Lithuania
Updated: Sep 29, 2022
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Country Name
Lithuania, or officially the Republic of Lithuania.
Location
Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of the Baltic states. Lithuania is situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the southeast of Sweden and Denmark.
It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia to the southwest.
Capital
Vilnius.
Reason for Naming
According to a widespread popular belief, the word Lietuva (Lithuania) originated from the Lithuanian words lyti (to rain) and lietus (rain). However, there is no serious scientific support for this theory. Since the word Lietuva has a suffix (-uva), the original word should have no suffix.
Flag
The first use and adoption of the current flag design were on 25 April 1918. Then the Flag of Lithuania was restored on 18 November 1988.* The current flag was adopted on 8 July 2004. The flag consists of three horizontal stripes of yellow, green, and red colors. The flag was in force the years from 1919 to 1940 until Lithuania did not become part of the Soviet Union and the flag was not dropped. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the tricolor has been readopted as the national flag. The yellow color represents the sun and fertile cornfields, the green color represents forests and meadows, and the red color represents the bloodshed in the struggle for the country's independence and for the courage of Lithuanians during these fights. *The flag that is used nowadays differs only by dimensions from the flag used before the Soviet occupation. * Flag Facts:
- The flag of Lithuania is similar to the flag of Myanmar both composed of three horizontal stripes of yellow, green, and red, but the flag of Myanmar charges with a large white five-pointed star at the center. -The flags of Lithuania, Myanmar, and Suriname are the only non-African national flags to contain the pan-African colors red, yellow, and green.
Language
The official national language in Lithuania is Lithuanian, which is also used as an official language in the European Union. Lithuanian is the most popular language in the country, Minor languages in Lithuania are Russian and Polish. Russian is one of the minor languages spoken by about 8.2% of Lithuania's citizens. While the language has been used in the country for centuries, its use was enforced during Lithuania's occupation by Soviet Russia, whereby Russian was used as the Lingua Franca. Russian is not only spoken by Russians, but also by Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Jews in Lithuania. Polish is another minority language and is natively spoken by about 5.8% of Lithuanians. The language is primarily used in southeast Lithuania by a minority ethnic Polish community in the region. While Lithuanian is used in all official communication in the country, the government promotes the use of these minority languages in the regions where they exist by using them as the medium of instruction in learning institutions. English is the most popular foreign language in Lithuania and is spoken by about 80% of the country's youth. English is primarily used in locations frequented by foreign tourists, such as museums and hotels.
Religion
Christianity is the predominant religion in the country. The Catholic Church has the highest number of adherents. 77.2% of Lithuanians are Roman Catholics. 4.1% of the population is affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Old Believers, Evangelical Lutherans, and Evangelical Reformists account for 0.8%, 0.6%, and 0.2% of the population, each.
Other religions with a minor presence in the country include Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.
6.1% of Lithuania’s residents claim not to adhere to any religion while 10.1% do not specify any religion.
Currency
Euro (€) (EUR).
Time Zone
+03:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
+02:00 GMT.
Government Regime
Unitary semi-presidential republic.
Climate
In Lithuania, the climate is semi-continental, with very cold winters and mild, moderately rainy summers. On the coast, the average temperatures are just below freezing in January and February and around 18 °C (64 °F) in July and August. In inland areas, the temperatures are a bit lower in winter and a bit higher in summer. Winter is cold and dark: temperatures are often below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F), and landscapes are usually snow-covered from December to mid-March. The temperature decreases gradually towards the interior: the daily average in January and February is around -1 degrees Celsius (30 °F) on the coast, it slightly drops in the central area, and even so more in the east, where it reaches -4 °C (25 °C) in Vilnius, which therefore is the coldest city in Lithuania. Snowfalls are frequent but not plentiful, and often occur in the form of continuous but light snow. The temperature can change a lot depending on the meteorological situation: when currents come from the Atlantic Ocean, it can exceed freezing even in winter, while when they blow from Russia, it can plunge to -20 °C (-4 °F), and at times even to -30 °C (-22 °F). Summer, from June to August, offers, in addition to very long days, pleasant temperatures: highs are around 18/21 °C (64/70 °F) on the coast and around 21/23 °C (70/73 °F) in inland areas. However, summer is a fairly rainy season. Sometimes, warm currents from the southernmost plains of Eastern Europe can cause a considerable increase in temperature: in these cases, it can reach 25/30 °C (77/86 °F) on the coast and up to 30/35 °C (86/95 °F) in inland areas. However, these hot periods generally only last a few days.
The best time to visit Lithuania is in summer, from June to August: the temperatures are pleasant, and sometimes even warm.
International Phone Code
+370
Internet Code
.lt