population lived in urban areas. {{As of|2021}}, 68.19% of the total population lives in urban areas.<ref name="population2022"/> Lithuania's ] include ] (population 708,203), ] (population 391,153), and ] (population 124,526).<ref name="FUA,Euro"/> The fDI of the Financial Times in their research ''Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19'' ranked Vilnius fourth in the mid-sized European cities category and Vilnius county was ranked 10th in the small European regions category.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/download/71341/2038156/file/fDi%20European%20Cities%20and%20Regions%20of%20the%20Future%202018:19.pdf|website=Fdiintelligence.com|page=57,73|title=Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19|access-date=5 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
{{Largest cities | |||
2011 m. importo rinkos<ref>{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=sausio 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
| country = Lithuania | |||
| stat_ref = ] (2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?hash=e3463ef2-cf9d-45a7-934e-f80229a9c6d3#/|title=Resident population by city/town at the beginning of the year|website=osp.stat.gov.lt|access-date=23 September 2022}}</ref> | |||
| list_by_pop = List of cities in Lithuania | |||
| div_name = County | |||
| div_link = Counties of Lithuania{{!}}County | |||
| city_1 = Vilnius | div_1 = Vilnius County{{!}}Vilnius | pop_1 = 581,475 | img_1 = Vilnius Modern Skyline At Dusk, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg | |||
| city_2 = Kaunas | div_2 = Kaunas County{{!}}Kaunas | pop_2 = 305,120 | img_2 = Vytautas the Great Bridge from hill, Kaunas, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg | |||
| city_3 = Klaipėda | div_3 = Klaipėda County{{!}}Klaipėda | pop_3 = 158,420 | img_3 = Klaipėda. Senamiestis.jpg | |||
| city_4 = Šiauliai | div_4 = Šiauliai County{{!}}Šiauliai | pop_4 = 104,300 | img_4 = Calle Vilnius, Siauliai, Lituania, 2012-08-09, DD 01.JPG | |||
| city_5 = Panevėžys | div_5 = Panevėžys County{{!}}Panevėžys | pop_5 = 87,913 | |||
| city_6 = Alytus | div_6 = Alytus County{{!}}Alytus | pop_6 = 51,856 | |||
| city_7 = Marijampolė | div_7 = Marijampolė County{{!}}Marijampolė | pop_7 = 36,807 | |||
| city_8 = Mažeikiai | div_8 = Telšiai County{{!}}Telšiai | pop_8 = 33,249 | |||
| city_9 = Jonava | div_9 = Kaunas County{{!}}Kaunas | pop_9 = 27,134 | |||
| city_10 = Utena | div_10 = Utena County{{!}}Utena | pop_10 = 25,608 | |||
| city_11 = Kėdainiai | div_11 = Kaunas County{{!}}Kaunas | pop_11 = 23,447 | |||
| city_12 = Telšiai | div_12 = Telšiai County{{!}}Telšiai | pop_12 = 22,261 | |||
| city_13 = Tauragė | div_13 = Tauragė County{{!}}Tauragė | pop_13 = 21,416 | |||
| city_14 = Ukmergė | div_14 = Vilnius County{{!}}Vilnius | pop_14 = 21,048 | |||
| city_15 = Visaginas | div_15 = Utena County{{!}}Utena | pop_15 = 19,586 | |||
| city_16 = Palanga | div_16 = Klaipėda County{{!}}Klaipėda | pop_16 = 18,132 | |||
| city_17 = Plungė | div_17 = Telšiai County{{!}}Telšiai | pop_17 = 17,385 | |||
| city_18 = Kretinga | div_18 = Klaipėda County{{!}}Klaipėda | pop_18 = 17,207 | |||
| city_19 = Šilutė | div_19 = Klaipėda County{{!}}Klaipėda | pop_19 = 16,200 | |||
| city_20 = Gargždai | div_20 = Klaipėda County{{!}}Klaipėda | pop_20 = 15,932 | |||
}} | |||
===Health=== | |||
{{lentelės viršus}} | |||
{{Main|Health in Lithuania}} | |||
! Vieta | |||
] is the largest and the most advanced medical institution in Lithuania.]] | |||
! Valstybė | |||
Lithuania provides free state-funded healthcare to all citizens and registered long-term residents.<ref>{{cite book |title=Health Care Systems in Transition – Lithuania |date=2000 |page=19 |url=http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/95127/E69920.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323173750/http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/95127/E69920.pdf |archive-date=23 March 2018 |access-date=23 March 2018 }}</ref> It co-exists with a significant private healthcare sector. In 2003–2012, the network of hospitals was restructured, as part of wider healthcare service reforms. It started in 2003–2005 with the expansion of ambulatory services and primary care.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://healthmanagement.org/c/hospital/issuearticle/the-healthcare-system-in-lithuania|title=The Healthcare System in Lithuania|website=healthmanagement.org|access-date=19 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
! Procentai | |||
In 2016, Lithuania ranked 27th in Europe in the ], a ranking of European healthcare systems based on waiting time, results and other indicators. | |||
|----- | |||
| 1 | |||
| {{POLv}} | |||
| 32,8 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 2 | |||
| {{GERv}} | |||
| 9,7 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 3 | |||
| {{RUSv}} | |||
| 9,1 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 4 | |||
| {{LATv}} | |||
| 6,6 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 5 | |||
| {{NEDv}} | |||
| 4,9 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 6 | |||
| {{SWEv}} | |||
| 3,3 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 7 | |||
| {{ITAv}} | |||
| 3,2 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 8 | |||
| {{BELv}} | |||
| 3,1 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 9 | |||
| {{ESTv}} | |||
| 2,8 % | |||
|----- | |||
| 10 | |||
| {{BLRv}} | |||
| 2,5 % | |||
|----- | |||
|} | |||
|} | |||
{{As of|2019}} Lithuanian ] at birth was 76.0 (71.2 years for males and 80.4 for females)<ref>{{cite web|title=Life expectancy and Healthy life expectancy, data by country|language=en|publisher=World Health Organization|url=https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.688|date=2020}}</ref> and the ] rate was 2.99 per 1,000 births.<ref>{{cite web|title=Infant mortality rate - Total|publisher=] Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation|url=https://childmortality.org/data/Lithuania}}{{Dead link|date=May 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The annual population growth rate increased by 0.3% in 2007. Lithuania has seen a dramatic rise in suicides in the 1990s.<ref name="who-suicide-data">{{cite web|title=Suicide rates. Data by country|url=http://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.MHSUICIDE?lang=en|publisher=World Health Organization|access-date=7 September 2016}}</ref> The suicide rate has been constantly decreasing since, but it still remains the highest in the EU and the ].<ref name="smhc-info">{{cite web|title=Savižudybių statistika|language=lt|publisher=State Mental Health Centre|url=https://vpsc.lrv.lt/lt/statistika/savizudybiu-statistika}}</ref> The suicide rate as of 2019 is 20.2 per 100,000 people.<ref name="who-suicide-data"/> ] has been a subject of research, but the main reasons behind the high rate are thought to be both psychological and economic, including: social transformations and economic recessions, alcoholism, lack of tolerance in the society, bullying.<ref name="lrt-suicide-reasons">{{cite web|title=Pradeda veikti Savižudybių prevencijos biuras|date=5 January 2015|access-date=19 May 2021|publisher=Lithuanian Radio and Television|language=lt|url=https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/tavo-lrt/15/88217/pradeda-veikti-savizudybiu-prevencijos-biuras}}</ref> | |||
=== Lietuvos bendrovės === | |||
By 2000 the vast majority of Lithuanian health care institutions were non-profit-making enterprises and a private sector developed, providing mostly outpatient services which are paid for out-of-pocket. The ] also runs a few health care facilities and is involved in the running of the two major Lithuanian teaching hospitals. It is responsible for the State Public Health Centre which manages the public health network including ten county public health centres with their local branches. The ten ] run county hospitals and specialised health care facilities.<ref>{{cite book|title=Health Care Systems in Transition|date=2000|publisher=WHO|url=http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/95127/E69920.pdf?ua=1|access-date=3 July 2015}}</ref> | |||
Pagal pajamas Lietuvoje daugelį metų pirmauja AB „]“ (buv. „Mažeikių nafta“). „]“, UAB užima antrą vietą.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vz.lt/verslo-aplinka|title=Verslo aplinka - Verslo žinios|last=žinios|first=Verslo|website=vz.lt|language=lt|access-date=2017-12-02}}</ref> Greta stambiausių Lietuvos įmonių, šalyje savo kapitalą investuoja ir žinomos užsienio bendrovės. 2009 m. savo Technologijų centrą atidarė „]“ bankas,<ref>https://www.home.barclays/about-barclays/around-the-world/lithuania.html</ref> 2011 savo regioninį biurą Vilniuje atidarė „]“.<ref>https://www.vz.lt/informacines-technologijos-telekomunikacijos/2017/11/07/western-union-lietuvoje-pletos-ir-tiesiogini-versla-atidare-klientu-aptarnavimo-padalini</ref> Taip pat veikia Skandinavijos bankai ], „]“, „]“, „]“. Tarptautinės įmonės: „]“, „]“, „]“, „]“, „]“, „]“, „]“ ir kitos. | |||
There is ] for the Lithuanian residents. There are 5 Territorial Health Insurance Funds, covering Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Contributions for people who are economically active are 9% of income.<ref>{{cite web|title=Compulsory Health Insurance Contributions|url=http://www.vlk.lt/sites/en/health-insurance-in-Lithuania/compulsory-health-insurance-contributions/|publisher=VLK|access-date=3 July 2015|archive-date=27 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227080202/http://www.vlk.lt/sites/en/health-insurance-in-Lithuania/compulsory-health-insurance-contributions/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
=== Infrastruktūra === | |||
Emergency medical services are provided free of charge to all residents. Access to the secondary and tertiary care, such as hospital treatment, is normally via referral by a ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Accessing healthcare in Lithuania|url=http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/countryguide/Pages/healthcareinLithuania.aspx|website=NHS Choices|access-date=3 July 2015}}</ref> Lithuania also has one of the lowest ] prices in Europe.<ref>{{cite book|title=Comparing Hospital and Health Prices and Volumes Internationally|date=6 August 2014|publisher=]|page=28|url=http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/728703/728971/OECD-health-working-papers-75.pdf/a6e22472-95c4-4e77-bdb0-db3af4668e7f}}</ref> | |||
==== Transportas ==== | |||
{{main|Lietuvos transportas}} | |||
===Religion=== | |||
] | |||
{{Main|Religion in Lithuania}} | |||
] yra vienintelis šalies prekybinis uostas. 2011 m. Klaipėdos jūrų uoste ir ] perkrautas rekordinis kiekis − 45,5 mln. tonų krovinių.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019182532/http://www.shortsea.lt/index.php/pagrindinis_meniu/naujienos/klaipedos_ir_kitu_baltijos_juros_rytines_pakrantes_uostu_krovos_apzvalga__m_sausiogruodzio_men_/1201 |date=2013-10-19 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> Šalyje veikia keturi tarptautiniai oro uostai: ] (didžiausias, 2008 m. aptarnavęs 2,048 mln. keleivių),<ref>http://www.vno.lt/lt/naujienos/detail.php?ID=4375</ref> ], ] ir ]. | |||
{{See also|Lithuanian mythology}} | |||
] near ]]] | |||
Lietuvoje veikia 1775,3 km geležinkelio linijų, iš kurių 1753,5 km plačios („rusiškos“) ]s. 21,8 km ilgio „europinės“ ]s geležinkelis jungia Lietuvą su Lenkija.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617033243/http://www.transp.lt/lt/veikla/veiklos_kryptys/gelezinkeliu_transportas/apie_sektoriu |date=2013-06-17 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> Maršrute ]-]-] veikia 68,4 km ilgio siaurojo 750 mm pločio vėžės geležinkelio linija, ilgiausia tokia Europoje. ] naudojamas turizmo reikmėms. | |||
According to the 2021 census, 74.2% of residents of Lithuania were Catholics.<ref name="religion-stats"/> Catholicism has been the main religion since the official ] in 1387. The Catholic Church was persecuted by the Russian Empire as part of the ] policies and by the Soviet Union as part of the overall ]. During the Soviet era, some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime, as symbolised by the ] and exemplified by '']''. | |||
3.7% of the population are ], mainly among the Russian minority.<ref name="religion-stats"/> The community of ] (0.6% of population) dates back to the 1660s. | |||
Lietuvos kelių ilgiai 2011 m. pabaigos duomenimis (kilometrais).<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111231111108/http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/pages/view/?id=1226&PHPSESSID=35b8d292369d0f42f9d405f6f00e3071 |date=2011-12-31 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> | |||
] are 0.8%, of which 0.6% are ] and 0.2% are ]. The ] did not impact Lithuania to a great extent as seen in ], ], or ]. Before World War II, according to Losch (1932), the Lutherans were 3.3% of the total population.<ref name="lmaleidykla.lt">{{cite web |url=http://lmaleidykla.lt/publ/1392-1096/2004/2/Geo_026_33.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=25 March 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509100300/http://www.lmaleidykla.lt/publ/1392-1096/2004/2/Geo_026_33.pdf |archive-date=9 May 2016}}</ref> They were mainly ] and ] in the ] (Memel territory). This population ], and today Protestantism is mainly represented by ethnic Lithuanians throughout the northern and western parts of the country, as well as in large urban areas. Newly arriving ] have established missions in Lithuania since 1990.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.2012693/k.AEBE/United_Methodists_evangelize_in_Lithuania_with_ads_brochures.htm |title=United Methodists evangelize in Lithuania with ads, brochures |website=Umc.org |date=11 August 2006 |access-date=25 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014092015/http://www.umc.org/site/c.gjJTJbMUIuE/b.2012693/k.AEBE/United_Methodists_evangelize_in_Lithuania_with_ads_brochures.htm |archive-date=14 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" | |||
! Geležinkelis | |||
! Automobilių <br />keliai | |||
! E kategorijos <br /> automobilių keliai | |||
! Troleibusų <br />linijos | |||
! Vidaus vandenų <br />keliai | |||
! Eksploataciniai <br />naftos vamzdynų | |||
|----- | |||
| 1 767,6 | |||
| 82 911 | |||
| 1642 | |||
| 266,2 | |||
| 452 | |||
| 500 | |||
|----- | |||
|} | |||
Hinduism is a minority religion and a fairly recent development in Lithuania. Hinduism is spread in Lithuania by Hindu organizations: ], ], ] and ]. ] (Lithuanian: Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas) is the largest and the oldest movement as the first Krishna followers date to 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.religija.lt/content/view/388/33/ |title=Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas |access-date=3 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081020165549/http://www.religija.lt/content/view/388/33/ |archive-date=20 October 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It has three centres in Lithuania: in ], ] and ]. ] maintains the Centre Brahma Kumaris in ], Vilnius. | |||
==== Energetika ==== | |||
{{main|Lietuvos energetika}} | |||
The historical communities of ] maintain ] as their religion. Lithuania was historically home to a significant ] and was an important centre of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the eve of World War II. Of the approximately 220,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania in June 1941, almost all were killed during ].<ref name="Bubnys_vanished219">{{cite book|author=Arūnas Bubnys |chapter=Holocaust in Lithuania: An Outline of the Major Stages and Their Results |title=The Vanished World of Lithuanian Jews |publisher=Rodopi |year=2004| isbn=978-90-420-0850-2 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdXRKbcyi5oC&pg=PA219 |pages=218–219}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Lithuania|url=http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005444|encyclopedia=Holocaust Encyclopedia|publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|access-date=12 April 2012}}</ref> The Lithuanian Jewish community numbered about 4,000 at the end of 2009.<ref name="Stats">{{cite web|title=Population at the beginning of the year by ethnicity |url=http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1731&PHPSESSID=a2cc98ebfc3a13b8297889cb6f68d571 |work=Statistics Lithuania |access-date=12 April 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604090852/http://www.stat.gov.lt/en/pages/view/?id=1731&PHPSESSID=311ec85274c89154e6f4befbc159a0e8 |archive-date=4 June 2007}}</ref> | |||
Lietuvos pagrindiniais elektros energijos tiekėjais yra ] (instaliuotoji galia − 1,8 GW.),<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120405053631/http://www.le.lt/lt/veikla/elektros-gamyba/lietuvos-elektrine-lel/ |date=2012-04-05 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> ] (gali palaikyti 900 MW galios tiekimą ne mažiau 12 val.)<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928033447/http://www.kruoniohae.lt/lt/main/activity |date=2012-09-28 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> ir ] (instaliuotoji galia − 100,8 MW.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322195353/http://www.le.lt/lt/veikla/elektros-gamyba/kauno-hidro-elektrine-khe/ |date=2012-03-22 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref>). Visas jas valdo AB „]“. Valstybės aukštos įtampos elektros tinklų operatorius yra AB „]“, žemos ir vidutinės įtampos tinklų − AB „]“.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010055203/http://enmin.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys-3/elektra |date=2017-10-10 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2017-10-07)</ref> | |||
], the ] revival of the ], has gained popularity over the years. Romuva claims to continue living pagan traditions, which survived in folklore and customs.<ref>Dundzila (2007), pp. 279, 296–298.</ref><ref>Dundzila and Strmiska (2005), p. 247.</ref><ref>Ignatow (2007), p. 104.</ref> Romuva is a ] pagan faith, which asserts the sanctity of nature and has elements of ].<ref>Dundzila and Strmiska (2005), p. 244.</ref> According to the ], there were 1,270 people of Baltic faith in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religija.lt/straipsniai/tyrimai-analize-nuomones/lietuvos-gyventojai-pagal-tikyba|title=Lietuvos gyventojai pagal tikybą 2001 m. – religija.lt|website=Religija.lt}}</ref> That number jumped to 5,118 in the 2011 census.<ref name="osp.stat.gov.lt"/> | |||
Papildomi elektros energijos kiekiai gaminami nuolat veikiančiose termofikacinėse elektrinėse (kaip ], ]), vėjo ir vandens jėgainėse. | |||
===Education=== | |||
Lietuvos energetikos sistemos instaliuotoji galia pagal pagaminimo būdą 2012 m. duomenimis, megavatais (MW):<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205173323/http://www.regula.lt/dujos/SiteAssets/rinkos-stebesenos-ataskaitos/ek-2012.pdf |date=2014-12-05 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> | |||
{{Main|Education in Lithuania}} | |||
], one of the oldest universities in the region.<ref>{{cite web|title=FOUR CENTURIES OF ENLIGHTENMENT: A Historic View of the University of Vilnius, 1579–1979|url=http://www.lituanus.org/1981_2/81_2_01.htm|author=Tomas Venclova|website=Lituanus.org|access-date=2 June 2018|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222449/http://www.lituanus.org/1981_2/81_2_01.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> It was established by ], King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, in 1579.]] | |||
The ] mandates ten-year education ending at age 16 and guarantees a free public higher education for students deemed 'good'.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania came into force on 2 November 1992|url=http://www3.lrs.lt/home/Konstitucija/Constitution.htm|access-date=6 April 2010|publisher=Republic of Lithuania}}</ref> The ] proposes national educational policies and goals that are then voted for in the Seimas. Laws govern long-term educational strategy along with general laws on standards for higher education, vocational training, law and science, adult education, and special education.<ref name="edu1">{{cite web|url=http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/lithuania/lithuania-docs/education_lithuania.pdf|publisher=European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education|access-date=6 April 2010|title=Education in Lithuania|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101215022049/http://www.european-agency.org/country-information/lithuania/lithuania-docs/education_lithuania.pdf|archive-date=15 December 2010}}</ref> 5.4% of GDP or 15.4% of total public expenditure was spent for education in 2016.<ref name=edumonitor>{{cite web|title=Education and Training Monitor 2017. Lithuania|url=https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/monitor2017-lt_en.pdf|access-date=5 April 2018|page=3|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406041020/https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/monitor2017-lt_en.pdf|archive-date=6 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
] Life Sciences Center in the Sunrise Valley]] | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" | |||
According to the ], the literacy rate among Lithuanians aged 15 years and older is 100%.<ref>{{cite web|title=ICT at a Glance |url=http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/ltu_ict.pdf |publisher=] |access-date=7 April 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707184435/http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/ltu_ict.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2007}}</ref> School attendance rates are above the EU average and school leave is less common than in the EU. According to ] Lithuania leads among other countries of the ] in people with secondary education (93.3%).<ref>{{cite web|title=Upper secondary education in EU|url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00065|publisher=]|access-date=16 May 2014}}</ref> Based on OECD data, Lithuania is among the top 5 countries in the world in postsecondary (tertiary) education attainment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Population with tertiary education|url=https://data.oecd.org/eduatt/population-with-tertiary-education.htm|website=data.oecd.org|access-date=17 November 2018}}</ref> {{As of|2016}}, 54.9% of the population aged 25 to 34, and 30.7% of the population aged 55 to 64 had completed tertiary education.<ref>{{cite web|title=Population with tertiary education|url=https://data.oecd.org/eduatt/population-with-tertiary-education.htm|website=data.oecd.org|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> The share of tertiary-educated 25–64-year-olds in STEM (]) fields in Lithuania were above the OECD average (29% and 26% respectively), similarly to business, administration and law (25% and 23% respectively).<ref>{{cite web|title=Education at a glance 2017. Lithuania|url=http://gpseducation.oecd.org/Content/EAGCountryNotes/LTU.pdf|website=gpseducation.oecd.org|page=2|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021023/http://gpseducation.oecd.org/Content/EAGCountryNotes/LTU.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
! Kondensacinės <br />elektrinės | |||
! Atominės <br /> elektrinės | |||
! Termofikacinės <br /> elektrinės | |||
! Hidroelektrinės | |||
! Hidroakumuliacinės <br /> elektrinės | |||
! Blokinės įmonių <br /> elektrinės | |||
! Atsinaujinančios energijos <br /> elektrinės (vėjo) | |||
|----- | |||
| 1 955 | |||
| 0 | |||
| 803 | |||
| 128 | |||
| 900 | |||
| 164 | |||
| 339 (274) | |||
|----- | |||
|} | |||
Modern Lithuanian education system has multiple structural problems. Insufficient funding, quality issues, and decreasing student population are the most prevalent. Lithuanian teacher salaries are the lowest in the entire EU.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/ringas/politics/m-adomenas-lietuvos-svietimas-ka-daryciau-kitaip.d?id=71141632|title=M. Adomėnas. Lietuvos švietimas: ką daryčiau kitaip?|first=Mantas Adomėnas, TS-LKD frakcijos narys|last=Seime|website=Delfi.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> Low teacher salaries was the primary reason behind national teacher strikes in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/education/mokyklose-prasideda-neterminuotas-mokytoju-streikas.d?id=66552496|title=Mokyklose prasideda neterminuotas mokytojų streikas|website=Delfi.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> 2015,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ve.lt/naujienos/visuomene/svietimas/mokytoju-streikas-pavyko-1419148/|title=Mokytojų streikas pavyko |website=Dienraštis Vakaru ekspresas|date=9 December 2015 |access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> and 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/svietimas/mokytoju-streikas-svarbiausi-faktai-233-591297|title=Mokytojų streikas: svarbiausi faktai|website=15min.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.15min.lt/naujiena/aktualu/svietimas/mokytoju-streikas-tesiasi-110-ugdymo-istaigu-233-590739|title=Mokytojų streikas tęsiasi 110 ugdymo įstaigų|website=15min.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> Salaries in the higher education sector are also low. Many Lithuanian professors have a second job to supplement their income.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tv3.lt/naujiena/934883/lietuvos-destytojai-bei-mokslininkai-atvirai-prabilo-kaip-prisiduria-prie-algos|title=Lietuvos dėstytojai bei mokslininkai atvirai prabilo, kaip prisiduria prie algos|website=Tv3.lt|access-date=4 January 2018}}</ref> PISA report from 2010 found that Lithuanian results in math, science and reading were below OECD average.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/46619703.pdf|title=PISA 2009 Results : Executive Summary|website=Oecd.org|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> PISA report from 2015 reconfirmed these findings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisa-2015-results-in-focus.pdf|title=Pisa 2015 : Results in Focus|website=Oecd.org|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> The population ages 6 to 19 has decreased by 36% between 2005 and 2015. As a result, the student-teacher ratio is decreasing and expenditure per student is increasing, but schools, particularly in rural areas, are forced into reorganizations and consolidations.<ref name=edumonitor/> As with other Baltic nations, in particular ], the large volume of higher education graduates within the country, coupled with the high rate of spoken second languages is contributing to an education ]. | |||
Iš viso Lietuvoje 2011 m. duomenimis nutiesta 6683,2 km aukštos įtampos elektros linijų (iš jų: 1671,6 km 330−400 kV įtampos oro linijos, 4967 km − 110 kV įtampos oro linijos).<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203011123/http://www.regula.lt/lt/elektra/rinkos_apzvalga/EK%20ataskaita_2011.pdf |date=2012-12-03 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> | |||
