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One of the three , it is situated along the southeastern shore of the , to the east of and. It is bordered by to the north, to the east and south, to the south, and a to the southwest. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2. Other major cities are and. The official language, , along with , is one of only two living languages in the of the language family. For centuries, the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various. In the 1230s, the Lithuanian lands were united by , the King of Lithuania, and the first unified Lithuanian state, the , was created on 6 July 1253. During the 14th century, the was the largest country in Europe; present-day Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia were the territories of the Grand Duchy. With the of 1569, Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union, the. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries, until neighboring countries it from 1772 to 1795, with the annexing most of Lithuania's territory. As neared its end, Lithuania's was signed on 16 February 1918, declaring the founding of the modern Republic of Lithuania. In the midst of the , Lithuania was first and then by. As World War II neared its end and the Germans retreated, the. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal , Lithuania became the first Baltic state to declare itself independent, resulting in after 50 years of Soviet occupation. Lithuania is a member of the , the , a full member of the , , and. It is also a member of the , and part of cooperation of countries. Lithuania's name in writing 1009 The first known record of the name of Lithuania : Lietuva is in a 9 March 1009 story of recorded in the : Annales Quedlinburgenses. Due to the lack of reliable evidence, the true meaning of the name is unknown. Nowadays, scholars still debate the meaning of the word and there are a few plausible versions. There have been several attempts to associate Lietuva with , and with Latin or words, but these attempts all lack strong linguistic support. 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. A likely candidate is Lietā. Because many originated from , linguists have searched for its origin among local hydronyms. A small river not far from , the core area of the and a possible first capital of the eventual , is usually credited as the source of the name. This river's original name is. As time passed, the suffix - ava could have changed into - uva, as the two are from the same suffix branch. It is believed that father of ruled the area of Kernavė. 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 a naming is not unprecedented in world history. It is very unlikely for the name to have derived from a Slavic language, since the Slavic - i- и could never be transliterated into the Lithuanian diphthong - ie-. From the middle of the 13th century, were a distinct social group of the society subordinate to the or the state itself. They were living in the and. Possibly, already in the 14th century part of them became. Another meaning of leičiai is used in the 14th — 16th centuries historical sources as an for Lithuanians. It is believed that occasionally all Lithuanians were called using it except for. The word leiši plural of leitis is an ethnonym for the Lithuanians which is still used, usually poetically or in historical contexts, in the , which is closely related to Lithuanian. They were traveling hunters and did not form stable settlements. In the 8th millennium BC, the climate became much warmer, and forests developed. The inhabitants of what is now Lithuania then traveled less and engaged in local hunting, gathering and fresh-water fishing. Agriculture did not emerge until the 3rd millennium BC due to a harsh climate and terrain and a lack of suitable tools to cultivate the land. Crafts and trade also started to form at this time. Over a millennium, the , who arrived in the 3rd — 2nd millennium BC, mixed with the local population and formed various. It was once transported to the , through the. The did not maintain close cultural or political contacts with the , but they did maintain trade contacts see. The Western Balts differentiated and became known to outside chroniclers first. The is considered to be very for its close connection to Indo-European roots. It is believed to have differentiated from the , the most closely related existing language, around the 7th century. Traditional , with many archaic elements, were long preserved. Rulers' bodies were cremated up until the conversion to : the descriptions of the cremation ceremonies of the grand dukes and have survived. From the mid-12th century, it was the Lithuanians who were invading Ruthenian territories. In 1183, and were ravaged, and even the distant and powerful was repeatedly threatened by the excursions from the emerging Lithuanian war machine toward the end of the 12th century. From the late 12th century, an organized Lithuanian military force existed; it was used for external raids, plundering and the gathering of slaves. Such military and pecuniary activities fostered social differentiation and triggered a struggle for power in Lithuania. This initiated the formation of early statehood, from which the developed. Initially inhabited by fragmented Baltic tribes, in the 1230s the Lithuanian lands were united by , who was crowned as on 6 July 1253. After his assassination in 1263, was a target of the of the and the. Despite the devastating century-long struggle with the Orders, the expanded rapidly, overtaking former Slavic principalities of. On 22 September 1236, the between and the took place close to. The Livonian Brothers were smashed during it and their further conquest of the lands were stopped. The battle inspired rebellions among the , , , , tribes previously conquered by the Sword-Brothers. Some thirty years' worth of conquests on the left bank of were lost. In 2000, the Lithuanian and Latvian parliaments declared 22 September to be the Day of Baltic Unity. According to the legend, Grand Duke was hunting near the , tired after the successful hunt, he settled in for the night and dreamed of a huge standing on top a hill and howling as strong and loud as a hundred wolves. Krivis pagan priest Lizdeika interpreted the dream that the Iron Wolf represents. Gediminas, obeying the will of gods, built the city, and gave it the name — from the stream of the Vilnia River. First, Algirdas captured remaining territories of the — the bulk of the territory, including the capital in , fell under Lithuanian control around 1357—1358. The Lithuanians then attacked Korshev Коршов , an unidentified fortress located in the upper reaches of the , tributary of the. It is believed that Algirdas further conquered territories of the former. The area belonged to Crimean ulus which was engaged in a campaign against and could not organize effective resistance. Three Tatar of Podolia gathered an army to resist the invasion. Lithuanians smashed the forces during the and stopped its further expansion in the present-day. The victory brought the city of and a large part of present-day Ukraine, including sparsely populated and , under the control of the expanding Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The duchy also gained access to the. Algirdas left in Kiev. After taking Kiev, Lithuania became a direct neighbor and rival of the. By the end of the 14th century, Lithuania was one of the largest countries in Europe and included present-day , , and parts of and. The geopolitical situation between the west and the east determined the multicultural and multi-confessional character of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The ruling elite practised religious tolerance and language was used as an auxiliary language to the for official documents. In 1385, the Grand Duke accepted Poland's offer to become its king. It implied that Lithuania, the fiercely independent land, was one of the last areas of Europe to adopt Christianity. During his reign, Lithuania reached the peak of its territorial expansion, centralization of the state began, and the became increasingly prominent in state politics. In the great in 1399, the combined forces of and Vytautas were defeated by the. Thanks to close cooperation, the armies of Lithuania and Poland achieved a great victory over the Teutonic Knights in 1410 at the , one of the largest battles of medieval Europe. In January 1429, at the Vytautas received the title of with the backing of , but the envoys who were transporting the crown were stopped by Polish in autumn of 1430. Another crown was sent, but Vytautas died in the several days before it reached Lithuania. He was buried in the. After the deaths of Jogaila and Vytautas, the Lithuanian nobility attempted to break the union between and Lithuania, independently selecting Grand Dukes from the. But, at the end of the 15th century, Lithuania was forced to seek a closer alliance with Poland when the growing power of the threatened Lithuania's Russian principalities and sparked the and the. During the in 1514 Lithuanians hopelessly trounced the forces On 8 September 1514, between Lithuanians, commanded by the , and Muscovites was fought. According to by , the primary source for information on the battle, the much smaller army of Poland—Lithuania under 30,000 men defeated a force of 80,000 Muscovite soldiers, capturing their camp and commander. The battle destroyed a military alliance against Lithuania and Poland. Thousands of Muscovites were captured as prisoners and used as laborers in the , while Konstanty Ostrogski delivered the captured Muscovite flags to the Cathedral of Vilnius. The Livonian War was ceased for ten years with a signed on 15 January 1582 according to which the already recovered , and , but transferred to the. The was extended for twenty years in 1600, when a to Moscow led by concluded negotiations with Tsar. The truce was broken when. Modern , marked 6, in 1600 The was created in 1569. As a member of the Commonwealth, Lithuania retained its institutions, including a separate army, currency, and statutory laws. Eventually affected all aspects of Lithuanian life: politics, language, culture, and national identity. From the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, culture, arts, and education flourished, fueled by the and the. From 1573, the Kings of Poland and Grand Dukes of Lithuania were , who were granted ever increasing. These liberties, especially the , led to anarchy and the eventual dissolution of the state. The , 1605 The Commonwealth reached its in the early 17th century. Its powerful was dominated by nobles who were reluctant to get involved in the ; this neutrality spared the country from the ravages of a political-religious conflict that devastated most of contemporary Europe. The Commonwealth held its own against , the , and vassals of the , and even launched successful offensives against its neighbors. In during the , Commonwealth troops entered Russia and managed to take and hold it from September 27, 1610 to November 4, 1612, when they were driven out. Russian army looted the city, splendid churches, manors. Those who returned back after the catastrophe didn't recognise the city. Russian occupation of Grand Duchy of Lithuania lasted up to 1661. Many artefacts and cultural heritage were either lost or looted, significant parts of the state archive - , collected since 13th century, were lost and the rest is moved out of the country. During the 1655—1661 , the Lithuanian territory and economy were devastated by the army. Almost all territory of Grand Duchy of Lithuania was occupied by Swedish and Russian armies. This period is known as Tvanas. In the late 17th century, the king of the weakened Commonwealth, , allied with Holy Roman Emperor to deal crushing defeats to the. In 1683, the marked the final turning point in the 250-year struggle between the forces of Christian Europe and the Ottomans. For its centuries-long opposition to Muslim advances, the Commonwealth would gain the name of Antemurale Christianitatis bulwark of Christianity. During the next 16 years, the would drive the Turks permanently south of the , never again to threaten central Europe. Before it could fully recover, Lithuania was ravaged during the 1700—1721. The war, , and caused the deaths of approximately 40% of the country's population. Foreign powers, especially Russia, became dominant in the domestic politics of the Commonwealth. Numerous fractions among the nobility used the Golden Liberties to prevent any reforms. The was adopted by the parliament of the Polish—Lithuanian Commonwealth trying to save the state. The constitution sought to supplant the prevailing anarchy fostered by some of the country's with a more democratic. It introduced elements of political equality between townspeople and nobility, and placed the peasants under the protection of the government, thus mitigating the worst abuses of. It banned parliamentary institutions such as the liberum veto, which had put the Sejm at the mercy of any deputy who could revoke all the legislation that had been passed by that Sejm. It was drafted in relation to a copy of the. Others have called it the world's second-oldest codified national governmental constitution after the 1787. Constitution was actually the first governmental constitution, introducing the clear division of the executive, legislative and judiciary powers, accordingly with influential in the. Eventually, in 1772, 1792, and 1795 by the , , and. The largest area of Lithuanian territory became part of the Russian Empire. After unsuccessful and , the Tsarist authorities implemented a number of policies. In 1840 the was abolished. They , closed cultural and educational institutions, and made Lithuania part of a new administrative region called. The Russification failed owing to an extensive network of and secret Lithuanian home schooling. Bishop 1801 - 1875 urged to resist Russification, to protest against closing of catholic churches and monasteries, organised book printing in Lithuanian in and distribution channels in occupied Lithuania After the , when German diplomats assigned what were seen as Russian spoils of war to Turkey, the relationship between Russia and the became complicated. The Russian Empire resumed the construction of fortresses at its western borders for defence against a potential invasion from Germany in the West. Large numbers of Lithuanians went to the United States in 1867—1868 after a. With those ideas in mind, he wrote already in 1822 a history of Lithuania in Lithuanian - Darbai senųjų lietuvių ir žemaičių The Deeds of Ancient Lithuanians and Samogitians , though still not yet published at that time. A colleague of S. Daukantas, wrote in Polish a voluminous Ancient History of the Lithuanian Nation 1835—1841 , where he likewise expounded and expanded further on the concept of historic Lithuania, whose days of glory had ended with the Union of Lublin in 1569. Narbutt, invoking the German scholarship, pointed out the relationship between the Lithuanian and languages. A laid the foundations of the modern Lithuanian nation and independent Lithuania. Germany's push to the east drove the forces of the to retreat. By the end of 1915, Germany occupied the entire territory of Lithuania and. Lithuanians lost all political rights they had gained: personal freedom was restricted, and at the beginning the Lithuanian press was banned. However, the Lithuanian intelligentsia tried to take advantage of the existing geopolitical situation and began to look for opportunities to restore Lithuania's independence. On 18—22 September 1917, the elected the. At the conference, it was decided to re-establish the state of Lithuania with its ethnographic borders and the capital of. Following the geopolitical situation, on 11 December 1917, the Council of Lithuania adopted a resolution announcing the restoration of an independent state of Lithuania with the capital in Vilnius and severing all ties that had ever been established with other countries and calling for the eternal union with Germany. The latter statement was rejected by some of the members of the Council, forcing , , and to leave the organization. As was losing the war, a decision had been made to abandon this union. A resolution adopted on was recognized as the Act of Independence of Lithuania. It restored an independent state of Lithuania governed by democratic principles, with as its capital. The Act also stated that Lithuania's relations with other countries will be established by the democratically elected. The state of Lithuania which had been built within the framework of the Act lasted from 1918 until 1940. In July 1918, resisting the plans of those who welcomed the annexation by Germany the elected Prince Wilhelm of Urach, Count of , as King of Lithuania, with a regnal name of. However, following the capitulation of Germany in November 1918, the idea of the monarchy was abandoned, leaving the question about the ruling system to the constituent assembly. According to the Lithuanian Constitution of 1928 and 1938, the capital of the country was Vilnius. Trying to establish the statehood and draw state borders, Lithuania had to fight not only with the Bolsheviks, but also with the West Russian Volunteer Army or and the Poles. Smetona's regime was the first in Europe to sentence and to , who were both seen as a threat to the independence of the state. The Bermontians were defeated in November 1919 at. The peace treaty with the was signed on 12 July 1920 that drew a frontier which placed the Vilnius district on the Lithuanian side. The was stopped with a peace treaty signed between Lithuania and on 7 October 1920, in that drew a , which was incomplete but indicated that the Vilnius area would be part of Lithuania. However, three days later the Poles broke the treaty as the and drove out the. Lithuanians were able to stop their push deeper into the territory only on 21—22 November at and. Notwithstanding, Vilnius remained to be part of Poland becoming the cornerstone of Lithuania's foreign policy, and causing vast Lithuanians anger towards the Poles. Żeligowski proclaimed the Independence of the on 12 October 1920 with Wilno as its capital. On 8 January 1922, Żeligowski organized and passed his powers. The elections were not recognized by the , Lithuania and boycotted by Lithuanians, most of the and some. Poles were the only major ethnic group out of which the majority of people voted. On 24 March 1922, the newly elected parliament decided to submit the area to Poland. On 15 May 1920, the first meeting of the democratically elected took place. The documents it adopted, i. Land, finance, and educational reforms started to be implemented. The currency of Lithuania, the , was introduced. All major public institutions had been established. As Lithuania began to gain stability, foreign countries started to recognize it. In 1921 Lithuania was admitted to the. One of the most important achievements of that time was the incorporation of into the territory of Lithuania in 1923 and its international recognition in 1924. The Third Seimas elected , a member of , as the country's president. However, his leadership did not last long. On 17 December 1926, a military took place resulting in the replacement of the democratically elected government with a conservative authoritarian government led by Antanas Smetona. The so-called authoritarian phase had begun strengthening the influence of one party, the , in the country. In 1927, the Seimas was released. A new constitution adopted in 