11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union)
Religions
Muslim 53.1%, Catholic 20.1%, Protestant 14.2%, animist 7.3%, other 0.5%, unknown 1.7%, atheist 3.1% (1993 census)
Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census)
Languages
French (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects
Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census)
Exports
mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001)
External Debt
$31,030,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
litai (LTL) per US dollar - 2.3251 (2008 est.), 2.5362 (2007), 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
5
Location
Central Africa, south of Libya
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia
Area
1,284,000 km sq
65,300 km sq
Coastline
0 km
90 km
Climate
tropical in south, desert in north
transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers
