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<table class="wysiwyg-macro" data-macro-name="ukrainian" data-macro-id="0430a23e-a375-4667-bddb-dc58212000ef" aria-label="ukrainian macro" data-macro-parameters="atlassian-macro-output-type=INLINE" data-macro-schema-version="1" style="background-image: url(https://latest-confluence.testing.bitvoodoo.ch/plugins/servlet/confluence/placeholder/macro-heading?definition=e3VrcmFpbmlhbjphdGxhc3NpYW4tbWFjcm8tb3V0cHV0LXR5cGU9SU5MSU5FfQ&locale=en_GB&version=2); background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-macro-body-type="RICH_TEXT"><tr><td class="wysiwyg-macro-body"><table class="wrapped confluenceTable"><colgroup><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /><col /></colgroup><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th><th scope="col" class="confluenceTh"><br /></th></tr><tr><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td><td class="confluenceTd"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><img class="emoticon emoticon-1f604" data-emoji-id="1f604" border="0" src="/plugins/servlet/twitterEmojiRedirector?id=1f604" alt="grinning face with smiling eyes" title="grinning face with smiling eyes" data-emoji-short-name=":smile:" /> </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ8ZWWmgm8E">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ8ZWWmgm8E</a></p><ul class="inline-task-list" data-inline-tasks-content-id="9241136"><li data-inline-task-id="5"><span class="placeholder-inline-tasks">tuwerrerf</span></li><li class="checked" data-inline-task-id="6"><span class="placeholder-inline-tasks">fwidf</span></li><li class="checked" data-inline-task-id="7"><span class="placeholder-inline-tasks">sadwe</span></li><li data-inline-task-id="8"><span class="placeholder-inline-tasks">xcv</span></li></ul><p><br /></p></td></tr></table><table class="wysiwyg-macro" data-macro-name="english" data-macro-id="5de7100f-1115-468b-8cd7-01fc5ec428a0" aria-label="english macro" data-macro-parameters="atlassian-macro-output-type=INLINE" data-macro-schema-version="1" style="background-image: url(https://latest-confluence.testing.bitvoodoo.ch/plugins/servlet/confluence/placeholder/macro-heading?definition=e2VuZ2xpc2g6YXRsYXNzaWFuLW1hY3JvLW91dHB1dC10eXBlPUlOTElORX0&locale=en_GB&version=2); 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background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-macro-body-type="RICH_TEXT"><tr><td class="wysiwyg-macro-body"><p><img class="editor-inline-macro" height="250" src="/plugins/servlet/view-file-macro/placeholder?type=Multimedia&name=20240706_164356.mp4&attachmentId=105709576&version=1&mimeType=video%2Fmp4&height=250" data-macro-name="view-file" data-macro-id="0d18ee64-3d09-4fda-9eba-4d5d49a2dc10" role="button" tabindex="0" aria-haspopup="true" aria-label="view-file macro" data-macro-parameters="height=250|name=20240706_164356.mp4" data-macro-schema-version="1"></p></td></tr></table><table class="wysiwyg-macro" data-macro-name="lithuanian" data-macro-id="16329f13-7698-4a8e-8d65-f2afbd4fb641" aria-label="lithuanian macro" data-macro-parameters="atlassian-macro-output-type=INLINE" data-macro-schema-version="1" style="background-image: url(https://latest-confluence.testing.bitvoodoo.ch/plugins/servlet/confluence/placeholder/macro-heading?definition=e2xpdGh1YW5pYW46YXRsYXNzaWFuLW1hY3JvLW91dHB1dC10eXBlPUlOTElORX0&locale=en_GB&version=2); background-repeat: no-repeat;" data-macro-body-type="RICH_TEXT"><tr><td class="wysiwyg-macro-body"><p style=""><strong>Lithuania</strong><span> </span>(<span class="rt-commentedText nowrap"><span class="IPA nopopups noexcerpt"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/English">/<span><span title="/ˌ/: secondary stress follows">ˌ</span><span title="'l' in 'lie'">l</span><span title="/ɪ/: 'i' in 'kit'">ɪ</span><span title="/θj/: 'th' in 'enthuse'">θj</span><span title="/u/: 'u' in 'influence'">u</span><span title="/ˈ/: primary stress follows">ˈ</span><span title="/eɪ/: 'a' in 'face'">eɪ</span><span title="'n' in 'nigh'">n</span><span title="/i/: 'y' in 'happy'">i</span><span title="/ə/: 'a' in 'about'">ə</span></span>/</a></span><span> </span><span class="noprint"><span class="ext-phonos"><sup class="ext-phonos-attribution noexcerpt navigation-not-searchable"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lithuania_pronunciation_RP.ogg" style="text-decoration: none;" title="File:Lithuania pronunciation RP.ogg">ⓘ</a></sup></span></span></span><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key"><em title="English pronunciation respelling"><span>LIH</span>-thew-<span>AYN</span>-ee-ə</em></a>;<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_language" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanian language">Lithuanian</a>:<span> </span><em lang="lt">Lietuva</em><span> </span><span class="IPA nowrap"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Lithuanian" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/Lithuanian">[lʲiətʊˈvɐ]</a></span>), officially the<span> </span><strong>Republic of Lithuania</strong><span> </span>(Lithuanian:<span> </span><em lang="lt">Lietuvos Respublika</em><span> </span><span class="IPA nowrap"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Lithuanian" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Help:IPA/Lithuanian">[lʲiətʊˈvoːs<span class="wrap"><span> </span></span>rʲɛsˈpʊblʲɪkɐ]</a></span>), is a country in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_region" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic region">Baltic region</a><span> </span>of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Europe">Europe</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-location-22" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>It is one of three<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_states" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic states">Baltic states</a><span> </span>and lies on the eastern shore of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic Sea">Baltic Sea</a>. It borders<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvia" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Latvia">Latvia</a><span> </span>to the north,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Belarus">Belarus</a><span> </span>to the east and south,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Poland">Poland</a><span> </span>to the south, and the Russian<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exclave" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Exclave">semi-exclave</a><span> </span>of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad_Oblast" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kaliningrad Oblast">Kaliningrad Oblast</a><span> </span>to the southwest, with a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_boundary" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Maritime boundary">maritime border</a><span> </span>with<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Sweden">Sweden</a><span> </span>to the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km<sup>2</sup><span> </span>(25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.88 million. Its capital and largest city is<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Vilnius">Vilnius</a>; other major cities are<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaunas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kaunas">Kaunas</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaip%C4%97da" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Klaipėda">Klaipėda</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0iauliai" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Šiauliai">Šiauliai</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panev%C4%97%C5%BEys" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Panevėžys">Panevėžys</a>.<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanians" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanians">Lithuanians</a><span> </span>belong to the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnolinguistic_group" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ethnolinguistic group">ethnolinguistic group</a><span> </span>of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balts" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Balts">Balts</a><span> </span>and speak<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_language" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanian language">Lithuanian</a>.</p><p style="">For millennia, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balts" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Balts">Baltic tribes</a>. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time by<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindaugas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Mindaugas">Mindaugas</a>, who formed the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kingdom of Lithuania">Kingdom of Lithuania</a><span> </span>on 6 July 1253. Subsequent expansion and consolidation resulted in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Grand Duchy of Lithuania">Grand Duchy of Lithuania</a>, which by the 14th century was the largest country in Europe.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Bideleux-23" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>In 1386, the Grand Duchy entered into a<span> </span><em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_facto" style="text-decoration: none;" title="De facto">de facto</a></em><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Personal union">personal union</a><span> </span>with the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_the_Kingdom_of_Poland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Crown of the Kingdom of Poland">Crown of the Kingdom of Poland</a>. The two realms were<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Lublin" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Union of Lublin">united</a><span> </span>into the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederation" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Confederation">bi-confederal</a><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth" style="text-decoration: none;">Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth</a><span> </span>in 1569, forming one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighbouring countries gradually<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Partitions of Poland">dismantled</a><span> </span>it between 1772 and 1795, with the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Russian Empire">Russian Empire</a><span> </span>annexing most of Lithuania's territory. Towards the end of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World War I">World War I</a>, Lithuania<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Independence_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Act of Independence of Lithuania">declared Independence</a><span> </span>in 1918, founding the modern Republic of Lithuania. In<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World War II">World War II</a>, Lithuania was occupied<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_occupation_of_the_Baltic_states_(1940)" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1940)">by the Soviet Union</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_occupation_of_Lithuania_during_World_War_II" style="text-decoration: none;" title="German occupation of Lithuania during World War II">then by Nazi Germany</a>, before being<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_occupation_of_the_Baltic_states_(1944)" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet occupation of the Baltic states (1944)">reoccupied</a><span> </span>by the Soviets in 1944.<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_partisans" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanian partisans">Lithuanian armed resistance</a><span> </span>to the Soviet occupation lasted until the early 1950s. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Dissolution of the Soviet Union">dissolution of the Soviet Union</a>, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when it<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_the_Re-Establishment_of_the_State_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania">proclaimed the restoration of its independence</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-24" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Lithuania is a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Developed country">developed country</a><span> </span>with a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank_high-income_economy" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World Bank high-income economy">high income</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Economy of Lithuania">advanced economy</a>, ranking 37th in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Human Development Index">Human Development Index</a><span> </span>(HDI) and 19th in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Happiness_Report" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World Happiness Report">World Happiness Report</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-25" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Lithuania is a member of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="European Union">European Union</a>, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Council of Europe">Council of Europe</a>, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Eurozone">eurozone</a>, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic_Investment_Bank" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nordic Investment Bank">Nordic Investment Bank</a>, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Schengen Agreement">Schengen Agreement</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO" style="text-decoration: none;" title="NATO">NATO</a>, and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD" style="text-decoration: none;" title="OECD">OECD</a>. It also participates in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordic-Baltic_Eight" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nordic-Baltic Eight">Nordic-Baltic Eight</a><span> </span>(NB8) regional co-operation format.</p><h2>Etymology</h2><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=1" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Etymology"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Name_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Name of Lithuania">Name of Lithuania</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lietuvos_vardas._The_first_name_of_Lithuania_in_writing_1009.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="116" width="220" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Lietuvos_vardas._The_first_name_of_Lithuania_in_writing_1009.jpg/220px-Lietuvos_vardas._The_first_name_of_Lithuania_in_writing_1009.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/75/Lietuvos_vardas._The_first_name_of_Lithuania_in_writing_1009.jpg/220px-Lietuvos_vardas._The_first_name_of_Lithuania_in_writing_1009.jpg"></a>Lithuania's name in writing (<em>Litua</em>, on line 7), 1009</p><p style="">The first known record of the name of Lithuania (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_language" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanian language">Lithuanian</a>:<span> </span><em lang="lt">Lietuva</em>) is in a 9 March 1009 story of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_of_Querfurt" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Bruno of Querfurt">Saint Bruno</a><span> </span>in the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quedlinburg_Chronicle" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Quedlinburg Chronicle">Quedlinburg Chronicle</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-26" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>The Chronicle recorded a Latinized form of the name Lietuva:<span> </span><em>Litua</em><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-27" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>(pronounced<span> </span><span class="IPA nowrap" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">[litua]</span>). Due to lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown and scholars still debate it. There are a few plausible versions.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-VardasVle-28" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Since<span> </span><em>Lietuva</em><span> </span>has a suffix (-<em>uva</em>), there should be a corresponding original word with no suffix.