{{As of|2008}}, there were 15 public and 6 private universities as well as 16 public and 11 private colleges in Lithuania (see: ]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eui.eu/ProgrammesAndFellowships/AcademicCareersObservatory/AcademicCareersbyCountry/Lithuania.aspx|publisher=]|title=Lithuania, Academic Career Structure|access-date=7 April 2010}}</ref> ] is one of the ] and the largest university in Lithuania. ] is the largest technical university in the Baltic States and the second largest university in Lithuania. In an attempt to reduce costs<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/12887651/universitetu-reforma-darbas-ant-durniaus|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113151138/https://www.alfa.lt/straipsnis/12887651/universitetu-reforma-darbas-ant-durniaus|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2018|title=Alfa.lt – Universitetų reforma – "darbas ant durniaus"|date=13 January 2018}}</ref> and adapt to sharply decreasing number of high-school students,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ve.lt/naujienos/visuomene/svietimas/pristatyta-aukstuju-mokyklu-tinklo-pertvarka-1550590/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113151028/http://www.ve.lt/naujienos/visuomene/svietimas/pristatyta-aukstuju-mokyklu-tinklo-pertvarka-1550590/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2018|title=Pristatyta aukštųjų mokyklų tinklo pertvarka|date=13 January 2018}}</ref> Lithuanian parliament decided to reduce the number of universities in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.diena.lt/naujienos/lietuva/salies-pulsas/vyriausybe-pritare-universitetu-pertvarkos-planui-838745|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113151301/http://www.diena.lt/naujienos/lietuva/salies-pulsas/vyriausybe-pritare-universitetu-pertvarkos-planui-838745|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2018|title=Vyriausybė pritarė universitetų pertvarkos planui – Diena.lt|date=13 January 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/seimas-po-svarstymo-pritare-valstybiniu-universitetu-pertvarkos-planui.d?id=75022448|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113151333/https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/seimas-po-svarstymo-pritare-valstybiniu-universitetu-pertvarkos-planui.d?id=75022448|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2018|title=Seimas po svarstymo pritarė valstybinių universitetų pertvarkos planui – DELFI|date=13 January 2018}}</ref> In early 2018, ] and ] were merged into ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/education/seimas-pritare-3-universitetu-sujungimui-formuojamas-naujas-darinys.d?id=76893227|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113152341/https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/education/seimas-pritare-3-universitetu-sujungimui-formuojamas-naujas-darinys.d?id=76893227|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 January 2018|title=Seimas pritarė 3 universitetų sujungimui: formuojamas naujas darinys – DELFI|date=13 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
] pirmasis elektrinės reaktorius sustabdytas 2004 m. vykdant stojimo į ] sąlygas. Paskutinis reaktorius buvo sustabdytas 2009 m. gruodžio mėn. 31 d. 23 valandą nakties. Buvo ruošiamasi statyti naują atominę elektrinę. Naujos atominės elektrinės statyba rūpinosi valstybės valdoma bendrovė UAB „]“.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126051208/http://www.vae.lt/lt/pages/branduolines_energetikos_istorija_lietuvoje |date=2013-01-26 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> 2012 m. referendume dauguma Lietuvos piliečių nepritarė AE statybai.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016192607/http://www.vrk.lt/2012_seimo_rinkimai/output_lt/referendumas/referendumas.html |date=2012-10-16 }}</ref> | |||
Sustabdžius ] pasikeitė Lietuvos elektros importo-eksporto rinka. Palyginimui: 2009 m. 70 % Lietuvoje suvartojamos elektros energijos buvo pagaminama vien IAE.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203011123/http://www.regula.lt/lt/elektra/rinkos_apzvalga/EK%20ataskaita_2011.pdf |date=2012-12-03 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> 2011 m. − 63 % energijos buvo importuota.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920041309/http://www.litgrid.eu/go.php/Investuotojams |date=2012-09-20 }} Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> | |||
==Culture== | |||
Stambiausi Lietuvos miestų šilumos tiekėjai pagal instaliuotąją galią, megavatais (MW):<ref> Nuoroda tikrinta 2013-01-07)</ref> | |||
{{Main|Culture of Lithuania}} | |||
===Lithuanian language=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:95%" | |||
{{Main|Lithuanian language}} | |||
! Vilniaus <br />energija | |||
{{multiple image | |||
! Kauno <br /> energija | |||
| caption_align = center | |||
! Klaipėdos <br /> energija | |||
| align = right | |||
! Alytaus <br /> energija | |||
| direction = horizontal | |||
! Panevėžio <br /> energija | |||
| total_width = 300 | |||
! Šiaulių <br /> energija | |||
| header_align = left/right/center | |||
! Marijampolės <br /> šiluma | |||
| footer_align = left/right/center | |||
|----- | |||
| image1 = Konstanty Szyrwid.PNG | |||
| 2 332 | |||
| caption1 = A priest, lexicographer ] – cherisher of Lithuanian language in the 17th century | |||
| 2 088 | |||
| image2 = Jonas Jablonskis.jpg | |||
| 1 017 | |||
| caption2 = ] is the father of standard Lithuanian language. | |||
| 457 | |||
}} | |||
| 399 | |||
The ] (''lietuvių kalba'') is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the ]s of the ]. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 0.2 million abroad. | |||
| 299 | |||
| 296 | |||
|----- | |||
|} | |||
Lithuanian is a ], closely related to ], although they are not ]. It is written in an adapted version of the ]. Lithuanian is believed to be the ] living ], retaining many features of ].<ref name="zinkevicius">{{cite book | author = Z. Zinkevičius | title = Rytų Lietuva praeityje ir dabar | publisher = Vilnius: ] | year = 1993| page = 9| quote=...linguist generally accepted that Lithuanian language is the most archaic among live Indo-European languages...| isbn = 978-5-420-01085-3}}</ref> Lithuanian language studies are important for ] and for reconstruction of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lituanus.org/1969/69_3_02.htm |title=THE IMPORTANCE OF LITHUANIAN FOR INDO-EUROPEAN LINGUISTICS |access-date=21 March 2018}}</ref> Lithuanian was studied by linguists such as ], ], ], ],<ref>{{cite book|title=Key Thinkers in Linguistics and the Philosophy of Language|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kQ6CTNgAbPMC&q=danis+hjelmslev+studied+lithuanian&pg=PA124|format=PDF|page=124|access-date=4 March 2018|isbn = 978-0-19-518768-7|last1 = Chapman|first1 = Siobhan|last2 = Routledge|first2 = Christopher|year = 2005}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|title=Why Lithuanian Accentuation Mattered to Saussure|url=http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/~josephj/LHI_Joseph%5b1%5d.pdf|website=Lel.ed.ac.uk|access-date=1 April 2018}}</ref> ], ]<ref>{{cite web|title=Remembering Vladimir Toporov|url=http://www.lituanus.org/2007/07_2_01%20Sabaliauskas.html|website=Lituanus.org|access-date=4 April 2018}}</ref> and others. | |||
=== Turizmas === | |||
2016 m. duomenimis Lietuvoje apsilankė ir bent vieną naktį praleido 1,49 mln. turistų iš užsienio šalių. Didžiausią jų skaičių sudarė svečiai iš Vokietijos (174,8 tūkst.), Baltarusijos (171,9 tūkst.), Rusijos (150,6 tūkst.), Lenkijos (148,4 tūkst.), Latvijos (134,4 tūkst.), Ukrainos (84,0 tūkst.), Jungtinės Karalystės (58,2 tūkst.).<ref>http://www.tourism.lt/uploads/documents/Turizmas-Lietuvoje_2016.pdf</ref> Šalyje jaučiama intensyvėjančio vidaus turizmo tendencija. Lankytinų vietų šiuo metu priskaičiuojama iki 1000. Daugiausia turistų sulaukia didieji miestai ], ], ] ir kurortai ], ], ], ]. | |||
] book ''Liber Discipuli de eruditione Christifidelium''. Words: ''teprÿdavʒÿ'' (let it strike), ''vbagÿſte'' (indigence).]] | |||
== Mokslas ir technologijos == | |||
There are two main dialects of the Lithuanian language: ] and ]. Aukštaitian dialect is mainly used in the central, southern and eastern parts of Lithuania while Samogitian dialect is used in the western part of the country.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|title=Lietuvių kalbos tarmės|url=http://geografija6-8.mkp.emokykla.lt/lt/mo/zinynas/lietuviu_kalbos_tarmes/|access-date=27 June 2020}}</ref> The Samogitian dialect also has many completely different words and is even considered a separate language by some linguists.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr. Juozas Pabrėža: "Stipriausia kalba Lietuvoje yra žemaičių"|url=http://www.santarve.lt/aktualijos/seniunijoje/dr-juozas-pabreza-stipriausia-kalba-lietuvoje-yra-zemaiciu/|website=santarve.lt|access-date=17 February 2018|archive-date=3 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503154650/http://www.santarve.lt/aktualijos/seniunijoje/dr-juozas-pabreza-stipriausia-kalba-lietuvoje-yra-zemaiciu/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nowadays, the distinguishing feature between the two main Lithuanian dialects is the unequal pronunciation of accented and unaccented two-vowels uo and ie.<ref name="auto"/> | |||
2016 m. duomenimis Lietuvoje 31 500 specialistų dirbo ] srityje. Šalis turi prieinamiausią internetą ES ir sparčiausią belaidį ryšį visame pasaulyje.<ref>https://investlithuania.com/lt/prioritetiniai-sektoriai/technologijos/</ref> 2016 m. duomenimis šalyje veikia trys aukštųjų technologijų įmonių asociacijos: Fotoelektros technologijų ir verslo asociacija, Lazerių ir šviesos mokslo ir technologijų asociacija ir Lietuvos kosmoso asociacija.<ref>http://www.technologijos.lt/n/mtl/zyme/Aukstuju-technologiju-imones?tid=5646</ref> Lietuvoje veikia aukšto lygio biotechnologijos kompanijos Ekspla ir Šviesos Konversija, kurios specializuojasi lazerių gamyboje. | |||
The groundwork for written Lithuanian was laid in 16th and 17th centuries by Lithuanian noblemen and scholars, who promoted Lithuanian language, created dictionaries and published books – ], ], ], ], ], ], Simonas Vaišnoras-Varniškis.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vaišnoras Simonas (Varniškis) apie 1545 – †1600 XI 16|url=http://www.varniai-museum.lt/index.php?mid=11&art=460&langID=1|website=Varniai-museum.lt|access-date=16 April 2018|archive-date=25 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225162228/http://www.varniai-museum.lt/index.php?mid=11&art=460&langID=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
== Gyventojai == | |||
The first grammar book of the Lithuanian language ''Grammatica Litvanica'' was published in Latin in 1653 by ]. | |||
{{main|Lietuvos gyventojai}} | |||
] | |||
]' works and activities are especially important for the Lithuanian literature moving from the use of dialects to a standard Lithuanian language. The linguistic material which he collected was published in the 20 volumes of ] and is still being used in research and in editing of texts and books. He also introduced the letter ''ū'' into Lithuanian writing.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Šlekonytė|first1=Jūratė|title=Lietuvių tautosakos populiarintojas Jonas Jablonskis|url=http://www.llti.lt/failai/23_Sukaktys_Jablonskis.pdf|website=llti.lt|access-date=17 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
=== Demografija === | |||
===Literature=== | |||
2020 m. pradžioje Lietuvoje gyveno 2,79 mln. gyventojų. 1992 m. Lietuvoje pasiektas maksimalus 3,7 mln. gyventojų skaičius. Po to gyventojų tolydžiai mažėjo ir tik 2019 m. buvo užfiksuotas nežymus padidėjimas.<ref>, Etaplius, 2020–01–14</ref> 2000 m. gyventojų sumažėjo iki 3,5 mln., o 2010 m. – iki 3,32 mln. 2012 m. rugsėjo 28 d. Lietuvos statistikos departamento duomenimis gyventojų skaičius nebesiekė 3 milijonų.<ref>https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?indicator=S3R166#/</ref> | |||
{{Main|Lithuanian literature}} | |||
] book, '']'' (1547, Königsberg)]] | |||
] (1512–1584) and recounts the ] of ] over Moscow troops (1564).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Radvanas |first1=Jonas |title=Radivilias, sive De vita, et rebus praeclarissime gestis immortalis memoriae |url=http://www.theeuropeanlibrary.org/exhibition-reading-europe/detail.html?id=97294 |website=theeuropeanlibrary.org |publisher=ex officina Ioannis Kartzani |access-date=14 July 2018}}</ref>]] | |||
There is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written in ], the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian King ] are the prime example of the literature of this kind. The ] are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings. | |||
Gyventojų skaičiaus mažėjimo pagrindinė priežastis yra emigracija bei didesnis mirtingumas nei gimstamumas. Daugiausia Lietuvos gyventojų emigravo į Vakarų šalis, kur rado geresnes sąlygas darbo rinkoje. Taigi tarp emigrantų daugiausia darbingo amžiaus žmonių. Pagrindinės kryptys – Skandinavija, Jungtinė Karalystė, Airija. Jungtinėje Karalystėje gyvenamąją vietą deklaravo 124 000 emigrantų.<ref name="LSA-EmigrantsDeclaredDeparture">{{citeweb | url=http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3020104&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=6284&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= | wayback=20150110110758 | text=''Emigrants who have declared their departure by state of next residence and year.'' | title=archyvo kopija | access-date=2020-09-06 | archive-date=2015-01-10 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110110758/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3020104&PLanguage=1&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=6284&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= | dead-url=yes }} (anglų k.), Lietuvos statistikos departamentas, 2019-07-14</ref> Airijoje – 40 000, Norvegijoje – 24 000.<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://123.emn.lt/lt/emigracija/top-10-emigracijos-valstybiu | wayback=20160507091827 | text=Emigracijos tendencijos: valstybės | title=archyvo kopija | access-date=2020-09-06 | archive-date=2016-05-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507091827/http://123.emn.lt/lt/emigracija/top-10-emigracijos-valstybiu | dead-url=yes }}</ref> Įvairiais skaičiavimai Vakarų šalyse gyvena ir dirba apie 200 000 Lietuvos piliečių. Pačioje Lietuvoje 4,3 % gyventojų yra gimę užsienyje.<ref>Migration Report 2017. UN, tikrinta 2018-09-30 (anglų kalba).</ref> 2011 m. iš Lietuvos išvyko 54 000 gyventojų, 16 000 atvyko,<ref name="LSA">{{citeweb | url=http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank | wayback=20090216024512 | text=Duomenų užklausa, Lietuvos statistikos departamentas, 2012-05-15 | title=archyvo kopija | access-date=2009-07-27 | archive-date=2009-02-16 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216024512/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank | dead-url=yes }}</ref> 2013 išvyko 39 000 gyv.,<ref>{{citeweb | url=http://123.emn.lt/lt/bendros-tendencijos/migracija-10-metu-apzvalga | wayback=20160314083645 | text=Migracijos tendencijos | title=archyvo kopija | access-date=2020-09-06 | archive-date=2016-03-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314083645/http://123.emn.lt/lt/bendros-tendencijos/migracija-10-metu-apzvalga | dead-url=yes }}</ref> kitais metais – 36 600, o 2015 m. – 44 500<ref>, Verslo žinios 2016-03-21, tikrinta 2019-07-14.</ref> 2016 emigravo 51 000 gyventojų,<ref> (Bernardinai.lt)</ref> 2017 m. – 57 200.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921115245/https://verslas.lrytas.lt/rinkos-pulsas/2018/01/11/news/suskaiciavo-kiek-is-viso-lietuviu-emigravo-pernai-skaiciai-stulbina-4196042/ |date=2020-09-21 }}, tikrinta 2019-07-14.</ref><ref> DELFI 2017-07-10, tikrinta 2019-07-14.</ref> 2018 m. į šalį atvyko 12 300 asmenų, iš jų 5 700 ukrainiečių, 26 proc. iš Baltarusijos ir 6 proc. iš Rusijos. | |||
One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was ] (around 1480 – after 1533). His poem ''Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis'' (''A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison''), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonym {{ill|Michalo Lituanus|lt}} (around 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatise '']'' (''On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites'') in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (around 1505 – 1571). The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius, ] (around 1520–1582) wrote a no longer existent history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. loannes Radvanus, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating the ] of ]. His ''Radivilias'', intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dambrauskaitė |first1=Ramunė |title=A Latin Funeral Oration From Vilnius (1594) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=101lb8v-bJcC&pg=PA253 |publisher=Leuven University Press, Humanistica Lovaniensia |access-date=13 July 2018 |location=Leuven |page=253 |date=1995|isbn=978-90-6186-680-0}}</ref> | |||
Žemiausias gimstamumo rodiklis pasiektas 2002 m., kai gimė 30 000 kūdikių (8,6/1000 gyventojų), nuo to laiko šis rodiklis kiek išaugo: 2010 m. gimė 35 625 kūdikliai (10,8/1000 gyventojų). Vaikų skaičius vienai moteriai siekia 1,21. Didžiausias mirtingumas yra rytiniuose šalies rajonuose, kuriuose labiausiai jaučiamas gyventojų senėjimas. 2007 m. Ignalinos, Švenčionių ir Zarasų rajonuose buvo užregistruota 20 mirčių tūkstančiui gyventojų (šalies vidurkis tais metais buvo 13,5 mirčių tūkstančiui gyventojų). Prie didelio mirtingumo prisideda vienas didžiausių Europoje savižudybių skaičius.<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,2144,2776958,00.html |title= Suicidio en Alemania: tercer puesto en Europa |date= 2007 |source= ] 10.09.2007 |accessdate=2007-11-23}}</ref> | |||
17th century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin – Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas, ] are known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music. Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkas wrote first printed Lithuanian history ''Historia Lithuania''. | |||
Didžioji dalis gyventojų gyvena miestuose. Šis rodiklis sparčiai keitėsi po Antrojo pasaulinio karo. 1959 m. dar trys penktadaliai gyventojų gyveno kaime, 1970 m. santykis susilygino, o 1990 m. jau du trečdaliai gyventojų gyveno miestuose. Šiuo metu keturiuose miestuose (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai) gyvena daugiau nei 1 000 000 gyventojų. | |||
Lithuanian literary works in the ] started being first published in the 16th century. In 1547 ] compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book ''Katekizmo prasti žodžiai'' (''The Simple Words of Catechism''), which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed by ] with ''Katechizmas''. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious. | |||
100% vyresnių nei 15 metų šalies gyventojų yra raštingi. Vidutinė gyvenimo trukmė vyrams yra 80 metų, moterims – 85 metai.<ref>http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/160359 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035141/http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/160359 |date=2017-12-01 }}</ref> Lyginant su ankstesnių metų tyrimų duomenimis, trukmė pailgėjo maždaug 4 metais. | |||
The evolution of the old (14th–18th century) Lithuanian literature ends with ], one of the most prominent authors of the ]. Donelaitis' poem ''Metai'' ('']'') is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written in ].<ref name="INST">Institute of Lithuanian Scientific Society. {{cite web|url=http://anthology.lms.lt/ |title=Lithuanian Classic Literature |access-date=16 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050204191505/http://anthology.lms.lt/ |archive-date=4 February 2005}}</ref> | |||
{{dem|kolon=10|till=4000000|inc=1000000|incmin=200000|width=1030 | |||
|1528|330000 | |||
With a mix of ], ] and ], the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented by ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name="INST" /> During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, the ] was implemented, which led to the formation of the ] (Book smugglers) movement. This movement is thought to be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived until today. | |||
|1650|960000 | |||
|1790|990000 | |||
20th-century Lithuanian literature is represented by ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
|1897|2536000 | |||
|1913|2828000 | |||
In 21st century debuted ], Renata Šerelytė, Valdas Papievis, ], ]. | |||
|1923|2620000 | |||
|1940|3084000 | |||
===Architecture=== | |||
|1942|2790000 | |||
{{See also|Lithuanian design}} | |||
|1950|2573000 | |||
] by ] ]] | |||
|1955|2613000 | |||
Several ] are notable for their achievements in the field of architecture. ], ], ] and ] were instrumental in introducing ] and ] architectural movements to the Lithuanian architecture during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Baroque architecture|url=http://www.kpd.lt/uploads/EN/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/9_LITHUANIAN_BAROQUE_ARCHITECTURE.pdf|website=kpd.lt|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021028/http://www.kpd.lt/uploads/EN/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/9_LITHUANIAN_BAROQUE_ARCHITECTURE.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] is considered as a capital of the Eastern Europe Baroque.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vilniaus barokas|url=http://www.ivilnius.lt/apie-vilniu/architektura/barokas/|website=iVilnius.lt|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> ] that is full of astonishing Baroque churches and other buildings is a ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Vilnius Historic Centre|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/541|website=whc.unesco.org|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
|1959|2711000 | |||
|1965|2954000 | |||
] | |||
|1970|3100000 | |||
Lithuania is also known for ]. About twenty castles exist in Lithuania. Some castles had to be rebuilt or survive partially. Many ]s' historic ] have remained till the nowadays and were reconstructed.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos dvarų duomenų bazė|url=http://www.heritage.lt/dvarai/|website=heritage.lt|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209184503/http://www.heritage.lt/dvarai/|archive-date=9 February 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> Lithuanian village life has existed since the days of ]. ] and ] are two of many ]s in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ethnographic settlements of Lithuania|url=http://www.kpd.lt/uploads/EN/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/23_ETHNOGRAPHIC_SETTLEMENTS_OF_LITHUANIA.pdf|website=kpd.lt|access-date=20 February 2018|archive-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021041/http://www.kpd.lt/uploads/EN/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/Heritage%20in%20Lithuania/23_ETHNOGRAPHIC_SETTLEMENTS_OF_LITHUANIA.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> ] is an open space museum where old ethnographic architecture is preserved. | |||
|1979|3398000 | |||
|1989|3690000 | |||
During the ], ], Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings were constructed in the Lithuania's temporary capital ]. Its architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and has received the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kaunas of 1919–1940, Lithuania|url=https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/actions/heritage-label/sites/kaunas-1919-1940_en|website=ec.europa.eu|access-date=20 February 2018}}</ref> | |||
|1991|3704000 | |||
|1995|3629000 | |||
===Arts and museums=== | |||
|2001|3483972 | |||
{{Main|List of museums in Lithuania}} | |||
|2005|3414000 | |||
]]] | |||
|2011|3052588 | |||
The ] was founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ldm.lt/LDM/History_LAM_en.htm |title=History of the Lithuanian Art Museum |website=Ldm.lt |access-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510013109/http://www.ldm.lt/LDM/History_LAM_en.htm |archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> Among other important museums are the ], where ] pieces comprise a major part of the collection, National Gallery of Art, presenting collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th and 21st century, ] presenting Lithuanian archaeology, history and ethnic culture. In 2018 two private museums were opened – ] devoted to modern and contemporary Lithuanian art and ''Tartle'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tartle.lt/en/news.html |title=Tartle |website=tartle.lt |access-date=1 November 2018 | quote=The Art Centre TARTLE opened in Užupis district in Vilnius will provide an opportunity to get acquainted with Lithuanian art treasures and historical artefacts from cultural heritage of the pagan times to the contemporary art. The target of the collection and the art centre is not only to collect and bring back to homeland the Lithuanian cultural and historical heritage scattered all over the world..}}</ref> exhibiting a collection of Lithuanian art heritage and artefacts. | |||
|2015|2921262 | |||
|2020|2794329 | |||
Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composer ] (1875–1911), an internationally renowned musician. The ] ], identified in 1975, honors his achievements. The ], as well as the only military museum in Lithuania, ], are located in Kaunas. | |||
], ], ] and ] are the most prominent Lithuanian painters of the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lietuvos tapyba |url=https://www.vle.lt/straipsnis/lietuvos-tapyba/ |website=Visuotinė lietuvių enciklopedija |access-date=12 February 2022 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
===Theatre=== | |||
Lithuania has some very famous theatre directors well known in the country and abroad. One of them is ]. He was awarded more than forty times with special prizes. Possibly most prestigious award is Swedish Commander Grand Cross: ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Oskaras Koršunovas|url=https://www.okt.lt/kurejai/oskaras-korsunovas/|website=Okt.lt|access-date=18 February 2018|language=lt-LT}}</ref> Today's the most famous theatres in Lithuania are in ], ], ] and ]. It is ], '']'' (Theatre of Freaks) in Vilnius, ], Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Theatre of ], Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, The Doll's Theatre, ] and others.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teatras|url=https://lrkm.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/teatras|website=lrkm.lrv.lt|access-date=18 February 2018|language=lt|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222206/https://lrkm.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/teatras|url-status=dead}}</ref> There are some very popular theatre festivals like ''Sirenos'' (Sirens), ''TheATRIUM'', ''Nerk į teatrą'' (Dive into the Theatre) and others.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sirenos|url=http://www.sirenos.lt/|website=sirenos.lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=FESTIVALIS "TheATRIUM"|url=http://kldt.lt/festivalis-the-atrium/|website=kldt.lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Festivalis "Nerk į teatrą"|url=http://dramosteatras.lt/lt/projektai/festivalis-nerk-i-teatra/|website=dramosteatras.lt}}</ref> The figures dominating in Lithuanian theatre world are directors like ], ], Cezaris Graužinis, Gintaras Varnas, ], Artūras Areima; number of talented actors like Dainius Gavenonis, Rolandas Kazlas, Saulius Balandis, Gabija Jaraminaitė and many others.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nariai|url=http://teatrosajunga.lt/member/|website=teatrosajunga.lt|access-date=18 February 2018|language=lt-LT}}</ref> | |||