1928, which consolidated presidential powers. Gradually the opposition parties were banned, the censorship was tightened, and the rights of national minorities were narrowed. The transatlantic flight was one of the most precise in aviation history. It equaled, and in some aspects surpassed, 's classic flight. On July 15, 1933, and , Lithuanian pilots, emigrants to the United States, made a significant flight in the. They flew across the Atlantic Ocean, covering a distance of 3,984 miles 6,411 kilometers without landing, in 37 hours and 11 minutes 107. In terms of comparison, as far as the distance of non-stop flights was concerned, their result ranked second only to that of and. The temporary capital Kaunas, which was nicknamed the Little Paris, and the country itself had a standard of living with sufficiently high salaries and low prices. At the time, qualified workers there were earning very similar as workers in , , and , the country also had a surprisingly high of 9. The situation was aggravated by the global economic crisis. The purchase price of agricultural products had declined significantly. In 1935, farmers began strikes in and. In addition to economic ones, political demands were made. The government cruelly suppressed the unrest. In the spring of 1936, four peasants were sentenced to death for starting the riots. Please help by or any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against. July 2018 Initially prior the , Lithuania declared and its passed the neutrality laws. Though, on the eve of , as the geopolitical situation in the region started to change, Lithuania was forced to accept the ultimatums of the neighboring countries. On 17 March 1938, Poland delivered an ultimatum calling for diplomatic relations. On 20 March 1939, Lithuania was handed an ultimatum by. A request was made to transfer the to Nazi Germany. Two days later, without seeing the way out, the Lithuanian government signed the agreement. Just after the beginning of the World War II, on September 2, 1939, Lithuanian Consulate was opened in Vilnius. The consulate was the first in the world to grant Visas For Life for the and also saved many war refugees. By doing so, Lithuania continued to actively protect its Jewish citizens from the. Back in 1934 it sent an official note to Nazi Germany warning not to take action against the Jews who resided in the country that were citizens of Lithuania. Lithuanian delegation before departing to Moscow, where they later were tactically forced to sign the Another large neighbor — the also began preparing for the occupation of the Lithuania's territory. On 7 October 1939 the Lithuanian delegation departed to where they later had to sign the due to the unfavorable situation. The treaty resulted in five Soviet military bases with 20,000 troops established across Lithuania in exchange for the Lithuania's historical capital Vilnius. He also informed Juozas Urbšys about the and showed maps of the spheres of influence. Two of the military bases with thousands of Soviet soldiers were established close to in and. Despite regaining the beloved historical capital, the Presidency and the Government remained in Kaunas. Although the Lithuanian government denied such allegations, the tensions became heightened on both sides. On 14 June 1940, the USSR issued an to Lithuania, demanding to replace the government and allow Red Army's units to enter the territory of Lithuania without any prior agreements, which would mean the occupation of the country. On 14 June 1940 just before midnight, the last meeting of the Lithuanian Government was held in the , in Kaunas. During it, the Soviet's ultimatum was debated. President categorically declined to accept most of the ultimatum demands, argued for military resistance and was supported by , , , however the Commander of the Armed Forces , Divisional general , , and most of the Lithuanian Government members decided that it would be impossible, especially due to the previously stationed Soviet soldiers, and accepted the ultimatum. On that night, the Soviet forces executed Lithuanian border guard near the border. In the morning, the Lithuanian Government resigned while the president left the country to avoid the fate of the Soviet's puppet and hoping to form the. Soon the Red Army flooded Lithuania through the with more than 200,000 soldiers and took control of the most important cities, including Kaunas where the heads of state resided. The Lithuanian Armed Forces were ordered not to resist and the Lithuanian Air Force remained on the ground. At the time, the Lithuanian Armed Forces had 26,084 soldiers of which 1,728 officers and 2,031 civil servants. While the , subordinate to the army commander, had over 62,000 members of which about 70% were farmers and agricultural workers. Columbarium of the victims killed by the Soviets near the. Lithuania lost over 1 million citizens one third during the war and the first post-war decade due to the. After the occupation, the Soviets had immediately taken brutal actions against the high-ranking officials of the state. Both targets of the ultimatum: the and the Director of the State Security Department of Lithuania were transported to Moscow and later executed. Stasys Raštikis, persuaded by his wife, secretly crossed the German border. After realizing it, started terror against Raštikis' family. His wife was separated from their 1-year-old daughter and brutally interrogated at , and his father Bernardas Raštikis, three daughters, two brothers and sister were deported to. Soldiers, , and of the Lithuanian Army and LRU members, who were seen as a threat to the occupants, were quickly arrested, interrogated and released to the reserve, deported to the or executed, trying to avoid this many joined the forces. The army itself was firstly renamed to the Lithuanian People's Army, however later it was reorganized to the. In Lithuania, World War II began on 15 June 1940, when the USSR occupied the territory of the country. New power banned opposition, its press, and organizations and also restricted ties with foreign countries. Shortly, on 17 June 1940 the puppet was formed, which consistently destroyed Lithuanian society, political institutions and opened the way for the to establish itself. The was artificially undervalued and withdrawn by spring 1941. Standards of living plummeted. Former Commander of the Lithuanian Army personally visited the German general trying to plead the Jews After the occupation, the did not recognized the new occupants authority and started the diplomatic liberation campaign of Lithuania. In 1941, , , and their supporters, including the former Commander of the Lithuanian Army General , whose whole family was deported to , began organizing an uprising. After realizing the repressive and brutal Soviet rule reality, in early morning of 22 June 1941 the first day when Lithuanians began the , organized by the , in where its main forces were concentrated. The uprising soon expanded to and other locations. Its main goal was not to fight with the Soviets, but to secure the city from inside secure organizations, institutions, enterprises and declare independence. By the evening of June 22, the Lithuanians controlled the , post office, telephone and telegraph, radio station and radiophone. The control of Vilnius and most of the Lithuania's territory was also shortly taken by the rebels. Multiple Red Army divisions stationed in the Lithuania's territory, including the brutal responsible for the , and the marionette regime commanders were forced to flee into the through the river. About 5,000 occupants were killed in Lithuania. On 23 June 1941 at 9:28 AM , the of Lithuania, was played on the radio in Kaunas. Many people listened to the Lithuanian national anthem then with tears in their eyes. From Kaunas radio broadcasts, Lithuania learned that the rebellion was taking place in the country, the insurgents took Kaunas, the Proclamation of the Independence Restoration of Lithuania and the list of the was announced. By 1 December 1941, over 120,000 , or 91—95% of Lithuania's pre-war Jewish community, had been killed. The meant Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Stasys Raštikis personally met with the Nazi Generals to discuss the situation and tried to plead the Jews, while the Provisional Government, together with the former President , condemned Nazis for their actions with Jews already in the beginning of the occupation. Although, on July 17 the , German Civil Administration was established. Instead of using brute force, the Civil Administration slowly removed the government's powers for example, did not allow to print its decrees in newspapers or broadcast radio announcements and supplanted its institutions, forcing the Provisional Government to either self-disband or to become a puppet institution. The government self-disbanded on August 5 after signing a protest for the Germans actions of suspending the Lithuanian Government powers. Members of the Provisional Government then in corpore went to the Garden of the , where they laid wreath near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the presence of a numerous audience. A new occupation had begun. Nationalized assets were not returned to the residents. Some of them were forced to fight for Nazi Germany or were taken to German territories as a forced laborers. Many of them died suffering due to the unbearable living conditions. One tenth of them were children, 5,000 died. After the retreat of the , the in 1944. Under border changes promulgated at the of 1945, the former German , with its Baltic port : Klaipėda , was again transferred to Lithuania, which was now referred to as the. Most of Memelland's German residents had fled the area in the final months of World War II. As the front was heading towards