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-VardasVle-28" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>A likely candidate is<span> </span><em>Lietā</em>. Because many<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_language" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic language">Baltic</a><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnonym" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ethnonym">ethnonyms</a><span> </span>originated from<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydronym" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Hydronym">hydronyms</a>, linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. Usually, such names evolved through the following process: hydronym → toponym →<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnonym" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ethnonym">ethnonym</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Zigmas2-29" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lietava_River" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lietava River">Lietava</a>, a small river not far from<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kernav%C4%97" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kernavė">Kernavė</a>, the core area of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duchy_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Duchy of Lithuania">early Lithuanian state</a><span> </span>and a possible first capital of the eventual<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Grand Duchy of Lithuania">Grand Duchy of Lithuania</a>, is usually credited as the source of the name.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Zigmas2-29" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Zigmas-30" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Artūras Dubonis proposed another hypothesis,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-31" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>that Lietuva relates to the word<span> </span><em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei%C4%8Diai" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Leičiai">leičiai</a></em><span> </span>(plural of<span> </span><em>leitis</em>). From the middle of the 13th century,<span> </span><em>leičiai</em><span> </span>were a distinct warrior social group of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanians" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanians">Lithuanian</a><span> </span>society subordinate to the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rulers_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="List of rulers of Lithuania">Lithuanian ruler</a><span> </span>or the state itself. The word<span> </span><em>leičiai</em><span> </span>is used in 14–16th century historical sources as an<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnonym" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ethnonym">ethnonym</a><span> </span>for Lithuanians (but not<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samogitians" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Samogitians">Samogitians</a>) and is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian_language" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Latvian language">Latvian language</a>, which is closely related to Lithuanian.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-32" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-33" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h2>History</h2><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=2" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: History"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span></p><p><br /></p><table style="" class="confluenceTable"><tbody class=""><tr class=""><td style="text-align: center;" class="confluenceTd"><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" alt="[icon]" height="14" width="20" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg/20px-Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg.png"></a></span></td><td class="confluenceTd"><p>This section<span> </span><strong>needs expansion</strong>. You can help by<span> </span><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=" style="text-decoration: none;">adding to it</a>.<span> </span><span class="date-container"><em>(<span class="date">July 2024</span>)</em></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="History of Lithuania">History of Lithuania</a><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Baltic-amber-colours.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="147" width="220" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Baltic-amber-colours.JPG/220px-Baltic-amber-colours.JPG" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Baltic-amber-colours.JPG/220px-Baltic-amber-colours.JPG"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_amber" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic amber">Baltic amber</a><span> </span>was once a valuable trade resource. It was transported from the region of modern-day Lithuania to the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Roman Empire">Roman Empire</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Egypt">Egypt</a><span> </span>through the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amber_Road" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Amber Road">Amber Road</a>.</p><p style="">The history of Lithuania dates back to settlements founded about 10,000 years ago,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-kudirka13-36" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>but the first written record of the name for the country dates back to 1009 AD.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanians" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanians">Lithuanians</a>, one of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balts" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Balts">Baltic peoples</a>, later conquered neighboring lands and established the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchy_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Grand Duchy of Lithuania">Grand Duchy of Lithuania</a><span> </span>in the 13th century (and also a short-lived<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kingdom of Lithuania">Kingdom of Lithuania</a>). The Grand Duchy was a successful and lasting warrior state. It remained fiercely independent and was one of the last areas of Europe to<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianization_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Christianization of Lithuania">adopt Christianity</a><span> </span>(beginning in the 14th century). A formidable power, it became the largest state in<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Europe">Europe</a><span> </span>in the 15th century spread from the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic Sea">Baltic Sea</a><span> </span>to the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Sea" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Black Sea">Black Sea</a>, through the conquest of large groups of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Slavs" style="text-decoration: none;" title="East Slavs">East Slavs</a><span> </span>who resided in<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenia" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ruthenia">Ruthenia</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-38" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">In 1385, the Grand Duchy formed a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynastic_union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Dynastic union">dynastic union</a><span> </span>with<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland_during_the_Jagiellon_dynasty" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Poland during the Jagiellon dynasty">Poland</a><span> </span>through the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Krewo" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Union of Krewo">Union of Krewo</a>. Later, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Lublin" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Union of Lublin">Union of Lublin</a><span> </span>(1569) created the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish%E2%80%93Lithuanian_Commonwealth" style="text-decoration: none;">Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth</a>. During the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Northern_War" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Second Northern War">Second Northern War</a>, the Grand Duchy sought protection under the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish_Empire" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Swedish Empire">Swedish Empire</a><span> </span>through the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_K%C4%97dainiai" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Union of Kėdainiai">Union of Kėdainiai</a><span> </span>in 1655. However, it soon returned to being a part of the Polish–Lithuanian state, which persisted until 1795 when the last of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partitions_of_Poland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Partitions of Poland">Partitions of Poland</a><span> </span>erased both independent Lithuania and Poland from the political map. After the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_(politics)" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Dissolution (politics)">dissolution</a>, Lithuanians lived under the rule of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empire" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Russian Empire">Russian Empire</a><span> </span>until the 20th century, although there were several major rebellions, especially in<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Uprising" style="text-decoration: none;" title="November Uprising">1830–1831</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Uprising" style="text-decoration: none;" title="January Uprising">1863</a>.