===Cinema=== | |||
{{Main|Cinema of Lithuania}} | |||
], the oldest still operational ] in Lithuania]] | |||
On 28 July 1896, ] live photography session was held in the Concerts Hall of the ]. After a year, similar American movies were available with the addition of special ]s that also provided sound. In 1909, Lithuanian cinema pioneers {{ill|Antanas Račiūnas|lt}} and ] released their first movies. Soon the Račiūnas' recordings of Lithuania's views became very popular among the ] abroad. In 1925, Pranas Valuskis filmed movie ''Naktis Lietuvoje'' (Night in Lithuania) about ] that left the first bright Lithuanian footprint in ]. The most significant and mature Lithuanian American movie of the time ''Aukso žąsis'' (Golden goose) was created in 1965 by {{ill|Birutė Pūkelevičiūtė|lt}} that featured motifs from the ] fairy tales. In 1940, ] was opened in ] and currently is the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania. After the occupation of the state, movies mostly were used for the ] purposes, nevertheless Almantas Grikevičius, Gytis Lukšas, Henrikas Šablevičius, Arūnas Žebriūnas, Raimondas Vabalas were able to overcome the obstacles and create valuable films. After the restoration of the independence, ], ], ], Audrius Juzėnas, ], {{ill|Janina Lapinskaitė|lt}}, Dijana and her husband Kornelijus Matuzevičius received success in international movie festivals.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kino Lietuvoje istorija |url=https://sites.google.com/site/lietuvoskinas19/lietuvos-kinas |website=sites.google.com |access-date=26 June 2018}}</ref> | |||
In 2018, 4,265,414 cinema tickets were sold in Lithuania with the average price of €5.26.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faktai ir statistika |url=http://www.lkc.lt/faktai-ir-statistika/ |website=lkc.lt |access-date=22 September 2019 |language=lt-LT}}</ref> | |||
===Music=== | |||
{{Main|Music of Lithuania}} | |||
{{See also|Lithuanian folk music}} | |||
{{multiple image | |||
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| header_align = left/right/center | |||
| footer = Lithuanians dancing at ''Skamba skamba kankliai'' festival and singing at ] in ] | |||
| footer_align = left/right/center | |||
| image1 = Skamba skamba kankliai 2010 - 12.jpg | |||
| image2 = Dainu svente 2009-07-06.jpg | |||
}} | }} | ||
Lithuanian folk music belongs to ] music branch which is connected with ] ] culture. Two instrument cultures meet in the areas inhabited by Lithuanians: stringed (]) and wind instrument cultures. Lithuanian folk music is archaic, mostly used for ritual purposes, containing elements of ] faith. There are three ancient styles of singing in Lithuania connected with ethnographical regions: ], ] and ]. Folk song genres: Sutartinės (Multipart Songs),<ref>{{cite web|title=Sutartinės, Lithuanian multipart songs|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sutartines-lithuanian-multipart-songs-00433|website=ich.unesco.org|access-date=17 April 2018}}</ref> Wedding Songs, War-Historical Time Songs, Calendar Cycle and Ritual Songs and Work Songs.<ref>{{cite web|title=Anthology of Lithuanian ethnoculture|url=http://www.lnkc.lt/eknygos/eka/|website=Lnkc.lt|access-date=23 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Italian artists organized the first ] in Lithuania on 4 September 1636 at the ] by the order of ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Operos dieną Valdovų rūmuose vainikuos pasaulinis šedevras – K. Monteverdžio opera "Orfėjas"|url=http://valdovurumai.lt/aktualijos/claudio-monteverdi-opera-orfejas-lorfeo|website=valdovurumai.lt|access-date=7 September 2015}}</ref> Currently, operas are staged at the ] and also by independent troupe ]. | |||
Duomenys:<ref>1790 – 1950 duomenys „Lietuva Šeimos enciklopedija“ Šviesa, Kaunas 2006 {{ISBN|5-430-04664-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Lietuvos TSR|editor=J. Zinkus|publisher=Mokslas|location=Vilnius|date=1980|pages=272}}</ref><ref>http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=wg&geo=-130&srt=pnan&col=abcdefghinoq&msz=1500&geo=-4{{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=2021 m. rugpjūčio mėn. |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>smp2014ge.ugdome.lt / </ref><ref>, Oficialiosios statistikos portalas</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
=== Lietuvos gyventojų tautinė sudėtis === | |||
] is the most renowned Lithuanian painter and composer. During his short life he created about 200 pieces of music. His works have had profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture. His ]s ''In the Forest'' (''Miške'') and ''The Sea'' (''Jūra'') were performed only ]. Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=Painting {{!}} M. K. Čiurlionis|url=http://ciurlionis.eu/en/painting/|website=ciurlionis.eu|access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref> | |||
Didžiausia Lietuvos tauta yra lietuviai, jie sudaro daugiau nei 86 proc. gyventojų. Lietuviai sudaro gyventojų daugumą visose savivaldybėse, išskyrus Vilniaus rajono ir Šalčininkų rajono. | |||
In Lithuania, ] is very important. ] is the only city with three choirs laureates (Brevis, Jauna Muzika and Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire) at the ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Murauskaitė |first1=Rasa |title=Trys meilės chorui dešimtmečiai. Pokalbis su Vaclovu Augustinu |url=https://www.15min.lt/kultura/naujiena/muzika/trys-meiles-chorui-desimtmeciai-pokalbis-su-vaclovu-augustinu-284-1207238 |website=] |access-date=31 October 2019 |language=lt}}</ref> There is a long-standing tradition of the ''Dainų šventė'' (]). The first one took place in ] in 1924. Since 1990, the festival has been organised every four years and summons roughly 30,000 singers and folk dancers of various professional levels and age groups from across the country.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lithuanian Song Festival|url=http://www.dainusvente.lt/en/history/|website=DainuSvente.lt|access-date=23 January 2018|archive-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611213024/https://www.dainusvente.lt/en/history/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2008, Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival together with its ] and ] versions was inscribed as ] ].<ref>{{cite book|title=Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity|date=2005|publisher=]|page=50|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001473/147344e.pdf}}</ref> ''Gatvės muzikos diena'' (Street Music Day) gathers musicians of various genres annually.<ref>{{cite web|title=Street Music Day|url=http://gmd.lt/en|website=gmd.lt|access-date=10 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311021339/http://gmd.lt/en|archive-date=11 March 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Didžiausia tautinė mažuma Lietuvoje yra lenkai. 1959 m. lenkai sudarė 8,5 % Lietuvos gyventojų, bet nuo to laiko jų procentas nuolat mažėjo ir 2015 m. buvo 5,6 %. Lietuvos lenkai daugiausiai gyvena Vilniaus apskrityje, kur jie 2001 m. sudarė net 25,4 % visos populiacijos. Vilniaus ir Šalčininkų rajone lenkų tautybės gyventojų yra dauguma (atitinkamai 52 proc. ir 77 proc. gyventojų). Vilniaus mieste lenkų yra apie 16,5%. Lietuvoje sparčiai mažėja rusų tautybės žmonių dalis: 1989 m. jie sudarė 9,4 % visos populiacijos, 2001 m. – 6,3 %, o 2011 m. – 5,8 %.<ref name="taut">http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010215&PLanguage=0&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=3236&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906042802/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010215&PLanguage=0&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=3236&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |date=2012-09-06 }}</ref> 2001 m. surašymo duomenimis, rusai sudaro 13,4 % Utenos apskrities, 11,6 % Vilniaus apskrities ir 11,4 % Klaipėdos apskrities gyventojų. Kitose apskrityse jų dalis neviršijo 4 %. Pagal 2011 m. gyventojų surašymą rusai sudarė apie 12 proc. Vilniaus ir apie 19,6 proc. Klaipėdos gyventojų. Visagino mieste rusai sudaro gyventojų daugumą (52 proc.). 2015 m. rusai sudarė 4,78 % visų Lietuvos gyventojų.<ref name="taut" /> | |||
Conductor ] performing on the scenes of Rome, New York and Birmingham. | |||
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%; float:top;" | |||
|+Lietuvos piliečių nacionalinė sudėtis<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630233807/http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/mg/ |date=2015-06-30 }} | Žurnalas „Mokslas ir gyvenimas“ 2012 Nr. 11-12</ref> <ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120906042802/http://db1.stat.gov.lt/statbank/selectvarval/saveselections.asp?MainTable=M3010215&PLanguage=0&TableStyle=&Buttons=&PXSId=3236&IQY=&TC=&ST=ST&rvar0=&rvar1=&rvar2=&rvar3=&rvar4=&rvar5=&rvar6=&rvar7=&rvar8=&rvar9=&rvar10=&rvar11=&rvar12=&rvar13=&rvar14= |date=2012-09-06 }}</ref><ref>''Alkas''. A. Butkus: ; tikrinta 2017-01-06</ref> | |||
|- | |||
! Vieta | |||
! ] | |||
! 2015 m. | |||
! 2011 m. | |||
! 2001 m. | |||
! 1989 m. | |||
! 1979 m. | |||
|- | |||
| 1 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''86,67 proc.'' / 2 531,843 mln. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''84,16 proc.'' / 2 561,314 mln. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''83,45 proc.'' / 2 907,293 mln. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''79,6 proc.'' / 2 924,3 mln. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''80,0 proc.'' / 2 712,2 mln. | |||
|- | |||
|2 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5,61 proc.'' / 163,858 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''6,58 proc.'' / 200,317 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''6,74 proc.'' / 234,989 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''7,0 proc.'' / 258,0 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''7,3 proc.'' / 247,0 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|3 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''4,78 proc.'' / 139,507 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''5,81 proc.'' / 176,913 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''6,31 proc.'' / 219,789 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''9,4 proc.'' / 344,5 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''8,9 proc.'' / 303,5 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|4 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,34 proc.'' / 39,159 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,19 proc.'' / 36,227 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,23 proc.'' / 42,866 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,7 proc.'' / 63,2 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,7 proc.'' / 57,6 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|5 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,69 proc.'' / 20,225 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,54 proc.'' / 16,423 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,65 proc.'' / 22,488 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,2 proc.'' / 44,8 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,0 proc.'' / 32,0 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|6 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,08 proc.'' / 2,267 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,10 proc.'' / 3,050 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,12 proc.'' / 4,007 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,3 proc.'' / 12,4 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,4 proc.'' / 14,7 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|7 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,07 proc.'' / 2,078 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,09 proc.'' / 2,793 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,09 proc.'' / 3,235 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 5,2 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 4,0 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|8 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,10 proc.'' / 2,831 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,08 proc.'' / 2,418 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,09 proc.'' / 3,243 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 2,1 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 2,6 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|9 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,07 proc.'' / 2,063 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,07 proc.'' / 2,115 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,09 proc.'' / 2,571 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 2,7 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 2,3 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|10 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,11 proc.'' / 3,144 tūkst | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,07 proc.'' / 2,025 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,07 proc.'' / 2,955 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 4,2 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,1 proc.'' / 4,4 tūkst. | |||
|- | |||
|11 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,04 proc.'' / 1 233 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,04 proc.'' / 1 477 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|12 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,02 proc.'' / 0,648 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,02 proc.'' / 0,788 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|13 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,02 proc.'' / 0,540 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,02 proc.'' / 0,704 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|14 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,372 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,437 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|15 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ?. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,314 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,419 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|16 | |||
| ] | |||
| style="text-align:center;"|? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,241 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,273 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|17 | |||
| Kitų tautybių | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,47 proc.'' / 13,639 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,12 proc.'' / 3,508 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,10 proc.'' / 3,517 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- | |||
|18 | |||
| Nenurodė tautybės | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,01 proc.'' / 0,648 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''1,08 proc.'' / 32,978 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ''0,95 proc.'' / 32,921 tūkst. | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| ? | |||
|- class="sortbottom" | |||
| | |||
| '''Bendras Lietuvos piliečių skaičius''' | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| '''''100,0 proc.'' / 2 921,262 mln | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| '''''100,0 proc.'' / 3 043,429 mln.''' | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| '''''100,0 proc.'' / 3 483,972 mln.''' | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| '''''100,0 proc.'' / 3 674,8 mln.''' | |||
| style="text-align:center;"| '''''100,0 proc.'' / 3 391,5 mln.''' | |||
|} | |||
Modern classical composers emerged in seventies – ], Feliksas Bajoras, ], ], ] and others. Most of those composers explored archaic Lithuanian music and its harmonic combination with modern minimalism and neoromanticism.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Modern Music of Lithuania: Past & Present|url=http://www.mic.lt/en/database/classical/history/|website=Mic.lt|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
Jazz scene was active even during the years of Soviet occupation. The real breakthrough would occur in 1970–71 with the coming together of the Ganelin/Tarasov/Chekasin trio, the alleged instigators of the Vilnius Jazz School.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jazz in Lithuania|url=http://www.vilniusjazz.lt/press/99jil.php|website=Vilniusjazz.lt|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> Most known annual events are ], ], Birštonas Jazz. | |||
<gallery> | |||
] (MICL) collects, promotes and shares information on Lithuanian musical culture. | |||
Vaizdas:Poles in Lithuania Barry Kent.png|Lenkų mažuma pagal procentus savivaldybėse | |||
Vaizdas:Russians in Lithuania by percents.png|Rusų mažuma pagal procentus savivaldybėse | |||
</gallery> | |||
=== |
====Rock and protest music==== | ||
{{Main|Rock music in Lithuania}} | |||
Pasiskirstymas pagal gimtąsias kalbas ('''2011 m.''' surašymo duomenys)<ref>Lietuvos statistikos departamentas, 2011 m. surašymas: ; tikrinta 2017-01-07</ref>: | |||
], which under firm ] actively mocked the ] regime by using ]s in their lyrics, during an ], ] concert in 1987]] | |||
* ] – 84,9 % (2 583 745 gyventojai); | |||
After the ], the ] continued firmly controlling all artistic expressions in Lithuania, and any violations by criticizing the regime would immediately result in punishments.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sinitsyna|first1=Olga|title=CENSORSHIP IN THE SOVIET UNION AND ITS CULTURAL AND PROFESSIONAL RESULTS FOR ARTS AND ART LIBRARIES|date=1999|url=https://forge.fh-potsdam.de/~IFLA/INSPEL/99-1sino.pdf}}</ref> The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and included ''Kertukai'', ''Aitvarai'' and ''Nuogi ant slenksčio'' in Kaunas, and ], ''Vienuoliai'', and ''Gėlių Vaikai'' in Vilnius, among others. Unable to express their opinions directly, the Lithuanian artists began organizing patriotic ] and were using ]s in their songs' lyrics, which were easily identified for their true meanings by the locals.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Tilvikaitė|first1=Patricija|title=Ir lietuviškas rokas padėjo Lietuvai atkurti Nepriklausomybę|url=http://www.universitetozurnalistas.kf.vu.lt/2016/08/ir-lietuviskas-rokas-padejo-lietuvai-atkurti-nepriklausomybe/|website=Universitetozurnalistas.kf.vu.lt|access-date=23 August 2016|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=A. Mamontovas: "Roko maršai" buvo toks įrankis, koks dabar yra internetas|url=http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/lietuva/salies-pulsas/mamontovas-roko-marsai-buvo-toks-irankis-koks-dabar-yra-internetas-801615|website=Kauno diena / LRT|access-date=12 March 2017|language=lt}}</ref> ] ] band ] and its vocalist ] were one of the most active performers who mocked the Soviet regime by using metaphors. For example, in the song ''Zombiai'' (Zombies), the band indirectly sang about the ] soldiers who occupied the state and its military base in ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Ukmergės karinis miestelis|url=http://www.autc.lt/lt/architekturos-objektai/1558|website=Autc.lt|access-date=22 January 2018|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222917/http://www.autc.lt/lt/architekturos-objektai/1558|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Knyga "Antiška" (II dalis): iki "Anties" lietuviai nežinojo, kas yra zombis (ištrauka, video)|url=https://kultura.lrytas.lt/literatura/knyga-antiska-ii-dalis-iki-anties-lietuviai-nezinojo-kas-yra-zombis-istrauka-video.htm|website=]|access-date=29 July 2013|language=lt-LT|archive-date=23 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623222913/https://kultura.lrytas.lt/literatura/knyga-antiska-ii-dalis-iki-anties-lietuviai-nezinojo-kas-yra-zombis-istrauka-video.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> ]' song ''Kolorado vabalai'' (]) was also a favourite due to its lyrics in which true meaning of the Colorado beetles was intended to be the Soviets decorated with the ].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bacanskas|first1=Benas|title=Dainos teatras – Kolorado vabalai (1991-12-25)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDLmyqENH3U| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210809142047/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDLmyqENH3U| archive-date=2021-08-09|website=]|access-date=19 December 2014|date=19 December 2014}}</ref> | |||
* ] – 7,2 % (218 383); | |||
* ] – 5,3 % (160 506); | |||
* ] – 0,23 % (7 114); | |||
* ] – 0,18 % (5 340); | |||
* kitos – 0,24 % (7 190); | |||
* nenurodė – 1,44 % (43 906). | |||
In the early independence years, rock band ] was particularly popular and gathered tens of thousands of spectators to the concerts.<ref>{{cite web|title=A. Mamontovas: padėsime galutinį tašką "Foje" istorijoje – LRT|url=http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/kalba-vilnius/32/26683/a-mamontovas-padesime-galutini-taska-foje-istorijoje|website=LRT|date=6 October 2013|access-date=6 October 2013|language=lt}}</ref> After disbanding in 1997, Foje vocalist ] remained one of the most prominent Lithuanian performers and an active participant in various ] events.<ref>{{cite web|title=A. Mamontovas: populiarumą išnaudoju geriems darbams|url=http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/kultura/26/117983/a-mamontovas-populiaruma-isnaudoju-geriems-darbams|website=LRT|date=31 October 2015|access-date=31 October 2015|language=lt}}</ref> ] is famous for creating unofficial Lithuania sport anthem ''Trys milijonai'' (Three million) and official anthem of the ] ''Nebetyli sirgaliai'' (English version was named ''Celebrate Basketball'').<ref>{{YouTube|fmmg3Wl86kQ|Marijonas Mikutavičius – Trys milijonai}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Marijonas Mikutavičius, Mantas, Mia – Nebetyli sirgaliai|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TyDEPzXr3M|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109115739/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0TyDEPzXr3M&gl=US&hl=en|archive-date=9 January 2019|website=]|access-date=15 October 2014|date=15 October 2014|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> | |||
Pagal 2001 m. surašymą, iš 577 tūkst. ne lietuvių tautybės gyventojų, 356 tūkst. moka ]. Didžiausią jų dalį sudaro lenkai, rusai ir baltarusiai. Rusų kalbą iš viso moka 68 % Lietuvos gyventojų, anglų – 17 % (mieste – 21 %, kaime – 9 %), lenkų – 14,6 %, vokiečių – 8 %, prancūzų – 2 %. Rusų kalbą moka 64 % lietuvių ir 77 % lenkų.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723081422/http://www.stat.gov.lt/lt/news/view/?id=294 |date=2011-07-23 }} Pastaba: ten pateikta kiek gyventojų moka šias kalba kaip užsienio kalbas. Šiame straipsnyje pateikti duomenys kiek ''iš viso'' žmonių kalba šiomis kalbomis. Tai reiškia, kad mokančių jas kaip užsienio kalbą procentas sudėtas su mokančių jas kaip gimtąją kalbą procentu</ref> 2005 m. Eurobarometro apklausa pateikia kiek kitokius duomenis. Pasak jos, 80 % Lietuvos gyventojų gali susikalbėti rusiškai (neskaitant tų, kuriems rusų kalba yra gimtoji), 32 % – ], 15 % – lenkiškai ir 14 % – vokiškai.<ref name="eurob">(Angliškai)</ref> Tokie dideli duomenų skirtumai tikriausiai yra todėl, kad gyventojų surašyme buvo skaičiuojami tik ''gerai'' mokantys nurodytas kalbas, o Eurobarometro apklausoje – visi gebantys susišnekėti. | |||
===Cuisine=== | |||
Eurobarometro apklausa taip pat atskleidė, kad, palyginti su kitų Europos Sąjungos šalių gyventojais, lietuviai moka daug kalbų. 92 % Lietuvos gyventojų moka bent vieną užsienio kalbą, 51 % – bent dvi, ir 16 % – bent tris kalbas. Pagal Europos Sąjungos vidurkį, tik 56 % žmonių moka bent vieną, 28 % bent dvi ir 11 % bent tris kalbas neskaitant gimtosios.<ref name="eurob"/> | |||
{{Main|Lithuanian cuisine}} | |||
]]] | |||
]'', a ]-based dumpling dish characteristic of ] with meat, ] or mushrooms]] | |||
Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool and ] ] of Lithuania: ], ]es, ], ]s, greens, berries, and ]s are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. ] dishes are very popular in the coastal region.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tradicinė lietuviška virtuvė|url=https://www.delfi.lt/gyvenimas/receptai/tradicine-lietuviska-virtuve.d?id=12788805|website=DELFI|access-date=8 April 2007}}</ref> Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has some similarities to ]. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history. | |||
Dairy products are an important part of traditional Lithuanian cuisine. These include white cottage cheese (''varškės sūris''), curd (''varškė''), soured milk (''rūgpienis''), sour cream (''grietinė''), butter (''sviestas''), and sour cream butter ''kastinis''. Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked – smoked sausages (''dešros''), lard (''lašiniai''), '']'', smoked ham (''kumpis''). Soups (''sriubos'') – boletus soup (''baravykų sriuba''), cabbage soup (''kopūstų sriuba''), beer soup (''alaus sriuba''), milk soup (''pieniška sriuba''), cold-beet soup (''šaltibarščiai'') and various kinds of porridges (''košės'') are part of tradition and daily diet. Freshwater fish, herring, wild berries and mushrooms, honey are highly popular diet to this day.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos virtuvė|url=https://maistologija.wordpress.com/2010/08/07/lietuvos-virtuve/|website=maistologija.wordpress.com|date=7 August 2010|access-date=25 March 2018|language=lt}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The only guide to Lithuanian cuisine you will ever need|url=https://www.urbanadventures.com/blog/guide-lithuanian-cuisine.html|website=Urbanadventures.com|access-date=5 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406041111/https://www.urbanadventures.com/blog/guide-lithuanian-cuisine.html|archive-date=6 April 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
=== Religija === | |||
]|320x320px]] | |||