west, in July—October 1944 the USSR took over Lithuania again. The to were resumed and lasted until the death of in 1953. All Lithuanian national symbols were banned. People were persecuted for using them. Under the pretext of Lithuania's economic recovery, the authorities encouraged the migration of workers and other specialists to Lithuania with the intention to further integrate Lithuania into the and to develop the country's industry. At the same time, Lithuanians were lured to work in the USSR by promising them all the privileges of settling in a new place. President was the Chairman of the. Being heavily outnumbered, partisans have killed thousands of and soldiers before sacrificing their lives for the independent state during the longest partisan war in modern Europe. The second Soviet occupation was accompanied by the armed of the Lithuanian population, which took place in 1944-1953. It sought to restore an independent state of Lithuania, to consolidate democracy by destroying communism in the country, returning national values and the freedom of religion. People from all walks of life, age groups and levels of education joined the resistance. Classified as bandits by the Soviets, Lithuanians took to the forests and fought them with a gun in their hands. Lithuanian partisan warfare is divided into three stages. The first stage started in summer 1944 and lasted until summer 1946. During this time, large partisan groups were created, but they lacked one unified organization. There were frequent military encounters with the. The second stage covered summer 1946 until the end of 1948. At that time, the organizational structure of the partisans was formed, and the size of the groups was reduced to 5-15 people living in bunkers. Partisans used tactics of underground combat and organized unexpected attacks. The third stage lasted from 1949 to the end of 1953. At that time, the was founded under the leadership of codename Vytautas. The number of people in a group fell to 3—5 people. Open encounters with the Red Army took place rarely; the guerrillas used mostly sabotage and terror. Despite the fact that the guerrilla warfare did not achieve its goal of liberating Lithuania and that it resulted in more than 20,000 deaths, the armed resistance de facto demonstrated that Lithuania did not voluntarily join the USSR and it also legitimized the will of the people of Lithuania to be independent. Even with the suppression of partisan resistance, the Soviet government failed to stop the movement for the independence of Lithuania. The underground dissident groups were active publishing the underground press and Catholic literature. The most active participants of the movement had been , and. In 1972, after public self-immolation, the unrest in lasted for several days. The dissident movement lifted up the spirit of the people and tried to make sure Lithuanians wouldn't forget their history and national values. The Helsinki Group informed the Western world about the situation in the Soviet Lithuania and violations of human rights. All these activities made soften its grip. With the beginning of the increased openness and transparency in government institutions and activities in the Soviet Union, on June 3, 1988, the was established in Lithuania. Very soon it began to seek country's independence. The supporters of Sąjūdis joined movement's groups all over Lithuania. On 23 August 1988 a big rally took place at the in Vilnius. It was attended by approx. A year later, on 23 August 1989 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the and aiming to draw the attention of the whole world to the occupation of the , a political demonstration, the , was organized. The event, led by , was a human chain spanning about 600 kilometers across the three Baltic capitals—, and. The peaceful demonstration showed the desire of the people of Lithuania, and to break away from the. After refusal to revocate the Act, the stormed the , while Lithuanians irresistibly defended their elected Council. The Act was the first such declaration in the USSR and later served as a model, inspiration to other , and strongly influenced the. On 11 March 1990, the announced the restoration of Lithuania's independence. Lithuania became the first to announce its secession from the. But the process was not so simple. On 20 April 1990, the USSR imposed an by stopping to deliver supplies of raw materials primarily oil to Lithuania. Not only the 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. On , Soviets began shooting and crushing with tanks unarmed independence supporters Gradually, the economic relations had been restored. However, the tension had peaked again in January 1991. At that time, attempts were made to carry out a coup using the , the Internal Army of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the USSR Committee for State Security. Because of the bad economic situation in Lithuania, the forces in Moscow thought the would receive a strong public support. But the situation was the opposite. People from all over Lithuania flooded to to defend their legitimately elected and independence. The coup ended with a few casualties of peaceful civilians and caused huge material loss. Not a single person who defended or other state institutions used a weapon, but the did. Soviet soldiers killed 14 people and injured hundreds. A large part of the Lithuanian population participated in the January Events. Shortly after, on February 1991 became the first country to recognize the independence of Lithuania. On 31 July 1991, Soviet paramilitaries killed seven Lithuanian border guards on the Belarusian border in what became known as the. On 17 September 1991, Lithuania was admitted to the. On 25 October 1992, the citizens of Lithuania voted in the referendum to adopt the current. On 14 February 1993, during the direct general elections, became the first president after the restoration of independence of Lithuania. On 31 August 1993, the last units of the Soviet Army left the territory of Lithuania. Since 29 March 2004, Lithuania has been part of the. On 1 May 2004, it became a full-fledged member of the , and a member of the on 21 December 2007. The Geographic Centre of Europe is in Lithuania Lithuania is located in - and covers an area of 65,200 km 2 25,200 sq mi. It lies between latitudes and , and mostly between longitudes and part of the lies west of 21°. It has around 99 kilometres 61. The rest of the coast is sheltered by the Curonian sand peninsula. Lithuania's major , , lies at the narrow mouth of the Lithuanian: Kuršių marios , a shallow lagoon extending south to. The country's main and largest river, the , and some of its tributaries carry international shipping. The Nemunas Nieman River between Lithuania and Russia's. Lithuania lies at the edge of the. Its landscape was smoothed by the glaciers of the , and is a combination of moderate lowlands and highlands. Its highest point is at 294 metres 965 ft in the eastern part of the country. The terrain features , for example and wetlands, and a mixed forest zone covers over 33% of the country. After a re-estimation of the boundaries of the of Europe in 1989, Jean-George Affholder, a scientist at the French National Geographic Institute , determined that the was in Lithuania, at , 26 kilometres 16 mi north of Lithuania's capital city of. Affholder accomplished this by calculating the of the of Europe. Climate Main article: Lithuania's climate, which ranges between and , is relatively mild. 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. The average annual precipitation is 800 mm 31. 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. 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. Lithuania experienced a drought in 2002, causing forest and bog fires. The country suffered along with the rest of Northwestern Europe during a heat wave in the summer of 2006. Climate data for Lithuania Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C °F 12. 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. Lithuania agreed to cut by at least 20% of 1990 levels by the year 2020 and by at least 40% by the year 2030, together with all European Union members. Also, by 2020 at least 20% 27% by 2030 of country's total energy consumption should be from the sources. In 2016, Lithuania introduced especially effective , which resulted in collecting 92% of all packagings in 2017. 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 , which previously had castles where the ancient Lithuanians burned altars for pagan gods. Lithuania is a particularly watered region with more than 3000 different sizes, lengths and forms lakes. Most of them lies in northeastern Lithuania. Many rivers are also flowing in Lithuania, most notably the longest. 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% industrial production in the country. Lithuania has five , 30 , 402 , 668 state-protected natural heritage objects. Lithuania is ranked 5th, second to Sweden first 3 places are not granted in Climate Change Performance Index CCPI. Biodiversity Main article: Lithuanian ecosystems include natural and semi-natural forests, bogs, wetlands, meadows , and anthropogenic agrarian and urban ecosystems. Among natural ecosystems, forests are particularly important to Lithuania, covering 33% of the country's territory. Wetlands raised bogs, fens, transitional mires, etc. 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 basin occupying 74% of the territory of the country. Due to the construction of dams, approximately 70% of spawning sites of potential catadromous fish species have disappeared. In some cases, river and lake ecosystems continue to be impacted by anthropogenic eutrophication. 