</p><p style="">On 16 February 1918, Lithuania was re-established as a sovereign state. It remained independent until the onset of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World War II">World War II</a>, when it was occupied by the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet Union">Soviet Union</a><span> </span>under the terms of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molotov%E2%80%93Ribbentrop_Pact" style="text-decoration: none;">Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact</a>. Following a brief occupation by<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Germany" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nazi Germany">Nazi Germany</a><span> </span>after the Nazis<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Barbarossa" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Operation Barbarossa">waged war on the Soviet Union</a>, Lithuania was again<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuanian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic">absorbed into the Soviet Union</a><span> </span>for nearly 50 years.</p><h3>1990–present</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=3" style="text-decoration: none;"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br /><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Act_of_Restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_1990-03-11.png" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="295" width="208" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Act_of_Restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_1990-03-11.png/208px-Act_of_Restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_1990-03-11.png" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Act_of_Restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_1990-03-11.png/208px-Act_of_Restoration_of_Independence_of_Lithuania_1990-03-11.png"></a></span><br />On 11 March 1990, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Council_%E2%80%93_Reconstituent_Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;">Supreme Council</a><span> </span>announced the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_the_Re-Establishment_of_the_State_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania">restoration of Lithuania's independence</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Bell2002-39" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>The Act was the first such declaration in the USSR and served as an inspiration to other<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_republics" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet republics">Soviet republics</a>, and strongly influenced the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_the_Soviet_Union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Dissolution of the Soviet Union">dissolution of the Soviet Union</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p style="">On 11 March 1990, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Council_%E2%80%93_Reconstituent_Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;">Supreme Council</a><span> </span>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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_economic_blockade_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania">imposed an economic blockade</a><span> </span>by ceasing to deliver supplies of raw materials to Lithuania.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Not only 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.</p><p style="">Gradually, economic relations were restored. However, tensions peaked again in January 1991. Attempts were made to carry out a coup using the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Armed_Forces" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet Armed Forces">Soviet Armed Forces</a>, the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGB" style="text-decoration: none;" title="KGB">KGB</a>). Because of the poor economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Coup d'état">coup d'état</a><span> </span>would receive strong public support.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>People flooded to Vilnius to defend the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Council_%E2%80%93_Reconstituent_Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;">Supreme Council of the Republic of Lithuania</a><span> </span>and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties and material loss. The<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Army" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Soviet Army">Soviet Army</a><span> </span>killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_Events" style="text-decoration: none;" title="January Events">January Events</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-bbc-42" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-43" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed 7 Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medininkai_Massacre" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Medininkai Massacre">Medininkai Massacre</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations" style="text-decoration: none;" title="United Nations">United Nations</a>.</p><p style="">On 25 October 1992, citizens voted in a referendum to adopt the current<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Constitution of Lithuania">constitution</a>. On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algirdas_Brazauskas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Algirdas Brazauskas">Algirdas Brazauskas</a><span> </span>became the first president after the restoration of independence. On 31 August 1993 the last units of the former Soviet Army left Lithuania.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-45" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">On 31 May 2001, Lithuania joined the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization" style="text-decoration: none;" title="World Trade Organization">World Trade Organization</a><span> </span>(WTO).<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Since March 2004, Lithuania has been part of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO" style="text-decoration: none;" title="NATO">NATO</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 1 May 2004, it became a full member of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union" style="text-decoration: none;" title="European Union">European Union</a>,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-48" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>and a member of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Agreement" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Schengen Agreement">Schengen Agreement</a><span> </span>in December 2007.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 1 January 2015,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania_and_the_euro" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lithuania and the euro">Lithuania joined</a><span> </span>the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurozone" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Eurozone">eurozone</a><span> </span>and adopted the European Union's single currency.