Nuo pat Lietuvos krikšto šalyje vyravo katalikybė. Katalikų dvasininkai turėjo didelę įtaką visuomenėje, XX a. pirmojo pusėje dalyvavo politiniame gyvenime, sovietų okupacijos metu dalis kunigų užsiėmė pogrindine ir disidentine veikla. Tiek katalikų, tiek kitų bažnyčių veikla sovietų okupacijos metu buvo varžoma, kunigai persekiojami, kalinami, tremiami. XX a. pirmoje pusėje apie 9 proc. Lietuvos gyventojų buvo liuteronai, tačiau jų skaičius ženkliai sumažėjo po Antrojo pasaulinio karo. Po 1990 m. Lietuvoje misijas pradėjo ir tikinčiųjų bendruomenes sukūrė evangelikų bažnyčios. Islamas Lietuvoje minimas nuo XIV a. Pradžioje jis buvo susijęs beveik išimtinai su Lietuvos totorių bendruomene. | |||
].]] | |||
2011 m. surašyme 83,7 % deklaravo kokį nors tikėjimą, 6,1 % teigė esą netikintys ir 10,1 % nenurodė arba negalėjo atsakyti. Gyventojų pasiskirstymas pagal religiją:<ref></ref> | |||
* ] – 77,2 % (2 350 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 4,1 % (125,2 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,8 % (23,3 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,6 % (19,6 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,2 % (6,7 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,1 % (3,5 tūkst.); | |||
* ] ] – 0,08 % (2,8 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,06 % (2,2 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,04 % (1,3 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,04 % (1,3 tūkst.); | |||
* ] – 0,04 % (1,4 tūkst.); | |||
* Kitų tikybų – 0,3 % (11 tūkst.). | |||
One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies.<ref>{{cite web|title=LITHUANIAN TRADITIONAL FOODS – BREAD|url=http://www.lnkc.lt/eknygos/eka/food/bread.html|website=Lnkc.lt|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> | |||
2001 m. dauguma stačiatikių buvo susitelkę Vilniaus ir Klaipėdos miestuose, kur jie sudarė atitinkamai 9,7 % ir 15,5 % visų miesto gyventojų. Netikintieji sudarė 10,3 % miestų gyventojų ir 4,2 % kaimų gyventojų.<ref name="relig"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091229115446/http://www.stat.gov.lt/uploads/docs/2002_11_07.pdf |date=2009-12-29 }}</ref> | |||
Lithuanians and other nations that once formed part of the ] share many dishes and beverages. ] also influenced Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding (''kugelis'' or kugel) and ] (''vėdarai''), as well as the baroque tree cake known as '']''. The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern (Karaite) cuisine – the '']'' are popular in Lithuania. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs, so ] influence came to Lithuania in this way.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kokią įtaką Lietuvos virtuvei padarė prancūzai?|url=https://www.15min.lt/maistas/naujiena/virtuve/kokia-itaka-lietuvos-virtuvei-padare-prancuzai-1044-719414|website=15min.lt|access-date=26 March 2018|language=lt}}</ref> | |||
2010 m. „Eurobarometro“ apklausos duomenimis, 47% Lietuvos gyventojų „tiki, kad egzistuoja Dievas“; 37% – „tiki, jog egzistuoja kažkokia dvasia arba dvasinė energija“; 12% – „netiki jokiais dievais, dvasiomis ar dvasinėmis energijomis“. Pagal šiuos duomenis Lietuva tarp Europos Sąjungos šalių laikytina vidutiniškai religinga.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_341_en.pdf|format=PDF|title=Special Eurobarometer, biotechnology. 204 puslapis (PDF). Atlikta 2010 m. sausio–vasario mėn.}}</ref> | |||
] were using ] ('']'') for thousands of years.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Astrauskas|first1=Antanas|title=Per barzdą varvėjo: svaigiųjų gėrimų istorija Lietuvoje|date=2008|publisher=Baltos lankos|location=Vilnius|isbn=978-9955-23-141-7}}</ref> Beer (''alus'') is the most common alcoholic beverage. Lithuania has a long farmhouse ], first mentioned in 11th century chronicles. Beer was brewed for ancient Baltic ] and rituals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.llti.lt/failai/05_Laurinkienes.pdf|website=Llti.lt|page=18|title=Alus – apeiginis baltų gėrimas|access-date=22 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808021048/http://www.llti.lt/failai/05_Laurinkienes.pdf|archive-date=8 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Farmhouse brewing survived to a greater extent in Lithuania than anywhere else, and through accidents of history the Lithuanians then developed a commercial brewing culture from their unique farmhouse traditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.garshol.priv.no/download/lithuanian-beer-guide/book.pdf|website=Garshol.priv.no|page=5|title=Lithuanian beer – A rough guide|access-date=22 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/253.html|website=Garshol.priv.no|title=Trying to understand Lithuanian beer|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref> Lithuania is top 5 by consumption of beer per capita in Europe in 2015, counting 75 active breweries, 32 of them are microbreweries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brewersofeurope.org/uploads/mycms-files/documents/publications/2016/stats_2016_web.pdf|website=Brewersofeurope.org|title=Beer statistics – 2016 edition|access-date=25 March 2018}}</ref> The microbrewery scene in Lithuania has been growing in later years, with a number of bars focusing on these beers popping up in Vilnius and also in other parts of the country. | |||
=== Miestai === | |||
{{Plačiau|Lietuvos miestai}} | |||
Lietuvoje yra 103 miestai. Miestais laikomos tankiai apgyvendintos vietovės, kuriose yra daugiau nei 3 tūkstančiai gyventojų, kurių bent dvi trečiosios verčiasi ne su žemės ūkiu susijusia veikla. Miestais laikomos ir mažiau nei 3000 gyventojų turinčios gyvenvietės, kurios tokį statusą turi istoriškai. | |||
Eight Lithuanian restaurants are listed in the White Guide Baltic Top 30.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whiteguide-nordic.com/nyheter/there-is-no-better-time-than-now-to-visit-baltic-restaurants|website=Whiteguide-nordic.com|title=The best restaurants in the Nordics|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-date=24 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210124174247/http://www.whiteguide-nordic.com/nyheter/there-is-no-better-time-than-now-to-visit-baltic-restaurants|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
{| class="infobox" style="text-align:center; width:97%; margin-right:10px; font-size:90%;" | |||
|+ align=center style=„font-weight: bold“ | Lietuvos miestai pagal gyventojų skaičių 2020 m. pradžioje:<ref>osp.stat.gov.lt / </ref> | |||
|- | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Nr. | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Miestas | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Apskritis | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Gyventojai | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Nr. | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Miestas | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Apskritis | |||
! align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | Gyventojai | |||
! rowspan=11 | <br />]<br />]<br />]<br />] | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 1 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 550834 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 11 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 22677 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 2 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 289364 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 12 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 21520 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 3 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 149116 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 13 || align=left | ''']''' || ] || 21287 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 4 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 101511 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 14 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 20154 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 5 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 85885 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 15 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 18024 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 6 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 49895 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 16 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 16755 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 7 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 34975 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 17 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 16583 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 8 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 32470 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 18 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 16038 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 9 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 26423 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 19 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 15161 | |||
|- | |||
| align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 10 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 25397 || align=center style="background:#f0f0f0;" | 20 ||align=left | ''']''' || ] || 14980 | |||
|- | |||
| colspan="11" align=center style="background:#f5f5f5;" | 2020 m. pradžios duomenys | |||
|} | |||
<br clear=all /> | |||
== |
===Media=== | ||
The ] provides for ] and ], and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote these freedoms. However, the constitutional definition of freedom of expression does not protect certain acts, such as incitement to national, racial, religious, or social hatred, violence and discrimination, or slander, and disinformation. It is a crime to deny or "grossly trivialize" Soviet or Nazi German crimes against Lithuania or its citizens, or to deny genocide, ], or ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204308|title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017|website=State.gov|access-date=18 October 2018}}</ref> | |||
Žinoma, jog pirmoji mokykla Lietuvoje veikė 1387 m. prie ]. Vėlesnis jų tinklas plėtėsi su krikščionybės plitimu. Dažniausiai mokyklos būdavo parapinės. 1570 m. Vilniuje įsikūrę ] atidarė kolegiją. Valdovas ] savo privilegija ją ]. Seniausias ] veikė iki 1832 metų, kuomet carinė Rusijos valdžia jį uždarė. Po ], Vilnių okupavus lenkams, 1922 m. ] įkurtas Kaune. 1930 m. jis gavo ]. 2017 m. duomenimis Lietuvoje veikė 737 ikimokyklinio ugdymo įstaigos, 1151 bendrojo ugdymo mokykla, 22 kolegijos ir 21 universitetas.<ref>https://osp.stat.gov.lt/statistiniu-rodikliu-analize?theme=all#/</ref> Didžiausias šalies universitetas yra ], kuris yra vienas iš seniausių universitetų ]. | |||
Best-selling daily national newspapers in Lithuania are '']'' (about 18.8% of all daily readers), ''{{ill|Vakaro žinios|lt}}'' (12.5%), '']'' (3.7%), ''{{ill|Šiaulių kraštas|lt}}'' (3.2%) and '']'' (2.7%). Best-selling weekly newspapers are ''Savaitė'' (about 34% of all weekly readers), ''Žmonės'' (17%), ''Prie kavos'' (11.9%), ''Ji'' (8.7%) and ''Ekspress nedelia'' (5.4%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Kantar TNS: populiariausių 2018 m. spaudos leidinių penketukai |url=http://www.tns.lt/lt/news/kantar-tns-populiariausiu-2018-m-spaudos-leidiniu-penketukai/ |website=tns.lt |access-date=25 August 2018 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
== Kultūra == | |||
{{main|Lietuvos kultūra}} | |||
] | |||
Per šimtmečius Lietuvos kultūra buvo įtakojama daugelio kaimyninių tautų ir religijų. Nepaisant to išlaikė savitumą. ] yra viena iš dviejų likusių ], per tarpinę ] kilusi iš ].<ref>http://www.vlkk.lt/</ref> Į ] ] yra įtraukti 7 Lietuvos paveldo objektai: ], ], ], ], į ] – ] ir kryžių simbolika Lietuvoje, Dainų ir šokių švenčių tradicija Baltijos valstybėse, sutartinės – lietuvių polifoninės dainos<ref>http://www.vjtc.lt/lt/keliautojo-atmintin/unesco {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171224004950/http://www.vjtc.lt/lt/keliautojo-atmintin/unesco |date=2017-12-24 }}</ref>, į „]“ registrą – ] ir kiti vertingi dokumentai. | |||
In July 2018, the most popular national ]s in Lithuania were ] (about 35.9% of the auditorium), ] (32.8%), ] (30.6%), ] (19.9%), ] (19.1%).<ref>{{cite web |title=TV auditorijos tyrimo rezultatai 2018 m. liepa |url=http://www.tns.lt/lt/news/tv-auditorijos-tyrimo-rezultatai-2018-m-liepa/ |website=tns.lt |access-date=25 August 2018 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
=== Lietuvių etninė kultūra === | |||
Baltiška tautos praeitis ir geografinė padėtis sąlygojo tai, kad Lietuva buvo paskutinė valstybė ] nepriėmusi jokios abraominės religijos. Jos valdovai pirmą kartą krikštą priėmė tik XIII amžiuje. Tai lėmė senųjš lietuvių papročių apraiškas ir šiandieniniame gyvenime. Lietuvos muziejuose ir draugijų fonduose sukauptas didžiulis masyvas įvairaus pobūdžio paveldo, liudijančio etnines gyventojų ypatybes, verslus, amatus ir buitį. Daug dėmesio senovės lietuviai skyrė medinėms šventųjų skulptūroms. Išskirtinė yra ] skulptūra. Taip pat autentiški liaudies motyvai atsiskleidžia ] ir ] drožyboje, namų apyvokos daiktuose, susisiekimo priemonėse, balduose, darbo įrankiuose, valstietiškuose drabužiuose, audiniuose. Išskirtinės yra ne tik liaudies daugiabalsės sutartinės, bet ir margučių marginimo, sodų pynimo papročiai. Taip pat medžio raižiniai, geležies ir gintaro dirbiniai. | |||
The most popular ]s in Lithuania are ] (about 15.8% of all listeners), ''Lietus'' (12.2%), ''LRT Radijas'' (10.5%) and ''Radiocentras'' (10.5%).<ref>{{cite web |title=Radijo auditorijos tyrimas 2018 žiema – pavasaris |url=http://www.tns.lt/lt/news/radijo-auditorijos-tyrimas-2018-ziema-pavasaris/ |website=tns.lt |access-date=25 August 2018 |language=lt}}</ref> | |||
]]] | |||
=== |
===Public holidays and festivals=== | ||
{{main|Public holidays in Lithuania}} | |||
Pirmasis Lietuvos dailės muziejus buvo įkurtas 1933 m. ]. Šis muziejus pavadintas ] vardu, kadangi pastarasis laikomas garsiausiu Lietuvos dailininku. Nepriklausomoje Lietuvoje kūrė tapytojas ] išgarsėjęs darbais „Šveicarijos peizažas“, „Romos panteonas naktį“, „Šlapelio portretas“, dailininkas, kolekcionierius ], dailininkai ], ], ], ]. Pastarasis buvo Lietuvos meno mokyklos iniciatorius. Išskirtini skulptoriai ], ], ], ]. | |||
As a result of a thousand-years history, Lithuania has two ]s. First one is the ] on 6 July, marking the establishment of the medieval ] by ] in 1253. Creation of modern Lithuanian state is commemorated on 16 February as a ] on which declaration of independence from Russia and Germany was declared in 1918. ] (previously known as ''Rasos'') is a public holiday with ]ic roots that celebrates a ]. As of 2018, there are 13 public holidays (which come with a day off).<ref>{{cite web|title=National Holidays|url=http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/media/cultural-events/national-holidays/|access-date=28 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180628125054/http://www.vilnius-tourism.lt/en/media/cultural-events/national-holidays/|archive-date=28 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
] is an annual ] held since the beginning of the 17th century that commemorates the anniversary of ] death and gathers thousands of visitors and many craftsmen. Other notable festivals are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], {{ill|Apuolė 854|lt}}, ]. | |||
=== Literatūra === | |||
Nepriklausomybės priešaušryje pradėta laisvai kurti naujoji lietuvių literatūra. Išsilaisvinta iš ideologijos pančių. Vieni pirmųjų tokių kūrėjų buvo ], ], ], ], ], ], ]. Lietuvos literatūrą papildė tremties ir gausus lietuvių išeivijos palikimas. | |||
{{Holidays of Lithuania}} | |||
=== Teatras === | |||
Lietuva turi keletą populiarių ir gausiai lankomų teatrų. Tarp geriausių verta paminėti ], ], ], Panevėžio Miltinio teatrą, Rusų dramos teatrą. Taip pat sėkmingi ir gerai už Lietuvos ribų vertinami režisieriaus ] „Cezario teatro trupė“, ]. Garsiausi šių laikų Lietuvos režisieriai be jau minėtų yra ], ], ], ]<nowiki/>s, ]. Šalyje vyksta įvairūs tarptautiniai teatrų festivaliai, kurių garsiausias – „Sirenos“. Bene garsiausias šalies režisierius yra Oskaras Koršunovas 2015 metais apdovanotas prestižiniu Švedijos Karališkuoju šiaurinės žvaigždės ordinu. | |||
=== |
===Sports=== | ||
{{Main|Sport in Lithuania}} | |||
{{pagr|Lietuviška virtuvė}} | |||
]]] | |||
] is the most popular and ] of Lithuania. The ] has had significant success in international basketball events, having won the ] on three occasions (], ] and ]), as well a total of 8 other medals in the Eurobasket, the ] and the ]. The men's national team also has extremely high TV ratings as about 76% of the country's population watched their games live in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lietuvos krepšinio rinktinės kovas šįmet matė per 2 mln. televizijos žiūrovų|url=http://www.15min.lt/naujiena/sportas/krepsinis/lietuvos-krepsinio-rinktines-kovas-simet-mate-per-2-mln-televizijos-ziurovu-23-466445|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150127002110/http://www.15min.lt/naujiena/sportas/krepsinis/lietuvos-krepsinio-rinktines-kovas-simet-mate-per-2-mln-televizijos-ziurovu-23-466445|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 January 2015|website=15min.lt|access-date=13 November 2014}}</ref> Lithuania hosted the Eurobasket in 1939 and ]. The historic Lithuanian basketball team ], from Kaunas, won the European basketball league ] in 1999. Lithuania has produced a number of ] players, including ] inductees ] and ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers-index/ |title=The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – Hall of Famers Index |website=Hoophall.com |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> and current NBA players ], ], and ].<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://pr.nba.com/nba-rosters-international-players-2016-17/ |title=NBA rosters feature record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories |publisher=National Basketball Association |date=25 October 2016 |access-date=11 September 2017}}</ref> | |||
Lietuviai labai didžiuojasi savo vaišingumu ir kulinariniu paveldu. Gamta sąlygojo maisto ypatumus, todėl senovėje valgyta daug daržovių, uogų ir grybų vasarą ir konservuotų, raugintų produktų žiemą. Šiandien nacionaliniais patiekalais laikomi lietuviški didžkukuliai arba ]. Šalies ypatybė – ], ], šaltai rūkyti ] ir daug bulvių patiekalų, tokių kaip ], ], ], ]. Taip pat nuo seno žinomas lietuviškas ], rūkytos žuvys (ypač pajūrio regione). Vasarą lietuviai valgo rožinę šaltsriubę – ]. | |||
] is ranked eighth worldwide in ].]] | |||
=== Sportas === | |||
{{pagr|Sportas Lietuvoje}} | |||
] – olimpinė, daugkartinė pasaulio ir Europos čempionė]] | |||
Lithuania has won a total of ], including 6 gold medals in ], ], ], and ]. Numerous other Lithuanians won Olympic medals representing Soviet Union. ]er ] is the most successful Olympic athlete of independent Lithuania, having won gold medals in the ] and ] games, as well as a bronze in ] and numerous ] medals. More recently, the gold medal won by a then 15-year-old swimmer ] at the ] in London sparked a rise in popularity for the sport in Lithuania. | |||
Populiariausia Lietuvoje sporto šaka yra krepšinis. ] yra laimėjusi ] 1937, 1939 ir 2003 metais. 2007 m. Europos čempione tapo Lietuvos moterų krepšinio rinktinė. Lietuvos vyrų krepšinio rinktinė pat buvo prizininkė Europos, ] ir ]. „]“ krepšinio klubas 1986 m. iškovojo Tarpžemyninę ''William Jones'' taurę (neoficialus pasaulio klubinių krepšinio komandų čempionų titulas), o 1999 m. tapo ] čempionu. Geriausi šalies krepšininkai buvo pakviesti žaisti ]. Tarp jų ], ], ], ], ], ], ]. | |||
Lithuania has produced prominent athletes in athletics, modern pentathlon, ] and ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and other sports. | |||
Nuo nepriklausomybės atgavimo lietuviai yra iškovoję 25 olimpinius medalius iš kurių 6 aukso. Du olimpinius aukso medalius turi disko metikas ] iškovojęs savo pergales 2000 m. Sidnėjuje ir 2004 m. Atėnuose. 1992 m. olimpiniu disko metimo čempionu Barselonoje tapo ]. 2000 m. Sidnėjaus olimpiadoje auksą šaudymo į skriejančius taikinius rungtyje iškovojo dabartinė Lietuvos tautinio olimpinio komiteto prezidentė ]. Londono olimpiadoje 2012 m. debiutavo jauna plaukikė ] iškovodama šaliai aukso medalį, olimpine čempione tais pačiais metais tapo ir penkiakovininkė ] | |||
Lithuania hosted the ], the first time Lithuania had hosted a FIFA tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Three cities set to host the FIFA Futsal World Cup Lithuania 2021™ |url=https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/mens/futsalworldcup/lithuania2021/media-releases/origin1904-p.cxm.fifa.comthree-cities-set-to-host-the-fifa-futsal-world-cup-lithuania-2020tm |access-date=2022-07-26 |website=www.fifa.com |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=February 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
== Kita informacija == | |||
{| | |||
|width=30% valign="top"| | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
|width=30% valign="top"| | |||
Few Lithuanian athletes have found success in ], although facilities are provided by several ice rinks and skiing slopes, including ], the first indoor ski slope in the ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kauno.diena.lt/naujienos/sveikata/sveikata/ziemos-sportas-lietuvoje-podukros-vietoje-674533#.VRUtQaM1jct |title=Žiemos sportas Lietuvoje – podukros vietoje |language=lt |website=Kauno.diena.lt |date=10 February 2015 |access-date=30 April 2016}}</ref> In 2018 ] won gold medals at the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Jie tai padarė! Lietuviai žaibiškai atsitiesė po šalto dušo ir iškovojo istorinį titulą|url=https://www.15min.lt/sportas/naujiena/ziemos-sportas/jie-tai-padare-lietuviai-zaibiskai-atsitiese-po-salto-duso-ir-iskovojo-istorini-titula-295-963998|website=15min.lt|access-date=28 April 2018}}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==See also== | |||
* ] | |||
{{Portal|Lithuania|Europe}} | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
|} | |||
* ] | |||
== |
==Notes== | ||
{{ |
{{notelist}} | ||
== |
==References== | ||
{{ |
{{reflist}} | ||
{{Commons|Lietuva}} | |||
{{Vikižodynas|Lietuva}} | |||
==External links== | |||
Valdžia: | |||
{{Sister project links|Lithuania|voy=Lithuania}} | |||
* lrp.lt / {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919030442/https://www.lrp.lt/lt |date=2020-09-19 }} | |||
{{EB1922 Poster|Lithuania, Republic of}} | |||
* lrs.lt / | |||
; Government | |||
* lrvk.lt / {{Neveikianti nuoroda|date=spalio 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} | |||
* |
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115013011/https://www.lrp.lt/en |date=15 January 2016 }} – Official site of the President of the Republic of Lithuania | ||
* – Official site of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210406001528/https://lrv.lt/en/ |date=6 April 2021 }} – Official site of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005094900/https://www.stat.gov.lt/en |date=5 October 2022 }} – Official site of Department of Statistics to the Government of Lithuania | |||
* – The Official Travel Guide by the Lithuanian National Tourism Development Agency | |||
; General information | |||
Kultūra, istorija, turizmas: | |||
*{{WorldCat|lh|The Baltic States and geopolitics}} | |||
* lietuva.lt / {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426001314/http://www.lietuva.lt/ |date=2007-04-26 }} | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210602011848/https://lietuva.lt/en/ |date=2 June 2021 }} – Lithuanian internet gates | |||
* pamatyklietuvoje.lt / | |||
* . '']''. ]. | |||
* youtube.com. | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016161247/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/resources/world-leaders-1/LH.html |date=16 October 2020 }} | |||
* from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs'' | |||
* {{curlie|Regional/Europe/Lithuania}} | |||
* from the ] | |||
* {{wikiatlas|Lithuania}} | |||
; Other | |||
{{straipsniai apie Lietuvą}} | |||
* from ] | |||
{{Europa}} | |||
* of Lithuania | |||
{{ES_šalys}} | |||
* {{osmrelation-inline|72596}} | |||
{{NATO}} | |||
{{Lithuania topics}} | |||
{{SavStr}} | |||
{{Sovereign states of Europe}} | |||
{{Council of Europe}} | |||
{{European Economic Area (EEA)}} | |||
{{Countries bordering the Baltic Sea}} | |||
{{Baltic states}} | |||
{{EU members}} | |||
{{Member states of the OECD}} | |||
{{La Francophonie}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
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Revision as of 12:49, 18 March 2023
Country in Europe For other uses, see Lithuania (disambiguation). "Litwa" redirects here. For other uses, see Litwa (disambiguation).
Republic of LithuaniaLietuvos Respublika (Lithuanian) | |
---|---|
Flag Coat of arms | |
Anthem: Tautiška giesmė "National Hymn" | |
Show map of EuropeShow globeLocation of Lithuania (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) | |
Capitaland largest city | Vilnius 54°41′N 25°19′E / 54.683°N 25.317°E / 54.683; 25.317 |
Official languages | Lithuanian |
Ethnic groups (2021) |
|
Religion (2021) |
|
Demonym(s) | Lithuanian |
Government | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
• President | Gitanas Nausėda |
• Prime Minister | Ingrida Šimonytė |
• Seimas Speaker | Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen |
Legislature | Seimas |
Formation | |
• First mentioned | 9 March 1009 |
• Grand Duchy | 1236 |
• Coronation of Mindaugas | 6 July 1253 |
• Union with Poland | 2 February 1386 |
• Commonwealth created | 1 July 1569 |
• Partitioned | 24 October 1795 |
• Independence reinstated | 16 February 1918 |
• Independence restored | 11 March 1990 |
• Admitted to NATO | 29 March 2004 |
• Joined the EU | 1 May 2004 |
Area | |
• Total | 65,300 km (25,200 sq mi) (121st) |
• Water (%) | 1.98 (2015) |
Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 2,840,758 (137th) |
• Density | 43/km (111.4/sq mi) (138th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $131 billion (88th) |
• Per capita | $46,158 (38th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $68 billion (86th) |
• Per capita | $24,032 (52nd) |
Gini (2020) | 35.1 medium inequality |
HDI (2021) | 0.875 very high (35th) |
Currency | Euro (€) (EUR) |
Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Date format | yyyy-mm-dd (CE) |
Drives on | Right |
Calling code | +370 |
ISO 3166 code | LT |
Internet TLD | .lt |
Website lithuania | |
|
55°N 24°E / 55°N 24°E / 55; 24 Lithuania (/ˌlɪθjuˈeɪniə/ ; Template:Lang-lt [lʲɪɛtʊˈvɐ]), officially the Republic of Lithuania (Template:Lang-lt [lʲɪɛtʊˈvoːs rʲɛsˈpʊblʲɪkɐ]), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania shares land borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia to the southwest. It has a maritime border with Sweden to the west on the Baltic Sea. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.8 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas and Klaipėda. Lithuanians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living Baltic languages.