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. The list also contains 8% of all fish species. Lithuania's dark forests are teeming with wildlife. The 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 kilometer. The most prolific large wild animal in every part of Lithuania is the , with 120,000 of them. They are followed by 55,000. Other ungulates are the \~22,000 , \~21,000 and the largest one: \~7,000. Among the Lithuanian predators, are the most common \~27,000. Even rarer are the \~200. The large animals mentioned above exclude the , \~200,000 of which may live in the Lithuanian forests. It held its first independent general elections on 25 October 1992, in which 56. There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president. A was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the. Through compromise, a was agreed on. The Lithuanian 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 of the military. The president also appoints the 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. The current Lithuanian head of state, was , becoming the first female president in the country's history, and the second female head of state in the Baltic States after elected their first female political leader in 1999. The judges of the Konstitucinis Teismas serve nine-year terms. They are appointed by the President, the Chairman of the Seimas, and the Chairman of the Supreme Court, each of whom appoint three judges. The Lithuanian parliament, the , has 141 members who are elected to four-year terms. A party must receive at least 5% of the national vote to be eligible for any of the 70 national seats in the Seimas. Political parties and elections Lithuanian ballot box with Lithuania exhibits a fragmented multi-party system, with a number of small parties in which coalition governments are common. Ordinary elections to the take place on the second Sunday of October every four years. 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. Commemoration of the in the historical Seimas 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. The 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. 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. Each municipality in Lithuania is governed by a and 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. 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. As of 2014, the number of seats in the allocated to Lithuania was 11. 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, citizen of Lithuania or 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. Seven political parties representatives gained seats in the 2014 elections. Law had many humane features and was in force in the territory of Lithuania from 1588 to 1840 The : Kazimiero teisynas from 1468 is considered to be the first of the. Third variant of the Statute was in force in the territory of Lithuania until 1840 when it got replaced by the Russian laws. However, under the rule of the , there were three separate systems in force in Lithuania: in the was still applied, whereas the was in force in. Lawyer works were particularly important during the interwar period, who was the first lector and one of the most prominent authors of interwar Lithuanian and has successfully represented Lithuania at the regarding the. After regaining of independence in 1990, the largely modified Soviet legal codes were in force for about a decade. The modern Constitution of Lithuania was adopted on 25 October 1992. In 2001 the was passed in. It was succeeded by the and Code in 2003. The approach to the is , as opposed to ; it is generally characterised by an insistence on formality and rationalisation, as opposed to practicality and informality. Normative legal act enters into force on the next day after its publication in the Teisės aktų registras, unless it has a later entry into force date. The is an integral part of the Lithuanian legal system since 1 May 2004. Administrative divisions The current system of administrative division was established in 1994 and modified in 2000 to meet the requirements of the European Union. The country's Lithuanian: singular — apskritis, plural — apskritys are subdivided into Lithuanian: singular — savivaldybė, plural — savivaldybės , and further divided into 500 Lithuanian: singular — seniūnija, plural — seniūnijos. Municipalities have been the most important unit of administration in Lithuania since the system of apskrities viršininkas was dissolved in 2010. Each has its own elected government. The election of municipality councils originally occurred every three years, but now takes place every four years. The council appoints to govern the elderships. Mayors have been directly elected since 2015; prior to that, they were appointed by the council. Elderships, numbering over 500, are the smallest administrative units and do not play a role in national politics. They provide necessary local public services—for example, registering births and deaths in rural areas. They are most active in the social sector, identifying needy individuals or families and organizing and distributing welfare and other forms of relief. Some citizens feel that elderships have no real power and receive too little attention, and that they could otherwise become a source of local initiative for addressing rural problems. County Area km² Population thousands in 2015 Nominal GDP billions EUR in 2016 Nominal GDP billions USD in 2016 Nominal GDP per capita EUR in 2016 Nominal GDP per capita USD in 2016 5,425 149 1. It is also a member of the , the , , as well as and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council. Lithuania gained membership in the on 31 May 2001, and joined the on 5 July 2018, while also seeking membership in other Western organizations. Lithuania has established diplomatic relations with 149 countries. In 2011, Lithuania hosted the Ministerial Council Meeting. During the second half of 2013, Lithuania assumed the role of the. The stamp is dedicated to Lithuania's presidency of the European Union. Post of Lithuania, 2013. Lithuania is also active in developing cooperation among northern European countries. It has been a member of the Baltic Council since its establishment in 1993. The Baltic Council, located in , is a permanent organisation of international cooperation that operates through the and the Baltic Council of Ministers. Lithuania also cooperates with Nordic and the two other Baltic countries through the format. A similar format, NB6, unites Nordic and Baltic members of EU. NB6's focus is to discuss and agree on positions before presenting them to the Council of the European Union and at the meetings of EU foreign affairs ministers. The CBSS was established in in 1992 as an informal regional political forum. Its main aim is to promote integration and to close contacts between the region's countries. The members of CBSS are Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Russia, and the European Commission. Its observer states are Belarus, France, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine. The and Lithuania engage in political cooperation to attain mutual goals and to determine new trends and possibilities for joint cooperation. The Council's information office aims to disseminate concepts and to demonstrate and promote Nordic cooperation. Lithuania was recently a member of the. Its representatives are on the right side. Lithuania, together with the five Nordic countries and the two other Baltic countries, is a member of the and cooperates in its NORDPLUS programme, which is committed to education. The Baltic Development Forum BDF is an independent nonprofit organization that unites large companies, cities, business associations and institutions in the Baltic Sea region. In 2010 the BDF's 12th summit was held in Vilnius. Lithuania maintains greatly warm mutual relations with and strongly supports its European Union and NATO aspirations. During the in 2008, when the Russian troops were occupying the territory of Georgia and approaching towards the Georgian capital , President , together with the Polish and Ukrainian presidents, went to Tbilisi by answering to the Georgians request of the international assistance. Shortly, Lithuanians and the also began collecting financial support for the war victims. In 2004-2009, served as within the -led Commission. In 2013, Lithuania was elected to the for a two-year term, becoming the first country elected to this post. During its membership, Lithuania actively supported and often condemned for the , immediately earning vast Ukrainians esteem. In 2018 Lithuania, along with Latvia and Estonia were awarded the - for their exceptional model of democratic development and contribution to peace in the continent. Military Lithuanian Army soldiers marching with their in. An stands out with a. The Lithuanian Armed Forces is the name for the unified armed forces of , , , and other units: Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command, Headquarters Battalion,. Directly subordinated to the are the and Military Police. The Reserve Forces are under command of the. The Lithuanian Armed Forces consist of some 15,000 active personnel, which may be supported by. Compulsory ended in 2008 but was reintroduced in 2015. The Lithuanian Armed Forces currently have deployed personnel on international missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Mali and Somalia. In March 2004, Lithuania became a full member of the. Since then, of NATO members are deployed in and. Since the summer of 2005 Lithuania has been part of the in Afghanistan ISAF , leading a PRT in the town of in the province of. The PRT includes personnel from , Iceland and USA. There are also units in Afghanistan, placed in. Since joining international operations in 1994, Lithuania has lost two soldiers: 1st Lt. Normundas Valteris fell in , as his patrol vehicle drove over a mine. Arūnas Jarmalavičius