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 4 July 2018, Lithuania officially joined the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD" style="text-decoration: none;" title="OECD">OECD</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalia_Grybauskait%C4%97" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Dalia Grybauskaitė">Dalia Grybauskaitė</a><span> </span>was the first female<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="President of Lithuania">President of Lithuania</a><span> </span>(2009–19) and the first to be re-elected for a second consecutive term.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 24 February 2022, Lithuania declared a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_emergency" style="text-decoration: none;" title="State of emergency">state of emergency</a><span> </span>in response to the 2022<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_invasion_of_Ukraine" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Russian invasion of Ukraine">Russian invasion of Ukraine</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Together with the eight other NATO member states, it invoked NATO<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Treaty#Article_4" style="text-decoration: none;" title="North Atlantic Treaty">Article 4</a><span> </span>to hold consultations on security.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-54" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>On 11–12 July 2023, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Vilnius_summit" style="text-decoration: none;" title="2023 Vilnius summit">2023 NATO summit</a><span> </span>was held in Vilnius.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-55" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h2>Geography</h2><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=4" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Geography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Geography of Lithuania">Geography of Lithuania</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="245" width="350" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png/350px-LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png/350px-LithuaniaPhysicalMap-en.png"></a>Physical map and geomorphological subdivision of Lithuania</p><p style="">Lithuania is located in the Baltic region of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Europe">Europe</a><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-location-22" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>a<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>and covers an area of 65,300 km<sup>2</sup><span> </span>(25,200 sq mi).<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-56" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>It lies between latitudes<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/53rd_parallel_north" style="text-decoration: none;" title="53rd parallel north">53°</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/57th_parallel_north" style="text-decoration: none;" title="57th parallel north">57° N</a>, and mostly between longitudes<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21st_meridian_east" style="text-decoration: none;" title="21st meridian east">21°</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/27th_meridian_east" style="text-decoration: none;" title="27th meridian east">27° E</a><span> </span>(part of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Curonian Spit">Curonian Spit</a><span> </span>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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Baltic Sea">Baltic Sea</a>, less than the other two Baltic states. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-water_port" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Warm-water port">warm-water port</a>,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaip%C4%97da" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Klaipėda">Klaipėda</a>, lies at the narrow mouth of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Lagoon" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Curonian Lagoon">Curonian Lagoon</a><span> </span>(Lithuanian:<span> </span><em>Kuršių marios</em>), a shallow lagoon extending south to<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaliningrad" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Kaliningrad">Kaliningrad</a>. The country's main and largest river, the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemunas_River" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nemunas River">Nemunas River</a>, and some of its tributaries carry international shipping.</p><p style="">Lithuania lies at the edge of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_European_Plain" style="text-decoration: none;" title="North European Plain">North European Plain</a>. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_glacial_period" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Last glacial period">last ice age</a>, and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auk%C5%A1tojas_Hill" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Aukštojas Hill">Aukštojas Hill</a><span> </span>at 294 metres (965 ft) in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lakes_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="List of lakes of Lithuania">numerous lakes</a><span> </span>(<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Vi%C5%A1tytis" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lake Vištytis">Lake Vištytis</a>, for example) and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country.<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr%C5%ABk%C5%A1iai" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Drūkšiai">Drūkšiai</a><span> </span>is the largest,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tauragnas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Tauragnas">Tauragnas</a><span> </span>is the deepest and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asveja" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Asveja">Asveja</a><span> </span>is the longest lake in Lithuania.</p><p style="">After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continent" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Continent">continent</a><span> </span>of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institut_g%C3%A9ographique_national_(France)" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Institut géographique national (France)">Institut Géographique National</a><span> </span>(French National Geographic Institute), determined that the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geographic_centre_of_Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Geographic centre of Europe">geographic centre of Europe</a><span> </span>was in Lithuania, at<span> </span><span class="geo-inline"><span class="plainlinks nourlexpansion"><span><a class="external text" href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Lithuania&params=54_54_N_25_19_E_type:landmark&title=Purnu%C5%A1k%C4%97s+%28centre+of+gravity%29" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="geo-default"><span class="geo-dms" title="Maps, aerial photos, and other data for this location"><span class="latitude">54°54′N</span> <span class="longitude">25°19′E</span></span></span></a></span></span></span>, 26 kilometres (16 mi) north of Lithuania's capital city of<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vilnius" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Vilnius">Vilnius</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-57" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Affholder accomplished this by calculating the<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_of_gravity" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Centre of gravity">centre of gravity</a><span> </span>of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Europe" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Geography of Europe">geometrical figure</a><span> </span>of Europe.</p><h3>Climate</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=5" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Climate"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Lithuania#Climate" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Geography of Lithuania">Geography of Lithuania § Climate</a></p><p><br /></p><p style="">Lithuania has a temperate climate with both<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_climate" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Maritime climate">maritime</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_climate" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Continental climate">continental</a><span> </span>influences. It is defined as<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humid_continental_climate" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Humid continental climate">humid continental</a><span> </span>(Dfb) under the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ppen_climate_classification" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Köppen climate classification">Köppen climate classification</a><span> </span>(but is close to<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_climate" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Oceanic climate">oceanic</a><span> </span>in a narrow coastal zone).