For millennia the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas, becoming king and founding the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. In the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe; present-day Lithuania, Belarus, most of Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were all lands of the Grand Duchy. The Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania were in a de facto personal union from 1386 with the marriage of the Polish queen Hedwig and Lithuania's Grand Duke Jogaila, who was crowned King jure uxoris Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland. The Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania was established by the Union of Lublin in July 1569. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries dismantled it in 1772–1795, with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania's territory. As World War I ended, Lithuania's Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. In World War II, Lithuania was occupied first by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany. Towards the end of the war in 1944, when the Germans were retreating, the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania. Lithuanian armed resistance to the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania passed the Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania, becoming the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence.
Lithuania is a developed country, with a high income advanced economy; ranking very high in the Human Development Index. It ranks favourably in terms of civil liberties, press freedom, internet freedom, democratic governance, and peacefulness. Lithuania is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, eurozone, the Nordic Investment Bank, Schengen Agreement, NATO and OECD. It also participates in the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) regional co-operation format.
Etymology
Main article: Name of LithuaniaThe first known record of the name of Lithuania (Template:Lang-lt) is in a 9 March 1009 story of Saint Bruno in the Quedlinburg Chronicle. The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva: Litua (pronounced ). Due to the lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown. Nowadays, scholars still debate the meaning of the word and there are a few plausible versions.
Since Lietuva has a suffix (-uva), the original word should have no suffix. A likely candidate is Lietā. Because many Baltic ethnonyms originated from hydronyms, linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. Usually, such names evolved through the following process: hydronym → toponym → ethnonym. Lietava, a small river not far from Kernavė, the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the eventual Grand Duchy of Lithuania, is usually credited as the source of the name. However, the river is very small and some find it improbable that such a small and local object could have lent its name to an entire nation. On the other hand, such naming is not unprecedented in world history.
Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis, that Lietuva relates to the word leičiai (plural of leitis). From the middle of the 13th century, leičiai were a distinct warrior social group of the Lithuanian society subordinate to the Lithuanian ruler or the state itself. The word leičiai is used in the 14–16th century historical sources as an ethnonym for Lithuanians (but not Samogitians) and is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the Latvian language, which is closely related to Lithuanian.
History
Main article: History of Lithuania See also: Duchy of LithuaniaThe first people settled in the territory of Lithuania after the last glacial period in the 10th millennium BC: Kunda, Neman and Narva cultures. They were traveling hunters and did not form stable settlements. In the 8th millennium BC, the climate became much warmer, and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania then travelled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. Agriculture did not emerge until the 3rd millennium BC due to a harsh climate and terrain and a lack of suitable tools to cultivate the land. Crafts and trade also started to form at this time. Over a millennium, the Indo-Europeans, who arrived in the 3rd – 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various Baltic tribes.
The Baltic tribes did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with the Roman Empire, but they did maintain trade contacts (see Amber Road). Tacitus, in his study Germania, described the Aesti people, inhabitants of the south-eastern Baltic Sea shores who were probably Balts, around the year 97 AD. The Western Balts differentiated and became known to outside chroniclers first. Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD knew of the Galindians and Yotvingians, and early medieval chroniclers mentioned Old Prussians, Curonians and Semigallians.
The Lithuanian language is considered to be very conservative for its close connection to Indo-European roots. It is believed to have differentiated from the Latvian language, the most closely related existing language, around the 7th century. Traditional Lithuanian pagan customs and mythology, with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to Christianity: the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukes Algirdas and Kęstutis have survived.
Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Main article: Kingdom of Lithuania See also: Grand Duchy of LithuaniaFrom the 9th to the 11th centuries, coastal Balts were subjected to raids by the Vikings, and the kings of Denmark collected tribute at times. During the 10–11th centuries, Lithuanian territories were among the lands paying tribute to Kievan Rus', and Yaroslav the Wise was among the Ruthenian rulers who invaded Lithuania (from 1040). From the mid-12th century, it was the Lithuanians who were invading Ruthenian territories. In 1183, Polotsk and Pskov were ravaged, and even the distant and powerful Novgorod Republic was repeatedly threatened by the excursions from the emerging Lithuanian war machine toward the end of the 12th century.
From the late 12th century, an organized Lithuanian military force existed; it was used for external raids, plundering and the gathering of slaves. Such military and pecuniary activities fostered social differentiation and triggered a struggle for power in Lithuania. This initiated the formation of early statehood, from which the Grand Duchy of Lithuania developed. The disparate Lithuanian tribes along the Nemunas were united into the Lithuanian state by 1219, at the latest. The only Lithuanian Roman Catholic king, Mindaugas, was baptised as a Roman Catholic in 1251 and crowned as King of Lithuania on 6 July 1253.
After his assassination in 1263, pagan Lithuania was a target of the Christian crusades of the Teutonic Knights and the Livonian Order. The siege of Pilėnai is noted for the Lithuanians' defense against the intruders. Despite the devastating century-long struggle with the Orders, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania expanded rapidly, overtaking former Ruthenian principalities of Kievan Rus'.
On 22 September 1236, the Battle of Saulė between Samogitians and the Livonian Brothers of the Sword took place close to Šiauliai. The Livonian Brothers were defeated during it and their further conquest of the Balts lands were stopped. The battle inspired rebellions among the Curonians, Semigallians, Selonians, Oeselians, tribes previously conquered by the Sword-Brothers. Some thirty years' worth of conquests on the left bank of Daugava were lost. In 2000, the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments declared 22 September to be the Day of Baltic Unity.
According to the legend, Grand Duke Gediminas was once hunting near the Vilnia River; tired after the successful hunt, he settled in for the night and dreamed of a huge Iron Wolf standing on top a hill and howling as strong and loud as a hundred wolves. Krivis (pagan priest) Lizdeika interpreted the dream that the Iron Wolf represents Vilnius Castles. Gediminas, obeying the will of the gods, built the city and gave it the name Vilnius – from the stream of the Vilnia River.
In 1362 or 1363, Grand Duke Algirdas achieved a decisive victory in the Battle of Blue Waters against the Golden Horde and stopped its further expansion in the present-day Ukraine. The victory brought the city of Kyiv and a large part of present-day Ukraine, including sparsely populated Podolia and Dykra, under the control of the expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After taking Kyiv, Lithuania became a direct neighbor and rival of the Grand Duchy of Moscow.
By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was one of the largest countries in Europe and included present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia. The geopolitical situation between the west and the east determined the multicultural and multi-confessional character of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The ruling elite practised religious tolerance and the Chancery Slavonic language was used as an auxiliary language to Latin for official documents.
In 1385, the Grand Duke Jogaila accepted Poland's offer to become its king. Jogaila embarked on gradual Christianization of Lithuania and established a personal union between Poland and Lithuania. Lithuania was one of the last pagan areas of Europe to adopt Christianity. While territories to the north had been Christianized in 1186 by Western merchants and missionaries who formed the Order of the Brothers and the Sword to spread Christianity through military organization, the Lithuanians had defeated the Order's militant efforts in 1236.
After two civil wars, Vytautas the Great became the Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1392. During his reign, Lithuania reached the peak of its territorial expansion, centralization of the state began, and the Lithuanian nobility became increasingly prominent in state politics. In the great Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399, the combined forces of Tokhtamysh and Vytautas were defeated by the Mongols. Thanks to close cooperation, the armies of Lithuania and Poland achieved a victory over the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at the Battle of Grunwald, one of the largest battles of medieval Europe.
In January 1429, at the Congress of Lutsk Vytautas received the title of King of Lithuania with the backing of Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor, but the envoys who were transporting the crown were stopped by Polish magnates in autumn of 1430. Another crown was sent, but Vytautas died in the Trakai Island Castle several days before it reached Lithuania. He was buried in the Cathedral of Vilnius.
After the deaths of Jogaila and Vytautas, the Lithuanian nobility attempted to break the union between Poland and Lithuania, independently selecting Grand Dukes from the Jagiellon dynasty. But, at the end of the 15th century, Lithuania was forced to seek a closer alliance with Poland when the growing power of the Grand Duchy of Moscow threatened Lithuania's Russian principalities and sparked the Muscovite–Lithuanian Wars and the Livonian War.
On 8 September 1514, the Battle of Orsha between Lithuanians, commanded by the Grand Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski, and Muscovites was fought. According to Rerum Moscoviticarum Commentarii by Sigismund von Herberstein, the primary source for information on the battle, the much smaller army of Poland–Lithuania (under 30,000 men) defeated a force of 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander. The battle destroyed a military alliance against Lithuania and Poland. Thousands of Muscovites were captured as prisoners and used as labourers in the Lithuanian manors, while Konstanty Ostrogski delivered the captured Muscovite flags to the Cathedral of Vilnius.
The Livonian War was ceased for ten years with a Truce of Yam-Zapolsky signed on 15 January 1582 according to which the already Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth recovered Livonia, Polotsk and Velizh, but transferred Velikiye Luki to the Tsardom of Russia. The truce was extended for twenty years in 1600, when a diplomatic mission to Moscow led by Lew Sapieha concluded negotiations with Tsar Boris Godunov. The truce was broken when the Poles invaded Muscovy in 1605.
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
Main article: Polish–Lithuanian CommonwealthThe Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was created in 1569 by the Union of Lublin. As a member of the Commonwealth, Lithuania retained its institutions, including a separate army, currency, and statutory laws – the Statute of Lithuania. Eventually Polonization affected all aspects of Lithuanian life: politics, language, culture, and national identity. From the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, culture, arts, and education flourished, fueled by the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. From 1573, the Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania were elected by the nobility, who were granted ever-increasing Golden Liberties. These liberties, especially the liberum veto, led to anarchy and the eventual dissolution of the state.
The Commonwealth reached its Golden Age in the early 17th century. Its powerful parliament was dominated by nobles who were reluctant to get involved in the Thirty Years' War; this neutrality spared the country from the ravages of a political-religious conflict that devastated most of contemporary Europe. The Commonwealth held its own against Sweden, the Tsardom of Russia, and vassals of the Ottoman Empire, and even launched successful expansionist offensives against its neighbours. In several invasions during the Time of Troubles, Commonwealth troops entered Russia and managed to take Moscow and hold it from 27 September 1610 to 4 November 1612, when they were driven out after a siege.
In 1655, after the extinguishing battle, for the first time in history the Lithuanian capital Vilnius was taken by a foreign army. The Russian army looted the city, splendid churches, and manors. Between 8,000 and 10,000 citizens were killed; the city burned for 17 days. Those who returned after the catastrophe could not recognise the city. The Russian occupation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania lasted up to 1661. Many artefacts and cultural heritage were either lost or looted, significant parts of the state archive – Lithuanian Metrica, collected since the 13th century, were lost and the rest was moved out of the country. During the Northern Wars (1655–1661), the Lithuanian territory and economy were devastated by the Swedish army. Almost all territory of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was occupied by Swedish and Russian armies. This period is known as Tvanas (The Deluge).
Before it could fully recover, Lithuania was ravaged during the Great Northern War (1700–1721). The war, a plague, and a famine caused the deaths of approximately 40% of the country's population. Foreign powers, especially Russia, became dominant in the domestic politics of the Commonwealth. Numerous fractions among the nobility used the Golden Liberties to prevent any reforms.
The Constitution of 3 May 1791 was adopted by the Great Sejm (parliament) of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth trying to save the state. The legislation was designed to redress the Commonwealth's political defects due to the system of Golden Liberties, also known as the "Nobles' Democracy," which had conferred disproportionate rights on the nobility (Szlachta) and over time had corrupted politics. The constitution sought to supplant the prevailing anarchy fostered by some of the country's magnates with a more democratic constitutional monarchy. It introduced elements of political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under the protection of the government, thus mitigating the worst abuses of serfdom. It banned parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which had put the Sejm at the mercy of any deputy who could revoke all the legislation that had been passed by that Sejm. It was drafted in relation to a copy of the United States Constitution. It is regarded as the world's second-oldest codified national governmental constitution after the 1787 U.S. Constitution.
Russian Empire
Eventually, the Commonwealth was partitioned in 1772, 1793, and 1795 by the Russian Empire, Prussia, and the Habsburg monarchy.
The largest area of Lithuanian territory became part of the Russian Empire. After the unsuccessful uprisings in 1831 and 1863, the Tsarist authorities implemented a number of Russification policies. In 1840 the Third Statute of Lithuania was abolished. They banned the Lithuanian press, closed cultural and educational institutions and made Lithuania part of a new administrative region called Northwestern Krai. The Russification failed, owing to an extensive network of Lithuanian book smugglers and secret Lithuanian homeschooling.
After the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), when German diplomats assigned what were seen as Russian spoils of war to Turkey, the relationship between Russia and the German Empire became complicated. The Russian Empire resumed the construction of fortresses at its western borders for defence against a potential invasion from Germany in the West. On 7 July 1879 the Russian Emperor Alexander II approved a proposal from the Russian military leadership to build the largest "first-class" defensive structure in the entire state – the 65 km (25 sq mi) Kaunas Fortress. Large numbers of Lithuanians went to the United States in 1867–1868 after a famine.
Simonas Daukantas promoted a return to Lithuania's pre-Commonwealth traditions, which he depicted as a Golden Age of Lithuania and a renewal of the native culture, based on the Lithuanian language and customs. With those ideas in mind, he wrote already in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian – Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių (The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians), though it was not published at that time. A colleague of S. Daukantas, Teodor Narbutt wrote in Polish a voluminous Ancient History of the Lithuanian Nation (1835–1841), where he likewise expounded and expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and Sanskrit languages. A Lithuanian National Revival, inspired by the ancient Lithuanian history, language and culture, laid the foundations of the modern Lithuanian nation and independent Lithuania.
20th and 21st centuries
1918–1939
As a result of the Great Retreat during World War I, Germany occupied the entire territory of Lithuania and Courland by the end of 1915. A new administrative entity, Ober Ost, was established. Lithuanians lost all political rights they had gained: personal freedom was restricted, and at the beginning, the Lithuanian press was banned. However, the Lithuanian intelligentsia tried to take advantage of the existing geopolitical situation and began to look for opportunities to restore Lithuania's independence. On 18–22 September 1917, the Vilnius Conference elected the 20-member Council of Lithuania. The council adopted the Act of Independence of Lithuania on 16 February 1918 which proclaimed the restoration of the independent state of Lithuania governed by democratic principles, with Vilnius as its capital. The state of Lithuania which had been built within the framework of the Act lasted from 1918 until 1940.
Following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the first Provisional Constitution of Lithuania was adopted and the first government of Prime Minister Augustinas Voldemaras was organized. At the same time, the army and other state institutions began to be organized. Lithuania fought three wars of independence: against the Bolsheviks who proclaimed the Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, against the Bermontians, and against Poland. As a result of the staged Żeligowski's Mutiny in October 1920, Poland took control of Vilnius Region and annexed it as Wilno Voivodeship in 1922. Lithuania continued to claim Vilnius as its de jure capital (the de facto, provisional capital being Kaunas) and relations with Poland remained particularly tense and hostile for the entire interwar period. In January 1923, Lithuania staged the Klaipėda Revolt and captured Klaipėda Region (Memel territory) which was detached from East Prussia by the Treaty of Versailles. The region became an autonomous region of Lithuania.
On 15 May 1920, the first meeting of the democratically elected constituent assembly took place. The documents it adopted, i. e. the temporary (1920) and permanent (1922) constitutions of Lithuania, strove to regulate the life of the new state. Land, finance, and educational reforms started to be implemented. The currency of Lithuania, the Lithuanian litas, was introduced. The University of Lithuania was opened. All major public institutions had been established. As Lithuania began to gain stability, foreign countries started to recognize it. In 1921 Lithuania was admitted to the League of Nations.
On 17 December 1926, a military coup d'état took place, resulting in the replacement of the democratically elected government with a conservative authoritarian government led by Antanas Smetona. Augustinas Voldemaras was appointed to form a government. The so-called authoritarian phase had begun strengthening the influence of one party, the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, in the country. In 1927, the Seimas was dissolved. A new constitution was adopted in 1928, which consolidated presidential powers. Gradually, opposition parties were banned, censorship was tightened, and the rights of national minorities were narrowed. The only democratically elected body that continued to exist at the time was a Parliament of the Klaipėda Region.
On 15 July 1933, Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas, Lithuanian pilots, emigrants to the United States, made a significant flight in the history of world aviation. They flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 6,411 km (3,984 mi) without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes (172.4 km/h (107.1 mph)). In terms of comparison, as far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of Russell Boardman and John Polando.
The provisional capital Kaunas, which was nicknamed Little Paris, and the country itself had a Western standard of living with sufficiently high salaries and low prices. At the time, qualified workers there were earning very similar real wages as workers in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France, the country also had a surprisingly high natural increase in population of 9.7 and the industrial production of Lithuania increased by 160% from 1913 to 1940.
The situation was aggravated by the global economic crisis. The purchase price of agricultural products had declined significantly. In 1935, farmers began strikes in Suvalkija and Dzūkija. In addition to economic ones, political demands were made. The government cruelly suppressed the unrest. In the spring of 1936, four peasants were sentenced to death for starting the riots.
1939–1944
Main articles: Occupation of the Baltic states, June Uprising in Lithuania, and German occupation of Lithuania during World War IIOn 20 March 1939, after years of rising tensions, Lithuania was handed an ultimatum by Nazi Germany demanding it relinquish the Klaipėda Region. Two days later, the Lithuanian government accepted the ultimatum. When Nazi Germany and Soviet Union concluded the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Lithuania was initially assigned to the German sphere of influence but was later transferred to the Soviet sphere. At the outbreak of World War II, Lithuania declared neutrality.
In October 1939, Lithuania was forced to sign the Soviet–Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Treaty: five Soviet military bases with 20,000 troops were established in Lithuania in exchange for Vilnius, which the Soviets had captured from Poland. Delayed by the Winter War with Finland, the Soviets issued an ultimatum to Lithuania on 14 June 1940. They demanded the replacement of the Lithuanian government and that the Red Army be allowed into the country. The government decided that, with Soviet bases already in Lithuania, armed resistance was impossible and accepted the ultimatum. President Smetona left the country, hoping to form a government in exile, while more than 200,000 Soviet Red Army soldiers crossed the Belarus–Lithuania border. The next day, identical ultimatums were presented to Latvia and Estonia. The Baltic states were occupied. The Soviets followed semi-constitutional procedures for transforming the independent countries into soviet republics and incorporating them into the Soviet Union.
Vladimir Dekanozov was sent to supervise the formation of the puppet People's Government and the rigged election to the People's Seimas. The Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed on 21 July and accepted into the Soviet Union on 3 August. Lithuania was rapidly Sovietized: political parties and various organizations (except the Communist Party of Lithuania) were outlawed, some 12,000 people, including many prominent figures, were arrested and imprisoned in Gulag as "enemies of the people", larger private property was nationalized, the Lithuanian litas was replaced by the Soviet rouble, farm taxes were increased by 50–200%, the Lithuanian Army was transformed into the 29th Rifle Corps of the Red Army. On 14–18 June 1941, less than a week before the Nazi invasion, some 17,000 Lithuanians were deported to Siberia, where many perished due to inhumane living conditions (see the June deportation). The occupation was not recognized by Western powers and the Lithuanian Diplomatic Service, based on pre-war consulates and legations, continued to represent independent Lithuania until 1990.
When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, Lithuanians began the anti-Soviet June Uprising, organized by the Lithuanian Activist Front. Lithuanians proclaimed independence and organized the Provisional Government of Lithuania. This government quickly self-disbanded. Lithuania became part of the Reichskommissariat Ostland, German civil administration.
By 1 December 1941, over 120,000 Lithuanian Jews, or 91–95% of Lithuania's pre-war Jewish community, had been killed. Nearly 100,000 Jews, Poles, Russians and Lithuanians were murdered at Paneriai. However, thousands of Lithuanian families risking their lives also protected Jews from the Holocaust. Israel has recognized 918 Lithuanians (as of 1 January 2021) as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Approximately 13,000 men served in the Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions. 10 of the 26 Lithuanian Auxiliary Police Battalions working with the Nazi Einsatzkommando, were involved in the mass killings. Rogue units organised by Algirdas Klimaitis and supervised by SS Brigadeführer Walter Stahlecker started the Kaunas pogrom in and around Kaunas on 25 June 1941. In 1941, the Lithuanian Security Police (Lietuvos saugumo policija), subordinate to Nazi Germany's Security Police and Nazi Germany's Criminal Police, was created. The Lietuvos saugumo policija targeted the communist underground.
A new occupation had begun. Nationalized assets were not returned to the residents. Some of them were forced to fight for Nazi Germany or were taken to German territories as forced labourers. Jewish people were herded into ghettos and gradually killed by shooting or sending them out to concentration camps.
1944–1990
Main articles: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian partisans, and Guerrilla war in the Baltic statesAfter the retreat of the German armed forces, the Soviets reestablished their control of Lithuania in July–October 1944. The massive deportations to Siberia were resumed and lasted until the death of Stalin in 1953. Antanas Sniečkus, the leader of the Communist Party of Lithuania from 1940 to 1974, supervised the arrests and deportations. All Lithuanian national symbols were banned. Under the pretext of Lithuania's economic recovery, the Moscow authorities encouraged the migration of workers and other specialists to Lithuania with the intention to further integrate Lithuania into the Soviet Union and to develop the country's industry. At the same time, Lithuanians were lured to work in the USSR by promising them all the privileges of settling in a new place.
The second Soviet occupation was accompanied by the guerrilla warfare of the Lithuanian population, which took place in 1944–1953. It sought to restore an independent state of Lithuania, to consolidate democracy by destroying communism in the country, returning national values and the freedom of religion. About 50,000 Lithuanians took to the forests and fought Soviet occupants with a gun in their hands. In the later stages of the partisan war, Lithuanians formed the Union of Lithuanian Freedom Fighters and its leader Jonas Žemaitis (codename Vytautas) was posthumously recognized as the president of Lithuania. Despite the fact that the guerrilla warfare did not achieve its goal of liberating Lithuania and that it resulted in more than 20,000 deaths, the armed resistance de facto demonstrated that Lithuania did not voluntarily join the USSR and it also legitimized the will of the people of Lithuania to be independent. Lithuanian courts and the ECHR both treat the Soviets' annihilation of the Lithuanian partisans as a genocide.
Even with the suppression of partisan resistance, the Soviet government failed to stop the movement for the independence of Lithuania. The underground dissident groups were active publishing the underground press and Catholic literature. The most active participants of the movement included Vincentas Sladkevičius, Sigitas Tamkevičius and Nijolė Sadūnaitė. In 1972, after Romas Kalanta's public self-immolation, the unrest in Kaunas lasted for several days.
The Helsinki Group, which was founded in Lithuania after the international conference in Helsinki (Finland), where the post-WWII borders were acknowledged, announced a declaration for Lithuania's independence on foreign radio station. The Helsinki Group informed the Western world about the situation in the Soviet Lithuania and violations of human rights. With the beginning of the increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities (glasnost) in the Soviet Union, on 3 June 1988, the Sąjūdis was established in Lithuania with Romualdas Ozolas acting as the key figure of the movement. Very soon it began to seek the country's independence. Eventually, Vytautas Landsbergis became the movement's leader. The supporters of Sąjūdis joined movement's groups all over Lithuania. On 23 August 1988 a big rally took place at the Vingis Park in Vilnius. It was attended by approx. 250,000 people. A year later, on 23 August 1989 commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and aiming to draw the attention of the whole world to the occupation of the Baltic states, a political demonstration, the Baltic Way, was organized. The event, led by Sąjūdis, was a human chain spanning 600 kilometres (370 mi) across Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn, indicating the desire of the people of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to break away from the Soviet Union.