was fatally wounded during an attack on the camp of his Provincial Reconstruction Team in. The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the and of the state, the of its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states. The is responsible for combat forces, , and intelligence operations. The 5,000 fall under the 's supervision and are responsible for border protection, passport and customs duties, and share responsibility with the for and drug trafficking interdiction. A special security department handles VIP protection and. In 2015 was created. Paramilitary organisation acts as civilian self-defence institution. According to NATO, in 2017 Lithuania allocated 1. For a long time Lithuania lagged behind NATO allies in terms of defense spending, but in recent years it has begun to rapidly increase the funding. In 2018 Lithuania intends to allocate 2. Lithuanian Police officers Lithuania, after breaking away from the Soviet Union had a difficult crime situation, however the Lithuanian law enforcement agencies eliminated many criminals over the years, making Lithuania a reasonably safe country. Crime in Lithuania has been declining rapidly. Law enforcement in Lithuania is primarily the responsibility of local Lietuvos policija Lithuanian Police commissariats. They are supplemented by the Lietuvos policijos antiteroristinių operacijų rinktinė Aras Anti-Terrorist Operations Team of the Lithuanian Police Aras , Lietuvos kriminalinės policijos biuras Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau , Lietuvos policijos kriminalistinių tyrimų centras Lithuanian Police Forensic Research Center and Lietuvos kelių policijos tarnyba Lithuanian Road Police Service. In 2017, there were 63,846 crimes registered in Lithuania. Of these, thefts comprised a large part with 19,630 cases 13. While 2,835 crimes were very hard and hard crimes that may result in more than six years imprisonment , which is 14. Totally, 129 homicides or attempted homicide occurred 19. Another problematic crime cases also decreased by 27. Meanwhile, crimes in electronic data and information technology security fields noticeably increased by 26. In the 2013 Special Eurobarometer, 29% of Lithuanians said that corruption affects their daily lives EU average 26%. Moreover, 95% of Lithuanians regarded corruption as widespread in their country EU average 76% , and 88% agreed that bribery and the use of connections is often the easiest way of obtaining certain public services EU average 73%. Though, according to local branch of Transparency International, corruption levels have been decreasing over the past decade. On 21 December 1998, eliminated it. Lithuania has the highest number of prison inmates in the EU. According to scientist Gintautas Sakalauskas, this is not because of a high criminality rate in the country, but due to Lithuania's high repression level and the lack of trust of the convicted, who are frequently sentenced to a jail imprisonment. What does Lithuania export? According to data from 2016, the three largest sectors in Lithuanian economy are — services 68. Lithuania joined NATO in 2004, EU in 2004 , in 2007 and in 2018. On Jan 1 of 2015, euro became the national currency replacing at the rate of EUR 1. Agricultural products and food made 18. According to data from 2016, more than half of all Lithuanian exports go to 7 countries including Russia 14% , Latvia 9,9% , Poland 9,1% , Germany 7,7% , Estonia 5,3% , Sweden 4,8% and United Kingdom 4,3%. Export generated 74 percent of Lithuania's GDP in 2016. Lithuanian GDP experienced very high real growth rates for decade up to 2009, peaking at 11. As a result, the country was often termed as a. However, 2009, due to marked experienced a drastic decline — GDP contracted by 14. After the decline of 2009, Lithuanian annual economic growth has been much slower compared to pre-2009 years. According to IMF, financial conditions are conducive to growth and financial soundness indicators remain strong. The public debt ratio in 2016 fell to 40 percent of GDP, to compare with 42. On average, more than 95% of all in Lithuania comes from countries. Sweden is historically the largest investor with 20% — 30% of all FDI in Lithuania. FDI into Lithuania spiked in 2017, reaching its highest ever recorded number of greenfield investment projects. The US was the leading source country in 2017, 24. Next up are Germany and the UK, each representing 11. In the period between 2004 and 2016, one out of five Lithuanians left the country, mostly because of insufficient income situation or seeking the new experience and studies abroad. Long term emigration and economy growth has resulted in noticeable shortages on the labor market and growth in salaries being larger than growth in labor efficiency. Unemployment rate in 2017 was 8. As of 2016, Lithuanian median adult wealth was 10,915. As of 2018-Q1, average gross pre-tax salary in Lithuania is 885 euros translating to 700 euros net after tax while average pre-tax pension 307 euros per month. Although, in the country also is sufficiently less with the price level for HFCE - 63, being 39% lower than EU average - 102 in 2016. Lithuania has a rate rather than a. According to Eurostat, the personal income tax 15% and corporate tax 15% rates in Lithuania are among the lowest in the EU. The country has the lowest implicit rate of tax on capital 9. Corporate tax rate in Lithuania is 15% and 5% for small businesses. In 2017 only, 35 companies came to Lithuania — a result of Lithuanian government and Bank of Lithuania simplified procedures for obtaining licences for the activities of e-money and payment institutions. Companies Biggest companies in Lithuania in 2016, by revenue: is the wealthiest Lithuanian and is the first Baltic states billionaire included in. Rank Name Headquarters Revenue thous. ORLEN Lietuva, AB 3. Maxima LT, UAB 1. Energijos skirstymo operatorius, AB 650. Girteka logistics, UAB 432. Norfos mažmena, UAB 409. Linas Agro, AB 390. It has been one of Lithuania's most important occupations for many centuries. Lithuania's accession to the in 2004 ushered in a new agricultural era. The EU pursues a very high standard of food safety and purity. In 1999, the parliament of Lithuania adopted a Law on Product Safety, and in 2000 it adopted a Law on Food. The reform of the agricultural market has been carried out on the basis of these two laws. In 2016, agricultural production was made for 2. Products for 4385,2 million euros were exported from Lithuania to the foreign markets, of which products for 3165,2 million euros were Lithuanian origin. Export of agricultural and food products accounted for 19. The status of organic growers and producers in the country is granted by the public body Ekoagros. In 2016, there were 2539 such farms that occupied 225541,78 hectares. Of these, 43,13% were cereals, 31,22% were perennial grasses, 13,9% were leguminous crops and 11,75% were others. Science and technology , known for Foundation of the in 1579 was a major factor of establishing local scientist community in Lithuania and making connections with other universities and scientists of Europe. Lithuanian and artillery expert is a pioneer of , who has published Artis Magnae Artilleriae in 1650 that for over two centuries was used in Europe as a basic manual and contains a large chapter on caliber, construction, production and properties of rockets for military and civil purposes , including , , and rockets with. A botanist Jurgis Pabrėža 1771-1849 , created first systematic guide of Lithuanian flora Taislius auguminis Botanics , written in Samogitian dialect, the Latin-Lithuanian dictionary of plant names, first Lithuanian textbook of geography. During the Interwar period humanitarian and social scientists emerged such as , Levas Karsavinas,. Due to the World Wars, Lithuanian science and scientists suffered heavily from the occupants, however some of them reached a world-class achievements in their lifetime. Most notably, , , , , A. Kliorė, , , Algirdas Antanas Avižienis. Jonas Kubilius successfully resisted attempts to Russify the University of Vilnius. Nowadays, the country is among moderate innovators group in the. Laser Research Center has developed one of the most powerful femtosecond lasers in the world dedicated primarily to. In 1963, and his coworkers created that is used in. Noninvasive intracranial pressure and blood flow measuring devices were developed by scientist A. Pyragas contributed to with his way of delayed feedback control -. Lithuania has launched three satellites to the cosmos: , and. Life Sciences Center in Sunrise Valley Lithuania in 2018 became Associated Member State of. Most advanced scientific research in Lithuania is being conducted at the Life Sciences Center, Center For Physical Sciences and Technology. Brolis Semiconductors producing beyond state-of-the-art technology solutions for security and medical sensing applications. As of 2016 calculations, yearly growth of Lithuania's biotech and life science sector was 22% over the past 5 years. In 2008 the Valley development programme was started aiming to upgrade Lithuanian scientific research infrastructure and encourage business and science cooperation. Lithuanian Innovation Center is created to provide support for innovations and research institutions. Tourism Lithuania has the highest percentage of per capita. Flights over the and are particularly popular. Statistics of 2016 showed that 1. The largest number of tourists came from 174,8 thousand , 171,9 thousand , 150,6 thousand , 148,4 thousand , 134,4 thousand , 84,0 thousand , and the 58,2 thousand. Hot air ballooning is very popular in Lithuania, especially in Vilnius and Trakai. Bicycle tourism is growing, especially in Lithuanian Seaside Cycle Route. Total length of bicyle tracks