</p><p style="">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.</p><p style="">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.</p><p style="">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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-58" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Peat">peat</a><span> </span>bog fires.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-59" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h3>Environment</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=6" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Environment"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br /><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:%C5%BDadvaini%C5%B3_e%C5%BEeras.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="113" width="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/%C5%BDadvaini%C5%B3_e%C5%BEeras.jpg/200px-%C5%BDadvaini%C5%B3_e%C5%BEeras.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/%C5%BDadvaini%C5%B3_e%C5%BEeras.jpg/200px-%C5%BDadvaini%C5%B3_e%C5%BEeras.jpg"></a></span><br />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.<br /><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nida_sand_dunes_(14573723178).jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="94" width="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Nida_sand_dunes_%2814573723178%29.jpg/200px-Nida_sand_dunes_%2814573723178%29.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Nida_sand_dunes_%2814573723178%29.jpg/200px-Nida_sand_dunes_%2814573723178%29.jpg"></a></span><br />Sand dunes of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curonian_Spit" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Curonian Spit">Curonian Spit</a><span> </span>near<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nida,_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nida, Lithuania">Nida</a>, which are the highest drifting sand dunes in Europe (<a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNESCO_World_Heritage_Site" style="text-decoration: none;" title="UNESCO World Heritage Site">UNESCO World Heritage Site</a>)<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-60" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p><br /></p><p style="">After the restoration of Lithuania's independence in 1990, the<span> </span><em>Aplinkos apsaugos įstatymas</em><span> </span>(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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-61" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Lithuania agreed to cut<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_emissions" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Carbon emissions">carbon emissions</a><span> </span>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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renewable_energy" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Renewable energy">renewable energy</a><span> </span>sources.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-62" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effective<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Container_deposit_legislation" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Container deposit legislation">container deposit legislation</a>, which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-63" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillfort" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Hillfort">hillforts</a>, which previously had castles where the ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-gamta-64" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemunas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nemunas">Nemunas</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-gamta-64" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Lithuania is home to two terrestrial ecoregions:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_European_mixed_forests" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Central European mixed forests">Central European mixed forests</a><span> </span>and<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarmatic_mixed_forests" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Sarmatic mixed forests">Sarmatic mixed forests</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-DinersteinOlson2017-65" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">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% of industrial production in the country.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-66" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Lithuania has five<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_park" style="text-decoration: none;" title="National park">national parks</a>,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-67" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>30<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_park" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Regional park">regional parks</a>,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-68" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>67<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>402<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_reserve" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nature reserve">nature reserves</a>,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-69" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>68<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>668 state-protected natural heritage objects.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-70" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>69<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">In 2018 Lithuania was ranked fifth, second to Sweden (first 3 places were not granted) in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_Change_Performance_Index" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Climate Change Performance Index">Climate Change Performance Index</a><span> </span>(CCPI).<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-71" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>70<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>It had a 2019<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Landscape_Integrity_Index" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Forest Landscape Integrity Index">Forest Landscape Integrity Index</a><span> </span>mean score of 1.62/10, ranking it 162nd globally out of 172 countries.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-FLII-Supplementary-72" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>71<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h3>Biodiversity</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=7" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Biodiversity"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fauna_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Fauna of Lithuania">Fauna of Lithuania</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:White_Stork-Mindaugas_Urbonas-1.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="165" width="220" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/White_Stork-Mindaugas_Urbonas-1.jpg/220px-White_Stork-Mindaugas_Urbonas-1.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/White_Stork-Mindaugas_Urbonas-1.jpg/220px-White_Stork-Mindaugas_Urbonas-1.jpg"></a>The<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_stork" style="text-decoration: none;" title="White stork">white stork</a><span> </span>is the national bird of Lithuania, which has the highest-density stork population in Europe.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-73" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>72<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-74" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>73<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Lithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural (forests,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Bog">bogs</a>, 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.