Lithuania country profile
Lithuania is the largest and most southerly of the three Baltic republics.
Lithuania is the largest and most southerly of the three Baltic republics.
Not much more than a decade after it regained its independence during the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990, Lithuania joined Nato and then the EU in 2004.
Russia's Kaliningrad exclave hosts the headquarters of the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet, and shares a major border with Lithuania.
REPUBLIC OF LITHUANIA: FACTS
Capital: Vilnius
Area: 65,300 sq km
Population: 2.8 million
Languages: Lithuanian
Life expectancy: 70 years (men) 80 years (women
LEADERS
President: Gitanas Nausėda
Incumbent Gitanas Nausėda was re-elected president in the May 2024 election in a second-round landslide with 76% of the votes. He had won the previous 2019 presidential election.
A second round was held on 26 May as no candidate received an absolute majority in the first round. This saw Nausėda and Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė facing each other in the runoff, a rematch of 2019 in which Nausėda also defeated Šimonytė.
The Lithuanian president has somewhat more executive authority than in neighbouring Estonia and Latvia, though Lithuania does not have a fully presidential system such as the United States, the president generally has the most authority in foreign affairs.
Prime Minister: Ingrida Šimonytė
Ingrida Šimonytė took office in November 2020 at the head of a coalition between the conservative Homeland Union - Lithuanian Christian Democrats, which won the October parliamentary election, and two centrist groups, the Freedom Party and Liberal Movement.
A former finance minister and conservative presidential candidate, Ingrida Šimonytė's coalition replaced a government of the centrist Peasant and Green Union, which had won a surprise victory in the 2016 elections.
MEDIA
Lithuania's private TV and radio stations compete with public networks run by Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT).
The media are free and operate independently of the state. There are no government-owned newspapers.
TIMELINE
Image caption,
A view of Vilnius cathedral
Some key dates in Lithuania's modern history:
1915 - Lithuania, under Russian rule since the late 18th Century, is occupied by German troops during World War One.
1918 - Lithuania declares independence.
1920 - Soviet Russia recognises Lithuania's independence.
1939 - The Soviet Union compels Lithuania to accept Soviet military bases.
1940 - Soviet Army invades. President Antanas Smetona flees. Lithuania incorporated into Soviet Union.
1941 - Thousands of Lithuanians are deported to Siberia. Nazi Germany invades Soviet Union and occupies Lithuania.
Image caption,
Parade to mark the 25th anniversary of the restoration of independence held in Vilnius in 2015
1944 - Soviet Army returns, presaging further deportations and repression of resistance.
1989 - Parliament approves declaration of Lithuanian sovereignty, stating that Lithuanian laws take precedence over Soviet ones.
1991 - Soviet troops fire on civilians outside television tower in Vilnius, killing 13 and injuring several hundred. Referendum sees overwhelming vote in favour of independence. Following a failed coup in Moscow, the Soviet Union recognises Lithuania's independence. Lithuania joins the UN.
1992 - New constitution introduces presidency.
2004 - Lithuania joins Nato and the EU.
2014 April - Nato steps up military presence in the Baltic states in response to tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
2015 - Lithuania adopts the euro. Government says it plans to restart military conscription, which ended in 2008, amid growing concerns about Russian assertiveness in the Baltic region.
2022 - Lithuania declares state of emergency along its border with Russia and Belarus following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Image caption,
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, in winter
BBC Monitoring
Lithuania
Country in Europe
Description
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, 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. Wikipedia
Capital: Vilnius
CO2 emissions per capita: 4.18 metric tons (2020) World Bank
Electricity consumption per capita: 3,821.15 kWh (2014) World Bank
Energy use per capita: 2,387.28 kg of oil equivalent (2014) World Bank
Fertility rate: 1.34 births per woman (2021) World Bank
GDP growth rate: 2.4% annual change (2022) World Bank
Gross domestic product: 70.97 billion USD (2022) World Bank