1990–present
On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. After refusal to revoke the Act, the Soviet forces stormed the Seimas Palace, while Lithuanians defended their democratically elected Council. The Act was the first such declaration in the USSR and later served as a model, inspiration to other Soviet republics, and strongly influenced the dissolution of the Soviet Union.On 11 March 1990, the Supreme Council announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first Soviet-occupied state to announce the restitution of independence. On 20 April 1990, the Soviets imposed an economic blockade by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials (primarily oil) to Lithuania. Not only the domestic industry, but also the population started feeling the lack of fuel, essential goods, and even hot water. Although the blockade lasted for 74 days, Lithuania did not renounce the declaration of independence.
Gradually, economic relations had been restored. However, tensions had peaked again in January 1991. At that time, attempts were made to carry out a coup using the Soviet Armed Forces, the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security (KGB). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the coup d'état would receive strong public support.
People from all over Lithuania flooded to Vilnius to defend their legitimately elected Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties of peaceful civilians and caused huge material loss. Not a single person who defended Lithuanian Parliament or other state institutions used a weapon, but the Soviet Army did. Soviet soldiers killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the January Events. Shortly after, on 11 February 1991, the Icelandic parliament voted to confirm that Iceland's 1922 recognition of Lithuanian independence was still in full effect, as it never formally recognized the Soviet Union's control over Lithuania, and that full diplomatic relations should be established as soon as possible.
On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed seven Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the Medininkai Massacre. On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the United Nations.
On 25 October 1992, the citizens of Lithuania voted in a referendum to adopt the current constitution. On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, Algirdas Brazauskas became the first president after the restoration of independence of Lithuania. On 31 August 1993 the last units of the Soviet Army left the territory of Lithuania.
On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). Since 29 March 2004, Lithuania has been part of NATO. On 1 May 2004, it became a fully-fledged member of the European Union, and a member of the Schengen Agreement on 21 December 2007. On 1 January 2015, Lithuania joined the eurozone and adopted the European Union's single currency as the last of the Baltic states. On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined OECD.
Dalia Grybauskaitė (2009–2019) was the first female President of Lithuania and the first president to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.
On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared the state of emergency in response to 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Together with the eight other NATO member states, the country also invoked NATO Article 4 to hold consultations on security.
Geography
Main article: Geography of LithuaniaLithuania is located in the Baltic region of Europe and covers an area of 65,300 km (25,200 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 53° and 57° N, and mostly between longitudes 21° and 27° E (part of the Curonian Spit lies west of 21°). It has around 99 kilometres (61.5 mi) of sandy coastline, only about 38 kilometres (24 mi) of which face the open Baltic Sea, less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major warm-water port, Klaipėda, lies at the narrow mouth of the Curonian Lagoon (Lithuanian: Kuršių marios), a shallow lagoon extending south to Kaliningrad. The country's main and largest river, the Nemunas River, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping.
Lithuania lies at the edge of the North European Plain. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the last ice age, and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is Aukštojas Hill at 294 metres (965 ft) in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features numerous lakes (Lake Vištytis, for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country. Drūkšiai is the largest, Tauragnas is the deepest and Asveja is the longest lake in Lithuania.
After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the Institut Géographique National (French National Geographic Institute), determined that the geographic centre of Europe was in Lithuania, at 54°54′N 25°19′E / 54.900°N 25.317°E / 54.900; 25.317 (Purnuškės (centre of gravity)), 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lithuania's capital city of Vilnius. Affholder accomplished this by calculating the centre of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe.
Climate
Main article: Geography of Lithuania § ClimateLithuania has a temperate climate with both maritime and continental influences. It is defined as humid continental (Dfb) under the Köppen climate classification (but is close to oceanic in a narrow coastal zone).
Average temperatures on the coast are −2.5 °C (27.5 °F) in January and 16 °C (61 °F) in July. In Vilnius the average temperatures are −6 °C (21 °F) in January and 17 °C (63 °F) in July. During the summer, 20 °C (68 °F) is common during the day while 14 °C (57 °F) is common at night; in the past, temperatures have reached as high as 30 or 35 °C (86 or 95 °F). Some winters can be very cold. −20 °C (−4 °F) occurs almost every winter. Winter extremes are −34 °C (−29 °F) in coastal areas and −43 °C (−45 °F) in the east of Lithuania.
The average annual precipitation is 800 mm (31.5 in) on the coast, 900 mm (35.4 in) in the Samogitia highlands and 600 mm (23.6 in) in the eastern part of the country. Snow occurs every year, it can snow from October to April. In some years sleet can fall in September or May. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part. Severe storms are rare in the eastern part of Lithuania but common in the coastal areas.
The longest records of measured temperature in the Baltic area cover about 250 years. The data show warm periods during the latter half of the 18th century, and that the 19th century was a relatively cool period. An early 20th-century warming culminated in the 1930s, followed by a smaller cooling that lasted until the 1960s. A warming trend has persisted since then.
Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and peat bog fires.
Environment
Typical Lithuanian flatlands with lakes, swamps and forests. Thousands of various lakes lie in Lithuania and create magnificent sights from the bird's eye view.Sand dunes of the Curonian Spit near Nida, which are the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe (UNESCO World Heritage Site)After the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990, the Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas (Environmental Protection Act) was adopted already in 1992. The law provided the foundations for regulating social relations in the field of environmental protection, established the basic rights and obligations of legal and natural persons in preserving the biodiversity inherent in Lithuania, ecological systems and the landscape. Lithuania agreed to cut carbon emissions by at least 20% of 1990 levels by 2020 and by at least 40% by 2030, together with all European Union members. Also, by 2020 at least 20% (27% by 2030) of the country's total energy consumption should be from the renewable energy sources. In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effective container deposit legislation, which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017.
Lithuania does not have high mountains and its landscape is dominated by blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereals. However it stands out by the abundance of hillforts, which previously had castles where the ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods. Lithuania is a particularly watered region with more than 3,000 lakes, mostly in the northeast. The country is also drained by numerous rivers, most notably the longest Nemunas. Lithuania is home to two terrestrial ecoregions: Central European mixed forests and Sarmatic mixed forests.
Forest has long been one of the most important natural resources in Lithuania. Forests occupy one third of the country's territory and timber-related industrial production accounts for almost 11% industrial production in the country. Lithuania has five national parks, 30 regional parks, 402 nature reserves, 668 state-protected natural heritage objects.
In 2018 Lithuania was ranked fifth, second to Sweden (first 3 places were not granted) in the Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI). It had a 2019 Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 1.62/10, ranking it 162nd globally out of 172 countries.
Biodiversity
Main article: Fauna of LithuaniaLithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests, bogs, wetlands and meadows), and anthropogenic (agrarian and urban) ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory. Wetlands (raised bogs, fens, transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of the country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. Changes in wetland plant communities resulted in the replacement of moss and grass communities by trees and shrubs, and fens not directly affected by land reclamation have become drier as a result of a drop in the water table. There are 29,000 rivers with a total length of 64,000 km in Lithuania, the Nemunas River basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential catadromous fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication.
Agricultural land comprises 54% of Lithuania's territory (roughly 70% of that is arable land and 30% meadows and pastures), approximately 400,000 ha of agricultural land is not farmed, and acts as an ecological niche for weeds and invasive plant species. Habitat deterioration is occurring in regions with very productive and expensive lands as crop areas are expanded. Currently, 18.9% of all plant species, including 1.87% of all known fungi species and 31% of all known species of lichens, are listed in the Lithuanian Red Data Book. The list also contains 8% of all fish species.
The wildlife populations have rebounded as the hunting became more restricted and urbanization allowed replanting forests (forests already tripled in size since their lows). Currently, Lithuania has approximately 250,000 larger wild animals or 5 per each square kilometre. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is the roe deer, with 120,000 of them. They are followed by boars (55,000). Other ungulates are the deer (~22,000), fallow-deer (~21,000) and the largest one: moose (~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators, foxes are the most common (~27,000). Wolves are, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are the lynxes (~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude the rabbit, ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests.
Government and politics
Main article: Politics of LithuaniaGovernment
Since Lithuania declared the restoration of its independence on 11 March 1990, it has maintained strong democratic traditions. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56.75% of voters supported the new constitution. There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A separate referendum was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the President of Lithuania. Through compromise, a semi-presidential system was agreed on.
Gitanas Nausėda,President since 2019Ingrida Šimonytė,
Prime Minister since 2020
The Lithuanian head of state is the president, directly elected for a five-year term and serving a maximum of two terms. The president oversees foreign affairs and national security, and is the commander-in-chief of the military. The president also appoints the prime minister and, on the latter's nomination, the rest of the cabinet, as well as a number of other top civil servants and the judges for all courts except the Constitutional Court. The current Lithuanian head of state, Gitanas Nausėda was elected on 26 May 2019 by unanimously winning in all municipalities of Lithuania on the second election tour.
The judges of the Constitutional Court (Konstitucinis Teismas) serve nine-year terms. The court is renewed by a third every three years. The judges are appointed by the Seimas, on the nomination of the President, Chairman of the Seimas, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court,. The unicameral Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, has 141 members who are elected to four-year terms. 71 of the members of its members are elected in single-member constituencies, and the others in a nationwide vote by proportional representation. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in the Seimas.
Political parties and elections
Main article: Elections in LithuaniaLithuania was one of the first countries in the world to grant women a right to vote in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the 1918 Constitution of Lithuania and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. By doing so, Lithuania allowed it earlier than such democratic countries as the United States (1920), France (1945), Greece (1952), Switzerland (1971).
Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system, with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the Seimas take place on the second Sunday of October every four years. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old on the election day, not under allegiance to a foreign state and permanently reside in Lithuania. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election. Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats won the 2020 Lithuanian parliamentary elections and gained 50 of 141 seats in the parliament. In October 2020, the prime ministerial candidate of Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) Ingrida Šimonytė formed a centre-right coalition with two liberal parties.
The President of Lithuania is the head of state of the country, elected to a five-year term in a majority vote. Elections take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 40 years old on the election day and reside in Lithuania for at least three years, in addition to satisfying the eligibility criteria for a member of the parliament. Same President may serve for not more than two terms. Gitanas Nausėda has won the most recent election as an independent candidate in 2019.
Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a municipal council and a mayor, who is a member of the municipal council. The number of members, elected on a four-year term, in each municipal council depends on the size of the municipality and varies from 15 (in municipalities with fewer than 5,000 residents) to 51 (in municipalities with more than 500,000 residents). 1,524 municipal council members were elected in 2015. Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Starting with 2015, the mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality. Social Democratic Party of Lithuania won most of the positions in the 2015 elections (372 municipal councils seats and 16 mayors).
As of 2019, the number of seats in the European Parliament allocated to Lithuania was 11. Ordinary elections take place on a Sunday on the same day as in other EU countries. The vote is open to all citizens of Lithuania, as well as citizens of other EU countries that permanently reside in Lithuania, who are at least 18 years old on the election day. To be eligible for election, candidates must be at least 21 years old on the election day, a citizen of Lithuania or a citizen of another EU country permanently residing in Lithuania. Candidates are not allowed to stand for election in more than one country. Persons serving or due to serve a sentence imposed by the court 65 days before the election are not eligible. Also, judges, citizens performing military service, and servicemen of professional military service and officials of statutory institutions and establishments may not stand for election. Six political parties and one committee representatives gained seats in the 2019 elections.
Law and law enforcement
Main article: Law of LithuaniaThe first attempt to codify the Lithuanian laws was in 1468 when the Casimir's Code was compiled and adopted by Grand Duke Casimir IV Jagiellon. In the 16th century three editions of the Statutes of Lithuania were created with the First Statute being adopted in 1529, the Second Statute in 1566, and the Third Statute in 1588. On 3 May 1791, the Europe's first and the world's second Constitution was adopted by the Great Sejm. The Third Statute was partly in force in the territory of Lithuania even until 1840, despite the Third Partition of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1795.
In 1934–1935, Lithuania held the first mass trial of the Nazis in Europe, the convicted were sentenced to imprisonment in a heavy labor prison and capital punishments.
After regaining of independence in 1990, the largely modified Soviet legal codes were in force for about a decade. The current Constitution of Lithuania was adopted on 25 October 1992. In 2001, the Civil Code of Lithuania was passed in Seimas. It was succeeded by the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedure Code in 2003. The approach to the criminal law is inquisitorial, as opposed to adversarial; it is generally characterised by an insistence on formality and rationalisation, as opposed to practicality and informality. Normative legal act enters into force on the next day after its publication in the Teisės aktų registras, unless it has a later entry into force date.
The European Union law is an integral part of the Lithuanian legal system since 1 May 2004.
Lithuania, after breaking away from the Soviet Union, had a difficult crime situation, however, the Lithuanian law enforcement agencies fought crime over the years, making Lithuania a reasonably safe country. Crime in Lithuania has been declining rapidly. Law enforcement in Lithuania is primarily the responsibility of local Lietuvos policija (Lithuanian Police) commissariats. They are supplemented by the Lietuvos policijos antiteroristinių operacijų rinktinė Aras (Anti-Terrorist Operations Team of the Lithuanian Police Aras), Lietuvos kriminalinės policijos biuras (Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau), Lietuvos policijos kriminalistinių tyrimų centras (Lithuanian Police Forensic Research Center) and Lietuvos kelių policijos tarnyba (Lithuanian Road Police Service).
In 2017, there were 63,846 crimes registered in Lithuania. Of these, thefts comprised a large part with 19,630 cases (13.2% less than in 2016). While 2,835 crimes were serious and very serious (crimes that may lead to more than six years imprisonment), which is 14.5% less than in 2016. In total, 129 homicides or attempted homicide occurred (19.9% less than in 2016), while serious bodily harm was registered 178 times (17.6% less than in 2016). Another problematic crime contraband cases also decreased by 27.2% from 2016 numbers. Meanwhile, crimes in electronic data and information technology security fields noticeably increased by 26.6%. In the 2013 Special Eurobarometer, 29% of Lithuanians said that corruption affects their daily lives (EU average 26%). Moreover, 95% of Lithuanians regarded corruption as widespread in their country (EU average 76%), and 88% agreed that bribery and the use of connections is often the easiest way of obtaining certain public services (EU average 73%). Though, according to local branch of Transparency International, corruption levels have been decreasing over the past decade.
Capital punishment in Lithuania was suspended in 1996 and fully eliminated in 1998. Lithuania has the highest number of prison inmates in the EU. According to scientist Gintautas Sakalauskas, this is not because of a high criminality rate in the country, but due to Lithuania's high repression level and the lack of trust of the convicted, who are frequently sentenced to a jail imprisonment.
Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of Lithuania See also: Counties of Lithuania, Municipalities of Lithuania, and Elderships of LithuaniaAlytus County
Kaunas County
Klaipėda
County
Marijampolė
County
Panevėžys County
Šiauliai County
Tauragė County
Telšiai County
Utena County
Vilnius County Baltic Sea Latvia Belarus Poland Russia
The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's 10 counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys) are subdivided into 60 municipalities (Lithuanian: singular – savivaldybė, plural – savivaldybės), and further divided into 500 elderships (Lithuanian: singular – seniūnija, plural – seniūnijos).
Municipalities have been the most important unit of administration in Lithuania since the system of county governorship (apskrities viršininkas) was dissolved in 2010. Some municipalities are historically called "district municipalities" (often shortened to "district"), while others are called "city municipalities" (sometimes shortened to "city"). Each has its own elected government. The election of municipality councils originally occurred every three years, but now takes place every four years. The council appoints elders to govern the elderships. Mayors have been directly elected since 2015; prior to that, they were appointed by the council.
Elderships, numbering over 500, are the smallest administrative units and do not play a role in national politics. They provide necessary local public services—for example, registering births and deaths in rural areas. They are most active in the social sector, identifying needy individuals or families and organizing and distributing welfare and other forms of relief. Some citizens feel that elderships have no real power and receive too little attention, and that they could otherwise become a source of local initiative for addressing rural problems.
County | Area (km) | Population (thousands) (2019) | Nominal GDP (billion EUR) | GDP per capita (EUR) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alytus County | 5,425 | 134 | 1.6 | 11,500 |
Kaunas County | 8,089 | 562 | 11.6 | 20,400 |
Klaipėda County | 5,209 | 319 | 6.0 | 18,400 |
Marijampolė County | 4,463 | 136 | 1.6 | 11,800 |
Panevėžys County | 7,881 | 221 | 3.0 | 14,100 |
Šiauliai County | 8,540 | 261 | 3.9 | 15,000 |
Tauragė County | 4,411 | 91 | 1.1 | 10,900 |
Telšiai County | 4,350 | 130 | 1.8 | 13,500 |
Utena County | 7,201 | 124 | 1.4 | 11,200 |
Vilnius County | 9,731 | 820 | 24.2 | 29,800 |
Lithuania | 65,300 | 2,828 | 56.2 | 20,000 |
Foreign relations
Main article: Foreign relations of LithuaniaLithuania became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, as well as NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on 31 May 2001, and joined the OECD on 5 July 2018, while also seeking membership in other Western organizations.
Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries.
In 2011, Lithuania hosted the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Ministerial Council Meeting. During the second half of 2013, Lithuania assumed the role of the presidency of the European Union.
Lithuania is also active in developing cooperation among northern European countries. It is a member of the interparliamentary Baltic Assembly, the intergovernmental Baltic Council of Ministers and the Council of the Baltic Sea States.
Lithuania also cooperates with Nordic and the two other Baltic countries through the NB8 format. A similar format, NB6, unites Nordic and Baltic members of EU. NB6's focus is to discuss and agree on positions before presenting them to the Council of the European Union and at the meetings of EU foreign affairs ministers.
The Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) was established in Copenhagen in 1992 as an informal regional political forum. Its main aim is to promote integration and to close contacts between the region's countries. The members of CBSS are Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, and the European Commission. Its observer states are Belarus, France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
The Nordic Council of Ministers and Lithuania engage in political cooperation to attain mutual goals and to determine new trends and possibilities for joint cooperation. The council's information office aims to disseminate Nordic concepts and to demonstrate and promote Nordic cooperation.
Lithuania, together with the five Nordic countries and the two other Baltic countries, is a member of the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB) and cooperates in its NORDPLUS programme, which is committed to education.
The Baltic Development Forum (BDF) is an independent nonprofit organization that unites large companies, cities, business associations and institutions in the Baltic Sea region. In 2010 the BDF's 12th summit was held in Vilnius.
Poland was highly supportive of Lithuanian independence, despite Lithuania's discriminatory treatment of its Polish minority. The former Solidarity leader and Polish President Lech Wałęsa criticised the government of Lithuania over discrimination against the Polish minority and rejected Lithuania's Order of Vytautas the Great. Lithuania maintains greatly warm mutual relations with Georgia and strongly supports its European Union and NATO aspirations. During the Russo-Georgian War in 2008, when the Russian troops were occupying the territory of Georgia and approaching towards the Georgian capital Tbilisi, President Valdas Adamkus, together with the Polish and Ukrainian presidents, went to Tbilisi by answering to the Georgians request of the international assistance. Shortly, Lithuanians and the Lithuanian Catholic Church also began collecting financial support for the war victims.
In 2004–2009, Dalia Grybauskaitė served as European Commissioner for Financial Programming and the Budget within the José Manuel Barroso-led Commission.
In 2013, Lithuania was elected to the United Nations Security Council for a two-year term, becoming the first Baltic country elected to this post. During its membership, Lithuania actively supported Ukraine and often condemned Russia for the war in Ukraine, immediately earning vast Ukrainians esteem. As the War in Donbas progressed, President Dalia Grybauskaitė has compared the Russian President Vladimir Putin to Josef Stalin and to Adolf Hitler, she has also called Russia a "terrorist state". In 2018 Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia were awarded the Peace of Westphalia Prize [de] – for their exceptional model of democratic development and contribution to peace in the continent. In 2019 Lithuania condemned the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. In December 2021, Lithuania reported that in an escalation of the diplomatic spat with China over its relations with Taiwan, China had stopped all imports from Lithuania.
The 2023 NATO summit will be held in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Lithuania’s president Gitanas Nausėda called for more NATO troops on 22 April 2022, saying NATO should increase its deployment of troops in Lithuania and elsewhere on Europe's eastern flank following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, during a meeting in Vilnius.
Military
Main article: Lithuanian Armed ForcesThe Lithuanian Armed Forces is the name for the unified armed forces of Lithuanian Land Force, Lithuanian Air Force, Lithuanian Naval Force, Lithuanian Special Operations Force and other units: Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Battalion, Military Police. Directly subordinated to the Chief of Defence are the Special Operations Forces and Military Police. The Reserve Forces are under command of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces.
The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of some 20,000 active personnel, which may be supported by reserve forces. Compulsory conscription ended in 2008 but was reintroduced in 2015. The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently have deployed personnel on international missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Mali and Somalia.
Lithuania became a full member of NATO in March 2004. Fighter jets of NATO members are deployed in Šiauliai Air Base and provide safety for the Baltic airspace.
Since the summer of 2005, Lithuania has been part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF), leading a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the town of Chaghcharan in the province of Ghor. The PRT includes personnel from Denmark, Iceland and the US. There are also special operation forces units in Afghanistan, placed in Kandahar Province. Since joining international operations in 1994, Lithuania has lost two soldiers: Lt. Normundas Valteris fell in Bosnia, as his patrol vehicle drove over a mine. Sgt. Arūnas Jarmalavičius was fatally wounded during an attack on the camp of his Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan.
The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states.
The defense ministry is responsible for combat forces, search and rescue, and intelligence operations. The 5,000 border guards fall under the Interior Ministry's supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with the navy for smuggling and drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and communications security. In 2015 National Cyber Security Centre of Lithuania was created. Paramilitary organisation Lithuanian Riflemen's Union acts as a civilian self-defence institution.
According to NATO, in 2020, Lithuania allocated 2.13% of its GDP to the national defense. For a long time, especially after the global financial crisis in 2008, Lithuania lagged behind NATO allies in terms of defence spending. However, in recent years it has begun to rapidly increase the funding, exceeding the NATO guideline of 2% in 2019.
Economy
Main article: Economy of LithuaniaLithuania has an open and mixed economy that is classified as high-income economy by the World Bank. According to data from 2016, the three largest sectors in Lithuanian economy are – services (68.3% of GDP), industry (28.5%) and agriculture (3.3%). World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report ranks Lithuania 41st (of 137 ranked countries).
Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, EU in 2004, Schengen in 2007 and OECD in 2018.
On 1 January 2015, the euro became the national currency, replacing litas at the rate of EUR 1.00 = LTL 3.45280.
Agricultural products and food comprise 18.3% of exports; other major sectors include chemical products and plastics (17.8%), machinery and appliances (15.8%), mineral products (14.7%), wood and furniture (12.5%). According to data from 2016, more than half of all Lithuanian exports go to 7 countries including Russia (14%), Latvia (9.9%), Poland (9.1%), Germany (7.7%), Estonia (5.3%), Sweden (4.8%) and United Kingdom (4.3%). Exports equaled 81.31 percent of Lithuania's GDP in 2017.
Lithuanian GDP experienced very high real growth rates for decade up to 2009, peaking at 11.1% in 2007. As a result, the country was often termed as a Baltic Tiger. However, in 2009 due to a global financial crisis marked experienced a drastic decline – GDP contracted by 14.9% and unemployment rate reached 17.8% in 2010. After the decline of 2009, Lithuanian annual economic growth has been much slower compared to pre-2009 years. According to IMF, financial conditions are conducive to growth and financial soundness indicators remain strong. The public debt ratio in 2016 fell to 40 percent of GDP, to compare with 42.7 in 2015 (before global finance crisis – 15 percent of GDP in 2008).
On average, more than 95% of all foreign direct investment in Lithuania comes from European Union countries. Sweden is historically the largest investor with 20% – 30% of all FDI in Lithuania. FDI into Lithuania spiked in 2017, reaching its highest ever recorded number of greenfield investment projects. In 2017, Lithuania was third country, after Ireland and Singapore by the average job value of investment projects. The US was the leading source country in 2017, 24.59% of total FDI. Next up are Germany and the UK, each representing 11.48% of total project numbers. Based on the Eurostat's data, in 2017, the value of Lithuanian exports recorded the most rapid growth not only in the Baltic countries, but also across Europe, which was 16.9 per cent.
In the period between 2004 and 2016, one out of five Lithuanians emigrated, primarily due to insufficient income for residents; secondarily seeking to study abroad. Long term emigration and economy growth has resulted in a noticeable shortage in the labor market and growth in salaries being larger than growth in labor efficiency. Unemployment rate in 2017 was 8.1%.
As of 2021, Lithuanian median wealth per adult was $28,400 (mean was $63,500), while the total national wealth was $138 billion. As of December 2022, the average monthly gross salary in Lithuania was €2,042. Although, cost of living in the country also is sufficiently less with the price level for household final consumption expenditure (HFCE) – 63, being 39% lower than EU average – 102 in 2016.
Lithuania has a flat tax rate rather than a progressive scheme. According to Eurostat, the personal income tax (15%) and corporate tax (15%) rates in Lithuania are among the lowest in the EU. The country has the lowest implicit rate of tax on capital (9.8%) in the EU. Corporate tax rate in Lithuania is 15% and 5% for small businesses. 7 Free Economic Zones are operating in Lithuania.
Information technology production is growing in the country, reaching €1.9 billion in 2016. In 2017 only, 35 FinTech companies came to Lithuania – a result of Lithuanian government and Bank of Lithuania simplified procedures for obtaining licences for the activities of e-money and payment institutions. Europe's first international Blockchain Centre launched in Vilnius in 2018. Lithuania has granted a total of 39 e-money licenses, second in the EU only to the U.K. with 128 licenses. In 2018 Google set up a payment company in Lithuania.
Companies
Largest companies of Lithuania in 2021, by revenue:
Rank | Name | Headquarters | Revenue (bil. €) |
Employees | Industry |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
01. | Orlen Lietuva, AB | Mažeikiai | 4.263 | 1,427 | Oil, petrol |
02. | Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics, UAB | Vilnius | 1.941 | 1,790 | Biotechnology, pharmaceutical |
03. | Maxima LT, UAB | Vilnius | 1.759 | 12,339 | Retail |
04. | Girteka Logistics, UAB | Vilnius | 1.145 | 1,516 | Logistics |
05. | Ignitis, UAB | Vilnius | 0.862 | 325 | Energy |
06. | Linas Agro Group, AB | Panevėžys | 0.743 | 120 | Agribusiness |
07. | Viada LT, UAB | Vilnius | 0.688 | 1,098 | Petrol stations |
08. | Sanitex, UAB | Kaunas | 0.618 | 1,189 | General merchandise, logistics |
09. | Achema, AB | Jonava | 0.590 | 1,238 | Fertilizer |
010. | Lidl Lietuva, UAB | Vilnius | 0.578 | 2,513 | Retail |
Agriculture
Main article: Agriculture in LithuaniaAgriculture in Lithuania dates to the Neolithic period, about 3,000 to 1,000 BC. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries. Lithuania's accession to the European Union in 2004 ushered in a new agricultural era. The EU pursues a very high standard of food safety and purity. In 1999, the Seimas (parliament) of Lithuania adopted a Law on Product Safety, and in 2000 it adopted a Law on Food. The reform of the agricultural market has been carried out on the basis of these two laws.
In 2016, agricultural production in Lithuania was €2.29 billion. Cereal crops occupied the largest part of it (5709.7 tons), other significant types include: sugar beets (933.9 tons), rapeseed (392.5 tons) and potatoes (340.2 tons). Products totaling €4,385.2 million were exported from Lithuania to foreign markets, of which products for €3,165.2 million were Lithuanian origin. Export of agricultural and food products accounted for 19.4% of all exports of goods from the country.
Organic farming is constantly becoming more popular in Lithuania. The status of organic growers and producers in the country is granted by the public body Ekoagros. In 2016, there were 2539 such farms that occupied 225,541.78 hectares. Of these, 43.13% were cereals, 31.22% were perennial grasses, 13.9% were leguminous crops and 11.75% were others.
Science and technology
Lithuanian bajoras and artillery expert Kazimieras Simonavičius developed and popularized the concept of a multistage rocket.Foundation of the University of Vilnius in 1579 was a major factor of establishing local scientist community in Lithuania and making connections with other universities and scientists of Europe. Georg Forster, Jean-Emmanuel Gilibert, Johann Peter Frank and many other visiting scientists have worked at University of Vilnius. Lithuanian bajoras and Grand Duchy of Lithuania artillery expert Kazimieras Simonavičius is a pioneer of rocketry, who has published Artis Magnae Artilleriae in 1650 that for over two centuries was used in Europe as a basic artillery manual and contains a large chapter on caliber, construction, production and properties of rockets (for military and civil purposes), including multistage rockets, batteries of rockets, and rockets with delta wing stabilizers. A botanist Jurgis Pabrėža (1771–1849), created first systematic guide of Lithuanian flora Taislius auguminis (Botany), written in Samogitian dialect, the Latin-Lithuanian dictionary of plant names, first Lithuanian textbook of geography. German scientist Theodor Grotthuss (1785–1822), who proposed the Grotthuss mechanism, lived and worked in the Gedučiai manor [lt] where he gained prominence amongst the locals for his effort in educating the peasants and improving their well-being.
During the Interwar period humanitarian and social scientists emerged such as Vosylius Sezemanas, Levas Karsavinas, Mykolas Römeris. Due to the World Wars, Lithuanian science and scientists suffered heavily from the occupants, however some of them reached a world-class achievements in their lifetime. Most notably, Antanas Gustaitis, Vytautas Andrius Graičiūnas, Marija Gimbutas, Birutė Galdikas, A. J. Kliorė, Algirdas Julien Greimas, medievalist Jurgis Baltrušaitis, Algirdas Antanas Avižienis. Jonas Kubilius, long-term rector of the University of Vilnius is known for works in Probabilistic number theory, Kubilius model, Theorem of Kubilius and Turán–Kubilius inequality bear his name. Jonas Kubilius successfully resisted attempts to Russify the University of Vilnius.
Nowadays, the country is among moderate innovators group in the International Innovation Index. and in the European Innovation Scoreboard ranked 15th among EU countries. Lithuania was ranked 39th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021
Lasers and biotechnology are flagship fields of the Lithuanian science and high tech industry. Lithuanian "Šviesos konversija" (Light Conversion) has developed a femtosecond laser system that has 80% marketshare worldwide, and is used in DNA research, ophthalmological surgeries, nanotech industry and science. Vilnius University Laser Research Center has developed one of the most powerful femtosecond lasers in the world dedicated primarily to oncological diseases. In 1963, Vytautas Straižys and his coworkers created Vilnius photometric system that is used in astronomy. Noninvasive intracranial pressure and blood flow measuring devices were developed by KTU scientist A. Ragauskas. K.Pyragas contributed to Control of chaos with his way of delayed feedback control – Pyragas method. Kavli Prize laureate Virginijus Šikšnys is known for his discoveries in CRISPR field – invention of CRISPR-Cas9.
Lithuania has launched three satellites to space: LitSat-1, Lituanica SAT-1 and LituanicaSAT-2. Lithuanian Museum of Ethnocosmology and Molėtai Astronomical Observatory is located in Kulionys. 15 R&D institutions are members of Lithuanian Space Association; Lithuania is a cooperating state with European Space Agency. Rimantas Stankevičius is the only ethnically Lithuanian astronaut.
Lithuania in 2018 became Associated Member State of CERN. Two CERN incubators in Vilnius and Kaunas will be hosted.
Most advanced scientific research in Lithuania is being conducted at the Life Sciences Center, Center For Physical Sciences and Technology.
As of 2016 calculations, yearly growth of Lithuania's biotech and life science sector was 22% over the past 5 years. 16 academic institutions, 15 R&D centres (science parks and innovation valleys) and more than 370 manufacturers operate in the Lithuanian life science and biotech industry.
In 2008 the Valley development programme was started aiming to upgrade Lithuanian scientific research infrastructure and encourage business and science cooperation. Five R&D Valleys were launched – Jūrinis (maritime technologies), Nemunas (agro, bioenergy, forestry), Saulėtekis (laser and light, semiconductor), Santara (biotechnology, medicine), Santaka (sustainable chemistry and pharmacy). Lithuanian Innovation Center is created to provide support for innovations and research institutions.
Tourism
Main article: Tourism in LithuaniaStatistics from 2016 showed that 1.49 million tourists from foreign countries visited Lithuania and spent at least one night in the country. The largest number of tourists came from Germany (174,800), Belarus (171,900), Russia (150,600), Poland (148,400), Latvia (134,400), Ukraine (84,000), and the UK (58,200).
The total contribution of Travel & Tourism to country GDP was €2,005.5 million, 5.3% of GDP in 2016, and is forecast to rise by 7.3% in 2017, and to rise by 4.2% pa to €3,243.5 million, 6.7% of GDP in 2027. Hot air ballooning is very popular in Lithuania, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially in Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. EuroVelo routes EV10, EV11, EV13 go through Lithuania. Total length of bicycle tracks amounts to 3769 km (of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement).
Nemunas Delta Regional Park and Žuvintas biosphere reserve are known for birdwatching.
Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities—Vilnius, Klaipėda, and Kaunas, seaside resorts, such as Neringa, Palanga, and Spa towns – Druskininkai, Birštonas.
Infrastructure
Communication
Main article: Telecommunications in LithuaniaLithuania has a well developed communications infrastructure. The country has 2.8 million citizens and 5 million SIM cards. The largest LTE (4G) mobile network covers 97% of Lithuania's territory. Usage of fixed phone lines has been rapidly decreasing due to rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services.
In 2017, Lithuania was top 30 in the world by average mobile broadband speeds and top 20 by average fixed broadband speeds. Lithuania was also top 7 in 2017 in the List of countries by 4G LTE penetration. In 2016, Lithuania was ranked 17th in United Nations' e-participation index.
There are four TIER III datacenters in Lithuania. Lithuania is 44th globally ranked country on data center density according to Cloudscene.
Long-term project (2005–2013) – Development of Rural Areas Broadband Network (RAIN) was started with the objective to provide residents, state and municipal authorities and businesses with fibre-optic broadband access in rural areas. RAIN infrastructure allows 51 communications operators to provide network services to their clients. The project was funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian government. 72% of Lithuanian households have access to internet, a number which in 2017 was among EU's lowest and in 2016 ranked 97th by CIA World Factbook. Number of households with internet access is expected to increase and reach 77% by 2021. Almost 50% of Lithuanians had smartphones in 2016, a number that is expected to increase to 65% by 2022. Lithuania has the highest FTTH (Fiber to the home) penetration rate in Europe (36.8% in September 2016) according to FTTH Council Europe.
Transport
Main article: Transport in LithuaniaLithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when the Warsaw – Saint Petersburg Railway was constructed. It included a stretch from Daugavpils via Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operating tunnel was completed in 1860.
Rail transport in Lithuania consists of 1,762 km (1,095 mi) of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11.8 in) Russian gauge railway of which 122 km (76 mi) are electrified. This railway network is incompatible with European standard gauge and requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has 115 km (71 mi) of standard gauge lines. More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail. The Trans-European standard gauge Rail Baltica railway, linking Helsinki–Tallinn–Riga–Kaunas–Warsaw and continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017, Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition.
Transportation is the third largest sector in Lithuanian economy. Lithuanian transport companies drew attention in 2016 and 2017 with huge and record-breaking orders of trucks. Almost 90% of commercial truck traffic in Lithuania is international transports, the highest of any EU country.
Lithuania has an extensive network of motorways. WEF grades Lithuanian roads at 4.7 / 7.0 and Lithuanian road authority (LAKD) at 6.5 / 10.0.
The Port of Klaipėda is the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. In 2011 45.5 million tons of cargo were handled (including Būtingė oil terminal figures) Port of Klaipėda is outside of EU's 20 largest ports, but it is the eighth largest port in the Baltic Sea region with ongoing expansion plans.
Vilnius International Airport is the largest airport in Lithuania, 91st busiest airport in Europe (EU's 100 largest airports). It served 3.8 million passengers in 2016. Other international airports include Kaunas International Airport, Palanga International Airport and Šiauliai International Airport. Kaunas International Airport is also a small commercial cargo airport which started regular commercial cargo traffic in 2011. The inland river cargo port in Marvelė, linking Kaunas and Klaipėda, received first cargo in 2019.
Water supply and sanitation
Lithuania has one of the largest fresh water supplies, compared with other countries in Europe. Lithuania and Denmark are the only countries in Europe, which are fully equipped with fresh groundwater. Lithuanians consume about 0.5 million cubic metres of water per day, which is only 12–14 percent of all explored fresh groundwater resources. Water quality in the country is very high and is determined by the fact that drinking water comes from deep layers that are protected from pollution on the surface of the earth. Drilling depth usually reaches 30–50 metres, but in Klaipėda Region it even reaches 250 metres. Consequently, Lithuania is one of very few European countries where groundwater is used for centralized water supply. With a large underground fresh water reserves, Lithuania exports mineral-rich water to other countries. Approved mineral water quantity is about 2.7 million cubic metres per year, while production is only 4–5 percent of all mineral water resources.
Vilnius is the only Baltic capital that uses centralized water supplying from deep water springs, which are protected from pollution and has no nitrates or nitrites that are harmful to the human body. Water is cleaned without chemicals in Lithuania. About 20% of the consumed water in the state is a non-filtered very high quality water.
Energy
Main article: Energy in Lithuania See also: Renewable energy in LithuaniaSystematic diversification of energy imports and resources is Lithuania's key energy strategy. Long-term aims were defined in National Energy Independence strategy in 2012 by Lietuvos Seimas. It was estimated that strategic energy independence initiatives will cost €6.3–7.8 billion in total and provide annual savings of €0.9–1.1 billion.
After the decommissioning of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant, Lithuania turned from electricity exporter to electricity importer. Unit No. 1 was closed in December 2004, as a condition of Lithuania's entry into the European Union; Unit No. 2 was closed down on 31 December 2009. Proposals have been made to construct a new – Visaginas Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania. However, a non-binding referendum held in October 2012 clouded the prospects for the Visaginas project, as 63% of voters said no to a new nuclear power plant.
The country's main primary source of electrical power is Elektrėnai Power Plant. Other primary sources of Lithuania's electrical power are Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant and Kaunas Hydroelectric Power Plant. Kruonis Pumped Storage Plant is the only in the Baltic states power plant to be used for regulation of the power system's operation with generating capacity of 900 MW for at least 12 hours. As of 2015, 66% of electrical power was imported. First geothermal heating plant (Klaipėda Geothermal Demonstration Plant) in the Baltic Sea region was built in 2004.
Lithuania–Sweden submarine electricity interconnection NordBalt and Lithuania–Poland electricity interconnection LitPol Link were launched at the end of 2015.
In order to break down Gazprom's monopoly in natural gas market of Lithuania, first large scale LNG import terminal (Klaipėda LNG FSRU) in the Baltic region was built in port of Klaipėda in 2014. The Klaipėda LNG terminal was called Independence, thus emphasising the aim to diversify energy market of Lithuania. Norvegian company Equinor supplies 540 million cubic metres (19 billion cubic feet) of natural gas annually from 2015 until 2020. The terminal is able to meet the Lithuania's demand 100 percent, and Latvia's and Estonia's national demand 90 percent in the future.
Gas Interconnection Poland–Lithuania (GIPL), also known as Lithuania–Poland pipeline, is a proposed natural gas pipeline interconnection between Lithuania and Poland that is expected to be finished by 2019. In 2018 synchronising the Baltic States' electricity grid with the Synchronous grid of Continental Europe has started.
In 2016, 20.8% of electricity consumed in Lithuania came from renewable sources.
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of LithuaniaSince the Neolithic period the native inhabitants of the Lithuanian territory have not been replaced by any other ethnic group, so there is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have preserved the genetic composition of their forebears relatively undisturbed by the major demographic movements, although without being actually isolated from them. The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups.
A 2004 analysis of MtDNA in the Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are close to the Slavic and Finno-Ugric speaking populations of Northern and Eastern Europe. Y-chromosome SNP haplogroup analysis showed Lithuanians to be closest to Latvians and Estonians.
In 2021, the age structure of the population was as follows: 0–14 years, 14.86% (male 214,113/female 203,117); 15–64 years: 65.19% (male 896,400/female 934,467); 65 years and over: 19.95% (male 195,269/female 365,014). The median age in 2022 was 44 years (male: 41, female: 47).
Lithuania has a sub-replacement fertility rate: the total fertility rate (TFR) in Lithuania was 1.34 children born/woman in 2021, the mean age of women at childbirth was 30.3 years, that of women at the birth of the first child – 28.2 years. The human sex ratio is male leaning for the age categories 15–44 with 1.0352 males for every female. As of 2021, 25.6% of births were to unmarried women. The mean age at first marriage in 2021 was 28.3 years for women and 30.5 years for men.
Functional urban areas
Functional urban areas | Population (2021) |
---|---|
Vilnius | 708,203 |
Kaunas | 385,787 |
Panevėžys | 124,526 |
Ethnic groups
Main articles: Lithuanians and Ethnic minorities in LithuaniaResidents of Lithuania by ethnicity (2021) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Lithuanians | 84.6% | |||
Poles | 6.5% | |||
Russians | 5.0% | |||
Belarusians | 1.0% | |||
Ukrainians | 0.5% | |||
Others | 2.3% |
Ethnic Lithuanians make up about five-sixths of the country's population and Lithuania has the most homogeneous population in the Baltic States. In 2015, the population of Lithuania stands at 2,921,262, 84.2% of whom are ethnic Lithuanians who speak Lithuanian, which is the official language of the country. Several sizeable minorities exist, such as Poles (6.6%), Russians (5.8%), Belarusians (1.2%) and Ukrainians (0.5%).
Poles in Lithuania are the largest minority, concentrated in southeast Lithuania (the Vilnius region). Russians in Lithuania are the second largest minority, concentrated mostly in two cities. They constitute sizeable minorities in Vilnius (12%) and Klaipėda (19.6%), and a majority in the town of Visaginas (52%). About 3,000 Roma live in Lithuania, mostly in Vilnius, Kaunas and Panevėžys; their organizations are supported by the National Minority and Emigration Department. For centuries a small Tatar community has flourished in Lithuania.
The official language is Lithuanian, but in some areas there is a significant presence of minority languages, such as Polish, Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. The greatest presence of minorities and the use of these languages is in Šalčininkai District Municipality, Vilnius District Municipality and Visaginas Municipality. Yiddish is spoken by members of the tiny remaining Jewish community in Lithuania. The state laws guarantee education in minority languages and there are numerous publicly funded schools in the areas populated by minorities, with Polish as the language of instruction being the most widely available.
According to the survey carried out within the framework of the Lithuanian census of 2021, 85.33% of the country's population speak Lithuanian as their native language, 6.8% are native speakers of Russian and 5.1% of Polish. As of 2021, 60.6% of residents speak Russian as a foreign language, 31.1% – English, 10.5% – Lithuanian, 8% – German, 7.9% – Polish, 1.9% – French, 2.6% – various others. Most Lithuanian schools teach English as the first foreign language, but students may also study German, or, in some schools, French or Russian. Around 80% of young people in Lithuania know English.
Urbanization
See also: List of cities in LithuaniaThere has been a steady movement of population to the cities since the 1990s, encouraged by the planning of regional centres, such as Alytus, Marijampolė, Utena, Plungė, and Mažeikiai. By the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the total population lived in urban areas. As of 2021, 68.19% of the total population lives in urban areas. Lithuania's functional urban areas include Vilnius (population 708,203), Kaunas (population 391,153), and Panevėžys (population 124,526). The fDI of the Financial Times in their research Cities and Regions of the Future 2018/19 ranked Vilnius fourth in the mid-sized European cities category and Vilnius county was ranked 10th in the small European regions category.
Largest cities or towns in Lithuania Statistics Lithuania (2023) | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Name | County | Pop. | Rank | Name | County | Pop. | ||
Vilnius Kaunas |
1 | Vilnius | Vilnius | 581,475 | 11 | Kėdainiai | Kaunas | 23,447 | Klaipėda Šiauliai |
2 | Kaunas | Kaunas | 305,120 | 12 | Telšiai | Telšiai | 22,261 | ||
3 | Klaipėda | Klaipėda | 158,420 | 13 | Tauragė | Tauragė | 21,416 | ||
4 | Šiauliai | Šiauliai | 104,300 | 14 | Ukmergė | Vilnius | 21,048 | ||
5 | Panevėžys | Panevėžys | 87,913 | 15 | Visaginas | Utena | 19,586 | ||
6 | Alytus | Alytus | 51,856 | 16 | Palanga | Klaipėda | 18,132 | ||
7 | Marijampolė | Marijampolė | 36,807 | 17 | Plungė | Telšiai | 17,385 | ||
8 | Mažeikiai | Telšiai | 33,249 | 18 | Kretinga | Klaipėda | 17,207 | ||
9 | Jonava | Kaunas | 27,134 | 19 | Šilutė | Klaipėda | 16,200 | ||
10 | Utena | Utena | 25,608 | 20 | Gargždai | Klaipėda | 15,932 |
Health
Main article: Health in LithuaniaLithuania provides free state-funded healthcare to all citizens and registered long-term residents. It co-exists with a significant private healthcare sector. In 2003–2012, the network of hospitals was restructured, as part of wider healthcare service reforms. It started in 2003–2005 with the expansion of ambulatory services and primary care. In 2016, Lithuania ranked 27th in Europe in the Euro health consumer index, a ranking of European healthcare systems based on waiting time, results and other indicators.
As of 2019 Lithuanian life expectancy at birth was 76.0 (71.2 years for males and 80.4 for females) and the infant mortality rate was 2.99 per 1,000 births. The annual population growth rate increased by 0.3% in 2007. Lithuania has seen a dramatic rise in suicides in the 1990s. The suicide rate has been constantly decreasing since, but it still remains the highest in the EU and the OECD. The suicide rate as of 2019 is 20.2 per 100,000 people. Suicide in Lithuania has been a subject of research, but the main reasons behind the high rate are thought to be both psychological and economic, including: social transformations and economic recessions, alcoholism, lack of tolerance in the society, bullying.
By 2000 the vast majority of Lithuanian health care institutions were non-profit-making enterprises and a private sector developed, providing mostly outpatient services which are paid for out-of-pocket. The Ministry of Health also runs a few health care facilities and is involved in the running of the two major Lithuanian teaching hospitals. It is responsible for the State Public Health Centre which manages the public health network including ten county public health centres with their local branches. The ten counties run county hospitals and specialised health care facilities.
There is Compulsory Health Insurance for the Lithuanian residents. There are 5 Territorial Health Insurance Funds, covering Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Contributions for people who are economically active are 9% of income.
Emergency medical services are provided free of charge to all residents. Access to the secondary and tertiary care, such as hospital treatment, is normally via referral by a general practitioner. Lithuania also has one of the lowest health care prices in Europe.
Religion
Main article: Religion in Lithuania See also: Lithuanian mythologyAccording to the 2021 census, 74.2% of residents of Lithuania were Catholics. Catholicism has been the main religion since the official Christianisation of Lithuania in 1387. The Catholic Church was persecuted by the Russian Empire as part of the Russification policies and by the Soviet Union as part of the overall anti-religious campaigns. During the Soviet era, some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime, as symbolised by the Hill of Crosses and exemplified by The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania.
3.7% of the population are Eastern Orthodox, mainly among the Russian minority. The community of Old Believers (0.6% of population) dates back to the 1660s.
Protestants are 0.8%, of which 0.6% are Lutheran and 0.2% are Reformed. The Reformation did not impact Lithuania to a great extent as seen in East Prussia, Estonia, or Latvia. Before World War II, according to Losch (1932), the Lutherans were 3.3% of the total population. They were mainly Germans and Prussian Lithuanians in the Klaipėda Region (Memel territory). This population fled or was expelled after the war, and today Protestantism is mainly represented by ethnic Lithuanians throughout the northern and western parts of the country, as well as in large urban areas. Newly arriving evangelical churches have established missions in Lithuania since 1990.
Hinduism is a minority religion and a fairly recent development in Lithuania. Hinduism is spread in Lithuania by Hindu organizations: ISKCON, Sathya Sai Baba, Brahma Kumaris and Osho Rajneesh. ISKCON (Lithuanian: Krišnos sąmonės judėjimas) is the largest and the oldest movement as the first Krishna followers date to 1979. It has three centres in Lithuania: in Vilnius, Klaipėda and Kaunas. Brahma Kumaris maintains the Centre Brahma Kumaris in Antakalnis, Vilnius.