amounts to 3769 km of which 1988 km is asphalt pavement. Domestic tourism has been on the rise as well. Currently there are up to 1000 places of attraction in Lithuania. Most tourists visit the big cities—, , and , seaside resorts, such as , , and - ,. Main article: Lithuania has a well developed communications infrastructure. The country has 2,8 million citizens and 5 million SIM cards. The largest mobile network covers 85% of Lithuania's territory. Usage of fixed phone lines has been rapidly decreasing due to rapid expansion of mobile-cellular services. In 2017, Lithuania was top 30 in the world by average mobile broadband speeds and top 20 by average fixed broadband speeds. Lithuania was also top 7 in 2017 in the. In 2016, Lithuania was ranked 17th in United Nations' e-participation index. There are four TIER III datacenters in Lithuania. Lithuania is 44th globally ranked country on data center density according to Cloudscene. Long-term project 2005-2013 - Development of Rural Areas Broadband Network RAIN was started with the objective to provide residents, state and municipal authorities and businesses with fibre-optic broadband access in rural areas. RAIN infrastructure allows 51 communications operators to provide network services to their clients. The project was funded by the European Union and the Lithuanian government. Number of households with internet access is expected to increase and reach 77% by 2021. Almost 50% of Lithuanians had smartphones in 2016, a number that is expected to increase to 65% by 2022. Lithuania has the highest FTTH Fiber to the home penetration rate in Europe 36. Transport Lithuanian Railways passenger train decorated with coat of arms Lithuania received its first railway connection in the middle of the 19th century, when the was constructed. It included a stretch from via Vilnius and Kaunas to Virbalis. The first and only still operating was completed in 1860. This railway network is incompatible with European and requires train switching. However, Lithuanian railway network also has 115 km 71 mi of lines. More than half of all inland freight transported in Lithuania is carried by rail. The Trans-European standard gauge railway, linking ———— and continuing on to Berlin is under construction. In 2017, , a company that operates most railway lines in Lithuania, received EU penalty for breaching EU's antitrust laws and restricting competition. Transportation is the 3rd largest sector in Lithuanian economy. Lithuanian transport companies drew attention in 2016 and 2017 with huge and record-breaking orders of trucks. Almost 90% of commercial truck traffic in Lithuania is international transports, the highest of any EU country. Lithuania has an extensive network of motorways. The is the only commercial cargo port in Lithuania. Other international airports include , and. Water supply and sanitation Mineral water spring in Lithuania has one of the largest fresh water supplies, compared with other countries in Europe. Lithuania and are the only countries in Europe, which are fully equipped with fresh groundwater. Lithuanians consumes about 0. Water quality in the country is very high and is determined by the fact that drinking water comes from deep layers that are protected from pollution on the surface of the earth. Drilling depth usually reaches 30—50 meters, but in it even reaches 250 meters. Consequently, Lithuania is one of very few European countries where groundwater is used for centralized water supply. With a large underground fresh water reserves, Lithuania exports mineral-rich water to other countries. Approved mineral water quantity is about 2. Water is cleaned without chemicals in Lithuania. About 20% of the consumed water in the state is a non-filtered very high quality water. Energy in port of Klaipėda Systematic diversification of energy imports and resources is Lithuania's key energy strategy. Long term aims were defined in National Energy Independence strategy in 2012 by Lietuvos Seimas. It was estimated that strategic energy independence initiatives will cost 6. After the decommissioning of the , Lithuania turned from electricity exporter to electricity importer. Proposals have been made to construct a new — in Lithuania. However, a non-binding referendum held in October 2012 clouded the prospects for the Visaginas project, as 63% of voters said no to a new nuclear power plant. The country's main primary source of electrical power is. Other primary sources of Lithuania's electrical power are and. As of 2015 , 66% of electrical power was imported. First geothermal heating plant in the Baltic Sea region was built in 2004. Lithuania—Sweden submarine electricity interconnection and Lithuania—Poland electricity interconnection were launched at the end of 2015. In order to break down 's monopoly in natural gas market of Lithuania, first large scale LNG import terminal in the Baltic region was built in port of Klaipėda in 2014. The Klaipėda LNG terminal was called Independence, thus emphasising the aim to diversify energy market of Lithuania. Norvegian company supplies 540 million cubic metres 19 billion cubic feet of natural gas annually from 2015 until 2020. The terminal is able to meet the Lithuania's demand 100 percent, and Latvia's and Estonia's national demand 90 percent in the future. GIPL , also known as Lithuania—Poland pipeline, is a proposed natural gas pipeline interconnection between Lithuania and Poland that is expected to be finished by 2019. In 2016, 20,8% of electricity consumed in Lithuania came from renewable sources. Population density Since the Neolithic period the native inhabitants of the Lithuanian territory have not been replaced by any other ethnic group, so there is a high probability that the inhabitants of present-day Lithuania have preserved the genetic composition of their forebears relatively undisturbed by the major demographic movements, although without being actually isolated from them. The Lithuanian population appears to be relatively homogeneous, without apparent genetic differences among ethnic subgroups. A 2004 analysis of in the Lithuanian population revealed that Lithuanians are close to the and speaking populations of Northern and Eastern Europe. SNP analysis showed Lithuanians to be closest to and. According to 2014 estimates, the age structure of the population was as follows: 0—14 years, 13. The median age was 41. Lithuania has a : the TFR in Lithuania is 1. As of 2014 , 29% of births were to unmarried women. The in 2013 was 27 years for women and 29. In 2015, the population of Lithuania stands at 2,921,262, 86. Several sizeable minorities exist, such as 5. They constitute sizeable minorities in 12% and 19. About 3,000 live in Lithuania, mostly in Vilnius, and Panevėžys; their organizations are supported by the National Minority and Emigration Department. For centuries a small community has flourished in Lithuania. Polish President criticized the government of Lithuania over alleged against the. The official language is , other languages, such as , , and , are spoken in the larger cities, and several municipalities such as , and. According to the Lithuanian population census of 2011, about 85% of the country's population speak Lithuanian as their native language, 7,2% are native speakers of Russian and 5,3% of Polish. About 44% of Lithuanian citizens speak Russian as a foreign language, 21% - English, 9% - Polish, 9% - German. Most Lithuanian schools teach English as the first foreign language, but students may also study German, or, in some schools, French or Russian. Schools where Russian or Polish are the primary languages of education exist in the areas populated by these minorities. Minority schools are public, where the education is free taxpayer-funded. Lithuania has accepted under the migrant plan agreed upon by EU member states in 2015. Urbanization is the largest and the most advanced medical institution in Lithuania, capable of performing the most advanced surgeries Lithuania provides free state-funded healthcare to all citizens and registered long-term residents. Private healthcare is also available in the country. In 2003—2012, the network of hospitals was restructured, as part of wider healthcare service reforms. It started in 2003—2005 with the expansion of ambulatory services and primary care. In 2016, Lithuania ranked 27th in Europe in the , a ranking of European healthcare systems based on waiting time, results and other indicators. As of 2015 Lithuanian at birth was 73. The annual population growth rate increased by 0. According to experts, this number was largely influenced by the ' authority because mostly country's inhabitants previously considered it as a severe and were afraid to took their lives. By 2000 the vast majority of Lithuanian health care institutions were non-profit-making enterprises and a private sector developed, providing mostly outpatient services which are paid for out-of-pocket. The also runs a few health care facilities and is involved in the running of the two major Lithuanian teaching hospitals. It is responsible for the State Public Health Centre which manages the public health network including ten county public health centres with their local branches. The ten run county hospitals and specialised health care facilities. There is now Compulsory Health Insurance for Lithuanian residents. There are 5 Territorial Health Insurance Funds, covering Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Contributions for people who are economically active are 9% of income. Emergency medical services are provided free of charge to all residents. Access to hospital treatment is normally by referral by a General Practitioner. Lithuania also has one of the lowest prices in Europe. First crosses on the hill were built after the and uprisings against the