<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Wetland">Wetlands</a><span> </span>(raised bogs,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fen" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Fen">fens</a>, 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<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemunas_River" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Nemunas River">Nemunas River</a><span> </span>basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fish_migration" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Fish migration">catadromous</a><span> </span>fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eutrophication" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Eutrophication">eutrophication</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-cbd-75" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">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<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_and_endangered_species_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="List of extinct and endangered species of Lithuania">Lithuanian Red Data Book</a>. The list also contains 8% of all fish species.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-cbd-75" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>74<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_deer" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Roe deer">roe deer</a>, with 120,000 of them. They are followed by<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Boar">boars</a><span> </span>(55,000). Other ungulates are the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deer" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Deer">deer</a><span> </span>(~22,000),<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallow-deer" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Fallow-deer">fallow-deer</a><span> </span>(~21,000) and the largest one:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Moose">moose</a><span> </span>(~7,000). Among the Lithuanian predators,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Fox">foxes</a><span> </span>are the most common (~27,000).<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolve" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Wolve">Wolves</a><span> </span>are, however, more ingrained into the mythology as there are just 800 in Lithuania. Even rarer are the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynx" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Lynx">lynxes</a><span> </span>(~200). The large animals mentioned above exclude the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Rabbit">rabbit</a>, ~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-76" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>75<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h2>Government and politics</h2><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=8" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Government and politics"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Politics of Lithuania">Politics of Lithuania</a></p><p><br /></p><p><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Seimas_%E2%80%94_Parliament_of_Lithuania.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="160" width="240" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Seimas_%E2%80%94_Parliament_of_Lithuania.jpg/240px-Seimas_%E2%80%94_Parliament_of_Lithuania.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Seimas_%E2%80%94_Parliament_of_Lithuania.jpg/240px-Seimas_%E2%80%94_Parliament_of_Lithuania.jpg"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Seimas">Seimas</a><span> </span>— Parliament of Lithuania</p><h3>Government</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=9" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Government"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span></p><p style="">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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Constitution of Lithuania">new constitution</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-referenda-77" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>76<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Lithuanian_presidency_referendum" style="text-decoration: none;" title="1992 Lithuanian presidency referendum">separate referendum</a><span> </span>was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="President of Lithuania">President of Lithuania</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-referenda-77" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>76<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Through compromise, a<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-presidential_system" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Semi-presidential system">semi-presidential system</a><span> </span>was agreed on.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Lina-4" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><br /><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gitanas_Nauseda_crop.png" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="176" width="130" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Gitanas_Nauseda_crop.png/130px-Gitanas_Nauseda_crop.png" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/Gitanas_Nauseda_crop.png/130px-Gitanas_Nauseda_crop.png"></a></span><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitanas_Naus%C4%97da" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Gitanas Nausėda">Gitanas Nausėda</a>,<br /><small><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="President of Lithuania">President</a><span> </span>since 2019</small><br /><span><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ingrida_Simonyte_2019_crop_2.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="174" width="145" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Ingrida_Simonyte_2019_crop_2.jpg/145px-Ingrida_Simonyte_2019_crop_2.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/Ingrida_Simonyte_2019_crop_2.jpg/145px-Ingrida_Simonyte_2019_crop_2.jpg"></a></span><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrida_%C5%A0imonyt%C4%97" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ingrida Šimonytė">Ingrida Šimonytė</a>,<br /><small><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Prime Minister of Lithuania">Prime Minister</a><span> </span>since 2020</small></p><p style="">The Lithuanian<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_of_state" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Head of state">head of state</a><span> </span>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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander-in-chief" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Commander-in-chief">commander-in-chief</a><span> </span>of the military.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-lrpf-78" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>77<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>The president also appoints the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Prime Minister of Lithuania">prime minister</a><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-lrpf-78" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>77<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>The current Lithuanian head of state,<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitanas_Naus%C4%97da" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Gitanas Nausėda">Gitanas Nausėda</a><span> </span>was<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Lithuanian_presidential_election" style="text-decoration: none;" title="2019 Lithuanian presidential election">elected on 26 May 2019</a><span> </span>by unanimously winning in all<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipalities_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Municipalities of Lithuania">municipalities of Lithuania</a><span> </span>on the second election tour.