The historical communities of Lipka Tatars maintain Islam as their religion. Lithuania was historically home to a significant Jewish community and was an important centre of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the eve of World War II. Of the approximately 220,000 Jews who lived in Lithuania in June 1941, almost all were killed during the Holocaust. The Lithuanian Jewish community numbered about 4,000 at the end of 2009.
Romuva, the neopagan revival of the ancient religious practices, has gained popularity over the years. Romuva claims to continue living pagan traditions, which survived in folklore and customs. Romuva is a polytheistic pagan faith, which asserts the sanctity of nature and has elements of ancestor worship. According to the 2001 census, there were 1,270 people of Baltic faith in Lithuania. That number jumped to 5,118 in the 2011 census.
Education
Main article: Education in LithuaniaThe Constitution of Lithuania mandates ten-year education ending at age 16 and guarantees a free public higher education for students deemed 'good'. The Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania proposes national educational policies and goals that are then voted for in the Seimas. Laws govern long-term educational strategy along with general laws on standards for higher education, vocational training, law and science, adult education, and special education. 5.4% of GDP or 15.4% of total public expenditure was spent for education in 2016.
According to the World Bank, the literacy rate among Lithuanians aged 15 years and older is 100%. School attendance rates are above the EU average and school leave is less common than in the EU. According to Eurostat Lithuania leads among other countries of the European Union in people with secondary education (93.3%). Based on OECD data, Lithuania is among the top 5 countries in the world in postsecondary (tertiary) education attainment. As of 2016, 54.9% of the population aged 25 to 34, and 30.7% of the population aged 55 to 64 had completed tertiary education. The share of tertiary-educated 25–64-year-olds in STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in Lithuania were above the OECD average (29% and 26% respectively), similarly to business, administration and law (25% and 23% respectively).
Modern Lithuanian education system has multiple structural problems. Insufficient funding, quality issues, and decreasing student population are the most prevalent. Lithuanian teacher salaries are the lowest in the entire EU. Low teacher salaries was the primary reason behind national teacher strikes in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Salaries in the higher education sector are also low. Many Lithuanian professors have a second job to supplement their income. PISA report from 2010 found that Lithuanian results in math, science and reading were below OECD average. PISA report from 2015 reconfirmed these findings. The population ages 6 to 19 has decreased by 36% between 2005 and 2015. As a result, the student-teacher ratio is decreasing and expenditure per student is increasing, but schools, particularly in rural areas, are forced into reorganizations and consolidations. As with other Baltic nations, in particular Latvia, the large volume of higher education graduates within the country, coupled with the high rate of spoken second languages is contributing to an education brain drain.
As of 2008, there were 15 public and 6 private universities as well as 16 public and 11 private colleges in Lithuania (see: List of universities in Lithuania). Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe and the largest university in Lithuania. Kaunas University of Technology is the largest technical university in the Baltic States and the second largest university in Lithuania. In an attempt to reduce costs and adapt to sharply decreasing number of high-school students, Lithuanian parliament decided to reduce the number of universities in Lithuania. In early 2018, Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences and Aleksandras Stulginskis University were merged into Vytautas Magnus University.
Culture
Main article: Culture of LithuaniaLithuanian language
Main article: Lithuanian language A priest, lexicographer Konstantinas Sirvydas – cherisher of Lithuanian language in the 17th centuryJonas Jablonskis is the father of standard Lithuanian language.The Lithuanian language (lietuvių kalba) is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 0.2 million abroad.
Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they are not mutually intelligible. It is written in an adapted version of the Roman script. Lithuanian is believed to be the linguistically most conservative living Indo-European tongue, retaining many features of Proto Indo-European. Lithuanian language studies are important for comparative linguistics and for reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European language. Lithuanian was studied by linguists such as Franz Bopp, August Schleicher, Adalbert Bezzenberger, Louis Hjelmslev, Ferdinand de Saussure, Winfred P. Lehmann, Vladimir Toporov and others.
There are two main dialects of the Lithuanian language: Aukštaitian dialect and Samogitian dialect. Aukštaitian dialect is mainly used in the central, southern and eastern parts of Lithuania while Samogitian dialect is used in the western part of the country. The Samogitian dialect also has many completely different words and is even considered a separate language by some linguists. Nowadays, the distinguishing feature between the two main Lithuanian dialects is the unequal pronunciation of accented and unaccented two-vowels uo and ie.
The groundwork for written Lithuanian was laid in 16th and 17th centuries by Lithuanian noblemen and scholars, who promoted Lithuanian language, created dictionaries and published books – Mikalojus Daukša, Stanislovas Rapolionis, Abraomas Kulvietis, Jonas Bretkūnas, Martynas Mažvydas, Konstantinas Sirvydas, Simonas Vaišnoras-Varniškis. The first grammar book of the Lithuanian language Grammatica Litvanica was published in Latin in 1653 by Danielius Kleinas.
Jonas Jablonskis' works and activities are especially important for the Lithuanian literature moving from the use of dialects to a standard Lithuanian language. The linguistic material which he collected was published in the 20 volumes of Academic Dictionary of Lithuanian and is still being used in research and in editing of texts and books. He also introduced the letter ū into Lithuanian writing.
Literature
Main article: Lithuanian literatureThere is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written in Latin, the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian King Mindaugas are the prime example of the literature of this kind. The Letters of Gediminas are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings.
One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was Nicolaus Hussovianus (around 1480 – after 1533). His poem Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis (A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison), published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonym Michalo Lituanus [lt] (around 1490 – 1560) wrote a treatise De moribus tartarorum, lituanorum et moscorum (On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites) in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis (around 1505 – 1571). The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius, Augustinus Rotundus (around 1520–1582) wrote a no longer existent history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. loannes Radvanus, a humanist poet of the second half of the 16th century, wrote an epic poem imitating the Aeneid of Vergil. His Radivilias, intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588.
17th century Lithuanian scholars also wrote in Latin – Kazimieras Kojelavičius-Vijūkas, Žygimantas Liauksminas are known for their Latin writings in theology, rhetorics and music. Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkas wrote first printed Lithuanian history Historia Lithuania.
Lithuanian literary works in the Lithuanian language started being first published in the 16th century. In 1547 Martynas Mažvydas compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book Katekizmo prasti žodžiai (The Simple Words of Catechism), which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed by Mikalojus Daukša with Katechizmas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious.
The evolution of the old (14th–18th century) Lithuanian literature ends with Kristijonas Donelaitis, one of the most prominent authors of the Age of Enlightenment. Donelaitis' poem Metai (The Seasons) is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written in hexameter.
With a mix of Classicism, Sentimentalism and Romanticism, the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented by Maironis, Antanas Baranauskas, Simonas Daukantas, Oscar Milosz, and Simonas Stanevičius. During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, the Lithuanian press ban was implemented, which led to the formation of the Knygnešiai (Book smugglers) movement. This movement is thought to be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived until today.
20th-century Lithuanian literature is represented by Juozas Tumas-Vaižgantas, Antanas Vienuolis, Bernardas Brazdžionis, Antanas Škėma, Balys Sruoga, Vytautas Mačernis and Justinas Marcinkevičius.
In 21st century debuted Kristina Sabaliauskaitė, Renata Šerelytė, Valdas Papievis, Laura Sintija Černiauskaitė, Rūta Šepetys.
Architecture
See also: Lithuanian designSeveral famous Lithuania-related architects are notable for their achievements in the field of architecture. Johann Christoph Glaubitz, Marcin Knackfus, Laurynas Gucevičius and Karol Podczaszyński were instrumental in introducing Baroque and neoclassical architectural movements to the Lithuanian architecture during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. Vilnius is considered as a capital of the Eastern Europe Baroque. Vilnius Old Town that is full of astonishing Baroque churches and other buildings is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lithuania is also known for numerous castles. About twenty castles exist in Lithuania. Some castles had to be rebuilt or survive partially. Many Lithuanian nobles' historic palaces and manor houses have remained till the nowadays and were reconstructed. Lithuanian village life has existed since the days of Vytautas the Great. Zervynos and Kapiniškiai are two of many ethnographic villages in Lithuania. Rumšiškės is an open space museum where old ethnographic architecture is preserved.
During the interwar period, Art Deco, Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings were constructed in the Lithuania's temporary capital Kaunas. Its architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and has received the European Heritage Label.
Arts and museums
Main article: List of museums in LithuaniaThe Lithuanian Art Museum was founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania. Among other important museums are the Palanga Amber Museum, where amber pieces comprise a major part of the collection, National Gallery of Art, presenting collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th and 21st century, National Museum of Lithuania presenting Lithuanian archaeology, history and ethnic culture. In 2018 two private museums were opened – MO Museum devoted to modern and contemporary Lithuanian art and Tartle, exhibiting a collection of Lithuanian art heritage and artefacts.
Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875–1911), an internationally renowned musician. The 2420 Čiurlionis asteroid, identified in 1975, honors his achievements. The M. K. Čiurlionis National Art Museum, as well as the only military museum in Lithuania, Vytautas the Great War Museum, are located in Kaunas. Franciszek Smuglewicz, Jan Rustem, Józef Oleszkiewicz and Kanuty Rusiecki are the most prominent Lithuanian painters of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Theatre
Lithuania has some very famous theatre directors well known in the country and abroad. One of them is Oskaras Koršunovas. He was awarded more than forty times with special prizes. Possibly most prestigious award is Swedish Commander Grand Cross: Order of the Polar Star. Today's the most famous theatres in Lithuania are in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda and Panevėžys. It is Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Keistuolių teatras (Theatre of Freaks) in Vilnius, Kaunas State Drama Theatre, Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Theatre of Gytis Ivanauskas, Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, The Doll's Theatre, Old Theatre of Vilnius and others. There are some very popular theatre festivals like Sirenos (Sirens), TheATRIUM, Nerk į teatrą (Dive into the Theatre) and others. The figures dominating in Lithuanian theatre world are directors like Eimuntas Nekrošius, Jonas Vaitkus, Cezaris Graužinis, Gintaras Varnas, Dalia Ibelhauptaitė, Artūras Areima; number of talented actors like Dainius Gavenonis, Rolandas Kazlas, Saulius Balandis, Gabija Jaraminaitė and many others.
Cinema
Main article: Cinema of LithuaniaOn 28 July 1896, Thomas Edison live photography session was held in the Concerts Hall of the Botanical Garden of Vilnius University. After a year, similar American movies were available with the addition of special phonograph records that also provided sound. In 1909, Lithuanian cinema pioneers Antanas Račiūnas and Ladislas Starevich released their first movies. Soon the Račiūnas' recordings of Lithuania's views became very popular among the Lithuanian Americans abroad. In 1925, Pranas Valuskis filmed movie Naktis Lietuvoje (Night in Lithuania) about Lithuanian book smugglers that left the first bright Lithuanian footprint in Hollywood. The most significant and mature Lithuanian American movie of the time Aukso žąsis (Golden goose) was created in 1965 by Birutė Pūkelevičiūtė [lt] that featured motifs from the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. In 1940, Romuva Cinema was opened in Kaunas and currently is the oldest still operational cinema in Lithuania. After the occupation of the state, movies mostly were used for the Soviet propaganda purposes, nevertheless Almantas Grikevičius, Gytis Lukšas, Henrikas Šablevičius, Arūnas Žebriūnas, Raimondas Vabalas were able to overcome the obstacles and create valuable films. After the restoration of the independence, Šarūnas Bartas, Audrius Stonys, Arūnas Matelis, Audrius Juzėnas, Algimantas Puipa, Janina Lapinskaitė [lt], Dijana and her husband Kornelijus Matuzevičius received success in international movie festivals.
In 2018, 4,265,414 cinema tickets were sold in Lithuania with the average price of €5.26.
Music
Main article: Music of Lithuania See also: Lithuanian folk music Lithuanians dancing at Skamba skamba kankliai festival and singing at Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival in Vingis ParkLithuanian folk music belongs to Baltic music branch which is connected with neolithic corded ware culture. Two instrument cultures meet in the areas inhabited by Lithuanians: stringed (kanklių) and wind instrument cultures. Lithuanian folk music is archaic, mostly used for ritual purposes, containing elements of paganism faith. There are three ancient styles of singing in Lithuania connected with ethnographical regions: monophony, heterophony and polyphony. Folk song genres: Sutartinės (Multipart Songs), Wedding Songs, War-Historical Time Songs, Calendar Cycle and Ritual Songs and Work Songs.
Italian artists organized the first opera in Lithuania on 4 September 1636 at the Palace of the Grand Dukes by the order of Władysław IV Vasa. Currently, operas are staged at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre and also by independent troupe Vilnius City Opera.
Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis is the most renowned Lithuanian painter and composer. During his short life he created about 200 pieces of music. His works have had profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture. His symphonic poems In the Forest (Miške) and The Sea (Jūra) were performed only posthumously. Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe.
In Lithuania, choral music is very important. Vilnius is the only city with three choirs laureates (Brevis, Jauna Muzika and Chamber Choir of the Conservatoire) at the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing. There is a long-standing tradition of the Dainų šventė (Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival). The first one took place in Kaunas in 1924. Since 1990, the festival has been organised every four years and summons roughly 30,000 singers and folk dancers of various professional levels and age groups from across the country. In 2008, Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival together with its Latvian and Estonian versions was inscribed as UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Gatvės muzikos diena (Street Music Day) gathers musicians of various genres annually.
Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla performing on the scenes of Rome, New York and Birmingham.
Modern classical composers emerged in seventies – Bronius Kutavičius, Feliksas Bajoras, Osvaldas Balakauskas, Onutė Narbutaitė, Vidmantas Bartulis and others. Most of those composers explored archaic Lithuanian music and its harmonic combination with modern minimalism and neoromanticism.
Jazz scene was active even during the years of Soviet occupation. The real breakthrough would occur in 1970–71 with the coming together of the Ganelin/Tarasov/Chekasin trio, the alleged instigators of the Vilnius Jazz School. Most known annual events are Vilnius Jazz Festival, Kaunas Jazz, Birštonas Jazz. Music Information Centre Lithuania (MICL) collects, promotes and shares information on Lithuanian musical culture.
Rock and protest music
Main article: Rock music in LithuaniaAfter the Soviet reoccupation of Lithuania in 1944, the Soviet's censorship continued firmly controlling all artistic expressions in Lithuania, and any violations by criticizing the regime would immediately result in punishments. The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and included Kertukai, Aitvarai and Nuogi ant slenksčio in Kaunas, and Kęstutis Antanėlis, Vienuoliai, and Gėlių Vaikai in Vilnius, among others. Unable to express their opinions directly, the Lithuanian artists began organizing patriotic Roko Maršai and were using metaphors in their songs' lyrics, which were easily identified for their true meanings by the locals. Postmodernist rock band Antis and its vocalist Algirdas Kaušpėdas were one of the most active performers who mocked the Soviet regime by using metaphors. For example, in the song Zombiai (Zombies), the band indirectly sang about the Red Army soldiers who occupied the state and its military base in Ukmergė. Vytautas Kernagis' song Kolorado vabalai (Colorado beetles) was also a favourite due to its lyrics in which true meaning of the Colorado beetles was intended to be the Soviets decorated with the Ribbons of Saint George.
In the early independence years, rock band Foje was particularly popular and gathered tens of thousands of spectators to the concerts. After disbanding in 1997, Foje vocalist Andrius Mamontovas remained one of the most prominent Lithuanian performers and an active participant in various charity events. Marijonas Mikutavičius is famous for creating unofficial Lithuania sport anthem Trys milijonai (Three million) and official anthem of the EuroBasket 2011 Nebetyli sirgaliai (English version was named Celebrate Basketball).
Cuisine
Main article: Lithuanian cuisineLithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool and moist northern climate of Lithuania: barley, potatoes, rye, beets, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Fish dishes are very popular in the coastal region. Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has some similarities to Scandinavian cuisine. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history.
Dairy products are an important part of traditional Lithuanian cuisine. These include white cottage cheese (varškės sūris), curd (varškė), soured milk (rūgpienis), sour cream (grietinė), butter (sviestas), and sour cream butter kastinis. Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked – smoked sausages (dešros), lard (lašiniai), skilandis, smoked ham (kumpis). Soups (sriubos) – boletus soup (baravykų sriuba), cabbage soup (kopūstų sriuba), beer soup (alaus sriuba), milk soup (pieniška sriuba), cold-beet soup (šaltibarščiai) and various kinds of porridges (košės) are part of tradition and daily diet. Freshwater fish, herring, wild berries and mushrooms, honey are highly popular diet to this day.
One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies.
Lithuanians and other nations that once formed part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania share many dishes and beverages. German traditions also influenced Lithuanian cuisine, introducing pork and potato dishes, such as potato pudding (kugelis or kugel) and potato sausages (vėdarai), as well as the baroque tree cake known as Šakotis. The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern (Karaite) cuisine – the kibinai are popular in Lithuania. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs, so French cuisine influence came to Lithuania in this way.
Balts were using mead (midus) for thousands of years. Beer (alus) is the most common alcoholic beverage. Lithuania has a long farmhouse beer tradition, first mentioned in 11th century chronicles. Beer was brewed for ancient Baltic festivities and rituals. Farmhouse brewing survived to a greater extent in Lithuania than anywhere else, and through accidents of history the Lithuanians then developed a commercial brewing culture from their unique farmhouse traditions. Lithuania is top 5 by consumption of beer per capita in Europe in 2015, counting 75 active breweries, 32 of them are microbreweries. The microbrewery scene in Lithuania has been growing in later years, with a number of bars focusing on these beers popping up in Vilnius and also in other parts of the country.
Eight Lithuanian restaurants are listed in the White Guide Baltic Top 30.
Media
The Constitution of Lithuania provides for freedom of speech and press, and the government generally respects these rights in practice. An independent press, an effective judiciary, and a functioning democratic political system combine to promote these freedoms. However, the constitutional definition of freedom of expression does not protect certain acts, such as incitement to national, racial, religious, or social hatred, violence and discrimination, or slander, and disinformation. It is a crime to deny or "grossly trivialize" Soviet or Nazi German crimes against Lithuania or its citizens, or to deny genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.
Best-selling daily national newspapers in Lithuania are Lietuvos rytas (about 18.8% of all daily readers), Vakaro žinios [lt] (12.5%), Kauno diena (3.7%), Šiaulių kraštas [lt] (3.2%) and Vakarų ekspresas (2.7%). Best-selling weekly newspapers are Savaitė (about 34% of all weekly readers), Žmonės (17%), Prie kavos (11.9%), Ji (8.7%) and Ekspress nedelia (5.4%).
In July 2018, the most popular national television channels in Lithuania were TV3 (about 35.9% of the auditorium), LNK (32.8%), Lithuanian National Radio and Television (30.6%), BTV (19.9%), Lietuvos rytas TV (19.1%).
The most popular radio stations in Lithuania are M-1 (about 15.8% of all listeners), Lietus (12.2%), LRT Radijas (10.5%) and Radiocentras (10.5%).
Public holidays and festivals
Main article: Public holidays in LithuaniaAs a result of a thousand-years history, Lithuania has two National days. First one is the Statehood Day on 6 July, marking the establishment of the medieval Kingdom of Lithuania by Mindaugas in 1253. Creation of modern Lithuanian state is commemorated on 16 February as a Lithuanian State Reestablishment Day on which declaration of independence from Russia and Germany was declared in 1918. Joninės (previously known as Rasos) is a public holiday with paganic roots that celebrates a solstice. As of 2018, there are 13 public holidays (which come with a day off).
Kaziuko mugė is an annual fair held since the beginning of the 17th century that commemorates the anniversary of Saint Casimir's death and gathers thousands of visitors and many craftsmen. Other notable festivals are Vilnius International Film Festival, Kauno Miesto Diena, Klaipėda Sea Festival, Mados infekcija, Vilnius Book Fair, Vilnius Marathon, Devilstone Open Air, Apuolė 854 [lt], Great Žemaičių Kalvarija Festival.
Public holidays in Lithuania | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | English name | Local name | Remarks |
1 January | New Year's Day | Naujųjų metų diena | |
16 February | Day of Restoration of the State of Lithuania (1918) | Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo diena | |
11 March | Day of Restoration of Independence of Lithuania (1990) | Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo diena | |
Moveable Sunday | Easter Sunday | Šv. Velykos | Commemorates resurrection of Jesus. The first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March. |
The day after Easter Sunday | Easter Monday | Antroji šv. Velykų diena | |
1 May | International Workers' Day | Tarptautinė darbo diena | |
First Sunday in May | Mother's Day | Motinos diena | |
First Sunday in June | Father's Day | Tėvo diena | |
24 June | St. John's Day / Day of Dew | Joninės / Rasos | Celebrated according to mostly pagan traditions (Midsummer Day, Saint Jonas Day). |
6 July | Statehood Day | Valstybės (Lietuvos karaliaus Mindaugo karūnavimo) ir Tautiškos giesmės diena | Celebrates the 1253 coronation of Mindaugas, the first King of Lithuania, and the national anthem of Lithuania. |
15 August | Assumption Day | Žolinė (Švč. Mergelės Marijos ėmimo į dangų diena) | Also marked according to pagan traditions, celebrating the goddess Žemyna and noting the mid-August as the middle between summer and autumn. |
1 November | All Saints' Day | Visų šventųjų diena | Halloween is increasingly popular and is also informally celebrated on the eve (31 October). |
2 November | All Souls' Day | Mirusiųjų atminimo (Vėlinių) diena | |
24 December | Christmas Eve | Šv. Kūčios | |
25 and 26 December | Christmas Day | Šv. Kalėdos | Commemorates birth of Jesus. |
Sports
Main article: Sport in LithuaniaBasketball is the most popular and national sport of Lithuania. The Lithuania national basketball team has had significant success in international basketball events, having won the EuroBasket on three occasions (1937, 1939 and 2003), as well a total of 8 other medals in the Eurobasket, the World Championships and the Olympic Games. The men's national team also has extremely high TV ratings as about 76% of the country's population watched their games live in 2014. Lithuania hosted the Eurobasket in 1939 and 2011. The historic Lithuanian basketball team BC Žalgiris, from Kaunas, won the European basketball league Euroleague in 1999. Lithuania has produced a number of NBA players, including Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Arvydas Sabonis and Šarūnas Marčiulionis, and current NBA players Jonas Valančiūnas, Domantas Sabonis, and Ignas Brazdeikis.
Lithuania has won a total of 26 medals at the Olympic Games, including 6 gold medals in athletics, modern pentathlon, shooting, and swimming. Numerous other Lithuanians won Olympic medals representing Soviet Union. Discus thrower Virgilijus Alekna is the most successful Olympic athlete of independent Lithuania, having won gold medals in the 2000 Sydney and 2004 Athens games, as well as a bronze in 2008 Summer Olympics and numerous World Championship medals. More recently, the gold medal won by a then 15-year-old swimmer Rūta Meilutytė at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London sparked a rise in popularity for the sport in Lithuania.
Lithuania has produced prominent athletes in athletics, modern pentathlon, road and track cycling, chess, rowing, aerobatics, strongman, wrestling, boxing, mixed martial arts, Kyokushin Karate, and other sports.
Lithuania hosted the 2021 FIFA Futsal World Cup, the first time Lithuania had hosted a FIFA tournament.
Few Lithuanian athletes have found success in winter sports, although facilities are provided by several ice rinks and skiing slopes, including Snow Arena, the first indoor ski slope in the Baltics. In 2018 Lithuania men's national ice hockey team won gold medals at the 2018 IIHF World Championship Division I.
See also
Notes
- ^ Various sources classify Lithuania differently for statistical and other purposes. For example, United Nations, and Eurovoc (which additionally classifies Lithuania as central and eastern European country), among others, classify it as northern Europe, the CIA World Factbook classifies it as eastern Europe, and Encyclopædia Britannica locates it in northeastern Europe. Usage varies greatly, and controversially, in press sources.
- Lithuania borders Kaliningrad Oblast, an exclave of Russia sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland, on the coast of the Baltic Sea.
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{{cite web}}
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External links
- Government
- The Lithuanian President Archived 15 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine – Official site of the President of the Republic of Lithuania
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- The Lithuanian Government Archived 6 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine – Official site of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania
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- Lithuania – Real is Beautiful – The Official Travel Guide by the Lithuanian National Tourism Development Agency
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