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| Introduction | Lithuania |
| Background: | Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. |
| People | Lithuania |
| Population: | 3,607,899 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 16.7% (male 309,736; female 294,129) 15-64 years: 68.4% (male 1,202,603; female 1,262,784) 65 years and over: 14.9% (male 184,145; female 354,502) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 37.4 years male: 34.8 years female: 40.1 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | -0.33% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 8.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 11.03 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 7.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.57 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 8.61 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 73.46 years male: 68.22 years female: 79 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.17 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | less than 1,300 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian |
| Ethnic groups: | Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1% |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim, Jewish |
| Languages: | Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.6% male: 99.7% female: 99.6% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Lithuania |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Lithuania conventional short form: Lithuania local short form: Lietuva former: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic local long form: Lietuvos Respublika |
| Government type: | parliamentary democracy |
| Capital: | Vilnius |
| Administrative divisions: | 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus |
| Independence: | 11 March 1990 (independence declared from Soviet Union); 6 September 1991 (Soviet Union recognizes Lithuania's independence) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 is the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 is the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union |
| Constitution: | adopted 25 October 1992 |
| Legal system: | based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004) head of government: Premier Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS (since 3 July 2001) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the premier elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 13 June 2004 and 27 June 2004; premier appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament election results: Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8% |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are directly elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, Homeland Union (Conservatives) 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Union of Farmers and New Democracy 6.6%; seats by faction - Labor 39, Homeland Union 25, Social Democrats 20, Liberal and Center Union 18, Social Liberals 11, Union of Farmers and New Democracy Parties 10, Liberal Democrats 10, Electoral Action 2, independents 6 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President |
| Political parties and leaders: | Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI, chairman]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS, chairman]; Labor Party [Viktor USPASKICH, chairman]; Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS, chairman]; Liberal Democratic Party [Valentinas MAZURONIS, chairman]; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS, chairman]; Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania; Lithuanian Social Democratic Coalition [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman] consists of the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party or LDDP and the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party or LSDP; New Democracy and Farmer's Union or VNDPS [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE, chairman]; Social Liberals (New Union) [Arturas PAULAUSKAS, chairman]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS, chairman]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | ACCT (observer), BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Vygaudas USACKAS consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York FAX: [1] (202) 328-0466 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5860 chancery: 2622 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Stephen D. MULL embassy: 2600 Akmenu 6, Vilnius mailing address: American Embassy, Vilnius, PSC 78, Box V, APO AE 09723 telephone: [370] (5) 266 5500 FAX: [370] (5) 266 5510 |
| Flag description: | three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red |
| Communications | Lithuania |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 824,200 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 2,169,900 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access domestic: a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications international: country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001) |
| Radios: | 1.9 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 27 note: Lithuania has approximately 27 broadcasting stations, but may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations (2001) |
| Televisions: | 1.7 million (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .lt |
| Internet hosts: | 67,769 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 32 (2001) |
| Internet users: | 695,700 (2003) |
| Transportation | Lithuania |
| Railways: | total: 1,998 km broad gauge: 1,807 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) standard gauge: 22 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 169 km 0.750-m gauge (all service suspended) (2003) |
| Highways: | total: 75,243 km paved: 68,697 km (including 417 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,546 km (2000) |
| Waterways: | 600 km (2004) |
| Pipelines: | gas 1,696 km; oil 331 km; refined products 109 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: | Butinge, Kaunas, Klaipeda |
| Merchant marine: | total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 296,856 GRT/317,731 DWT foreign-owned: Denmark 12, Netherlands 1 registered in other countries: 11 (2003 est.) by type: cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 8, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea/passenger 4 |
| Airports: | 102 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 28 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 14 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 74 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 67 (2003 est.) |
| Military | Lithuania |
| Military branches: | National Defense Volunteer Forces (SKAT), Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force |
| Military manpower - military age and obligation: | 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers (2004) |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 943,063 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 738,602 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 28,300 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $230.8 million (FY01) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 1.9% (FY01) |
| Transnational Issues | Lithuania |
| Disputes - international: | in May 2003, the Russian Parliament ratified the 1997 land and maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, which ratified the treaty in 1999, legalizing limits of former Soviet republic borders; both states also implement a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals transiting Lithuania to and from the Russian Kaliningrad coastal enclave; the Latvian Parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over oil exploration rights |
| Illicit drugs: | transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Southwest Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe to Western Europe and Scandinavia; limited production of methamphetamine and ecstasy; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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