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-president2019-79" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>78<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">The judges of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitutional_Court_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Constitutional Court of Lithuania">Constitutional Court</a><span> </span>(<em>Konstitucinis Teismas</em>) 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<span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicameral" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Unicameral">unicameral</a><span> </span>Lithuanian parliament, the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Seimas">Seimas</a>, 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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proportional_representation" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Proportional representation">proportional representation</a>. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in the Seimas.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Seimas-80" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><h3>Political parties and elections</h3><p><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">[</span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lithuania&action=edit&section=10" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Edit section: Political parties and elections"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="">]</span></span><br />Main article:<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Elections in Lithuania">Elections in Lithuania</a></p><p><br /></p><p style="">Lithuania was one of the first countries in the world to<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_suffrage" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Women's suffrage">grant women a right to vote</a><span> </span>in the elections. Lithuanian women were allowed to vote by the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Lithuania#Interwar_constitutions" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Constitution of Lithuania">1918 Constitution of Lithuania</a><span> </span>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<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" style="text-decoration: none;" title="United States">United States</a><span> </span>(1920),<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France" style="text-decoration: none;" title="France">France</a><span> </span>(1945),<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism_in_Greece" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Feminism in Greece">Greece</a><span> </span>(1952),<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a><span> </span>(1971).<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-81" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>80<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system,<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-82" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>81<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seimas" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Seimas">Seimas</a><span> </span>take place on the second Sunday of October every four years.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Seimas-80" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>79<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-83" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>82<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a class="mw-redirect" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeland_Union_%E2%80%93_Lithuanian_Christian_Democrats" style="text-decoration: none;">Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats</a><span> </span>won the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Lithuanian_parliamentary_election" style="text-decoration: none;" title="2020 Lithuanian parliamentary election">2020 Lithuanian parliamentary elections</a><span> </span>and gained 50 of 141 seats in the parliament.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-84" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>83<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>In October 2020, the prime ministerial candidate of Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD)<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrida_%C5%A0imonyt%C4%97" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Ingrida Šimonytė">Ingrida Šimonytė</a><span> </span>formed a centre-right coalition with two liberal parties.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-85" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>84<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p><a class="mw-file-description" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Re-Establishment_of_Lithuania_commemoration_in_Seimas_(2015).jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img class="confluence-embedded-image mw-file-element confluence-external-resource" draggable="false" height="147" width="220" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Re-Establishment_of_Lithuania_commemoration_in_Seimas_%282015%29.jpg/220px-Re-Establishment_of_Lithuania_commemoration_in_Seimas_%282015%29.jpg" data-image-src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Re-Establishment_of_Lithuania_commemoration_in_Seimas_%282015%29.jpg/220px-Re-Establishment_of_Lithuania_commemoration_in_Seimas_%282015%29.jpg"></a>Commemoration of the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_the_Re-Establishment_of_the_State_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania">Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania</a><span> </span>in the historical<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seimas_Palace" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Seimas Palace">Seimas</a><span> </span>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.</p><p style="">The<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="President of Lithuania">President of Lithuania</a><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-Constitution-86" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>85<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-87" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>86<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gitanas_Naus%C4%97da" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Gitanas Nausėda">Gitanas Nausėda</a><span> </span>has won the most recent election as an independent candidate in<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Lithuanian_presidential_election" style="text-decoration: none;" title="2019 Lithuanian presidential election">2019</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-president2019-79" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>78<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_council" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Municipal council">municipal council</a><span> </span>and a<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Mayor">mayor</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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-88" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>87<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-89" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>88<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Democratic_Party_of_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="Social Democratic Party of Lithuania">Social Democratic Party of Lithuania</a><span> </span>won most of the positions in the 2015 elections (372 municipal councils seats and 16 mayors).<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-90" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>89<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p><p style="">As of 2019, the number of seats in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Parliament" style="text-decoration: none;" title="European Parliament">European Parliament</a><span> </span>allocated to Lithuania was 11.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-91" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>90<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>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.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-92" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>91<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><span> </span>Six political parties and one committee representatives gained seats in the<span> </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_European_Parliament_election_in_Lithuania" style="text-decoration: none;" title="2019 European Parliament election in Lithuania">2019 elections</a>.<sup class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithuania#cite_note-93" style="text-decoration: none;"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>92<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></p></td></tr></table><p><br /></p>
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