by families who could not locate bodies of perished rebels. The Soviets bulldozed the site at least three times, but it was later restored. As per the 2011 census, 77. The Church has been the majority denomination since the at the end of the 14th century. Some priests actively led the resistance against the Communist regime symbolised by the. This group is distinguishable into the Eastern Orthodox Church and Old Believers. According to Losch 1932 , the Lutherans were 3. There was also a tiny Reformed community 0,5% , which still persists. Protestantism has declined with the , and today it is mainly represented by ethnic Lithuanians throughout the northern and western parts of the country, as well as in large urban areas. Believers and clergy suffered greatly during the Soviet occupation, with many killed, tortured or deported to Siberia. Newly arriving have established missions in Lithuania since 1990. Lithuania was historically home to a significant and was an important center of Jewish scholarship and culture from the 18th century until the eve of World War II. Prior to the war, the Jewish population, outside of the Vilnius region which was then in Poland , numbered about 160,000. In September 1939, tens of thousands of Polish Jews became Lithuanian subjects when the Soviets transferred the Vilnius region of the former Polish state to Lithuania and additional Jewish refugees arrived in Lithuania during the period prior to June 1941. Of the approximately 220,000 Jews who lived in the Republic of Lithuania in June 1941, almost all were during. The community numbered about 4,000 at the end of 2009. It is the of the traditional of the , reviving the of the before in 1387. Romuva claims to continue living traditions, which survived in folklore and customs. Romuva is a pagan faith, which asserts the sanctity of nature and has elements of. Practising the Romuva faith is seen by many adherents as a form of cultural pride, along with celebrating traditional forms of art, retelling Baltic folklore, practising traditional holidays, playing traditional Baltic music, singing traditional or hymns and songs as well as ecological activism and stewarding sacred places. According to the , there were 1,270 people of Baltic faith in Lithuania. That number jumped to 5,118 in the 2011 census. Nowadays, Lithuanians are still planting oaks or other trees on special occasions. Education , one of the oldest universities in Eastern and Central Europe The proposes national educational policies and goals. These are sent to the Seimas for ratification. Laws govern long-term educational strategy along with general laws on standards for higher education, vocational training, law and science, adult education, and special education. County administrators, municipal administrators, and school founders including non-governmental organizations, religious organizations, and individuals are responsible for implementing these policies. By constitutional mandate, ten years of formal enrollment in an educational institution is mandatory, ending at age 16. Primary and secondary schools receive funding from the state via their municipal or county administrations. The guarantees tuition-free attendance at public institutions of higher education for students deemed 'good'. School attendance rates are above EU average and school leave is less common than EU average. However, PISA report from 2010 found that Lithuanian results in math, science and reading were below OECD average. PISA report from 2015 reconfirmed these findings. The designates the literacy rate of Lithuanian persons aged 15 years and older as 100% and, according to Lithuania leads among other countries of by people with secondary education 93. Based on OECD data, Lithuania is among the top 4 countries in the world by postsecondary tertiary education attainment. As of 2016 , 54,9% of the population aged 25 to 34, and 30,7% of the population aged 55 to 64 had completed tertiary education. The share of tertiary-educated 25-64 year-olds in STEM fields in Lithuania were above the OECD average 29% and 26% respectively , similarly to business, administration and law 25% and 23% respectively. Basic School, located in Modern Lithuanian education system has multiple structural problems. Insufficient funding and quality issues are the most prevalent. Lithuanian teacher salaries are lowest in entire EU. Low teacher salaries was the primary reason behind national teacher strikes in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Salaries in the higher education sector are also low. Many Lithuanian professors supplement their income by having a second job. In an attempt to reduce costs and adapt to sharply decreasing number of high-school students, Lithuanian parliament decided to reduce the number of universities in Lithuania. In early 2018, was merged into. Around the same time, two other universities — and were merged into. Many Lithuanian academics, as well as minister of education, students, researchers, and university administrations fought against the mergers. As with other nations, in particular , the large volume of higher education graduates within the country, coupled with the high rate of spoken second languages is contributing to an education. As of 2008 , there were 15 public universities in Lithuania, 6 private institutions, 16 public colleges, and 11 private colleges. Other universities include , , , , , , , , , , , , , and. The earliest known Lithuanian glosses \~1520—1530 written in the margins of book Liber Discipuli de eruditione Christifidelium. There are about 2. Lithuanian is a , closely related to , although they are not. It is written in an adapted version of the. Lithuanian is believed to be the living , retaining many features of. Lithuanian language studies are important for and for reconstruction of. Lithuanian was studied by linguists such as , , , , , and others. In the modern times, the Lithuanian language is divided into two dialects: and. The pronunciation of words varies in both dialects. The Samogitian dialect also has many completely different words and is even considered as a separate language by some linguists. The groundwork for written Lithuanian was laid in 16th and 17th centuries by Lithuanian noblemen and scholars, who promoted Lithuanian language, created dictionaries and published books — , , , , , , Simonas Vaišnoras-Varniškis. The first grammar book of the Lithuanian language Grammatica Litvanica was published in Latin in 1653 by. The linguistic material which he collected was published in the 20 volumes of and is still being used in research and in editing of texts and books. He also introduced the letter ū into Lithuanian writing. Literature The first Lithuanian book 1547, Königsberg There is a great deal of Lithuanian literature written in , the main scholarly language of the Middle Ages. The edicts of the Lithuanian King is the prime example of the literature of this kind. The are another crucial heritage of the Lithuanian Latin writings. One of the first Lithuanian authors who wrote in Latin was around 1480 - after 1533. His poem Carmen de statura, feritate ac venatione bisontis A Song about the Appearance, Savagery and Hunting of the Bison , published in 1523, describes the Lithuanian landscape, way of life and customs, touches on some actual political problems, and reflects the clash of paganism and Christianity. A person under the pseudonym around 1490 - 1560 wrote a treatise On the Customs of Tatars, Lithuanians and Muscovites in the middle of the 16th century, but it was not published until 1615. An extraordinary figure in the cultural life of Lithuania in the 16th century was the lawyer and poet of Spanish origin Petrus Roysius Maurus Alcagnicensis around 1505 - 1571. The publicist, lawyer, and mayor of Vilnius, around 1520 -1582 wrote a no longer existant history of Lithuania in Latin around the year 1560. His Radivilias, intended to become the Lithuanian national epic, was published in Vilnius in 1588. Albertas Kojalavičius-Vijūkas wrote first printed Lithuanian history Historia Lithuania. The title page of Radivilias 1592, Vilnius. The poem celebrating commander 1512-1584 and recounts the of Lithuanian armed forces over Moscow troops 1564. Lithuanian literary works in the started being first published in the 16th century. In 1547 compiled and published the first printed Lithuanian book Katekizmo prasti žodžiai The Simple Words of Catechism , which marks the beginning of literature, printed in Lithuanian. He was followed by with Katechizmas. In the 16th and 17th centuries, as in the whole Christian Europe, Lithuanian literature was primarily religious. The evolution of the old 14th—18th century Lithuanian literature ends with , one of the most prominent authors of the. Donelaitis' poem Metai is a landmark of the Lithuanian fiction literature, written in. With a mix of , and , the Lithuanian literature of the first half of the 19th century is represented by , , and. During the Tsarist annexation of Lithuania in the 19th century, the was implemented, which led to the formation of the Book smugglers movement. This movement is thought to be the very reason the Lithuanian language and literature survived until today. Architecture by Several are notable for their achievements in the field of architecture. Lithuania is also known for. About twenty castles exist in Lithuania. Some castles had to be rebuilt or survive partially. Many ' historic have remained till the nowadays and were reconstructed. Lithuanian village life has existed since the days of. During the , countless , Lithuanian National Romanticism architectural style buildings were constructed in the Lithuania's temporary capital. Its architecture is regarded as one of the finest examples of the European Art Deco and have received the. This ancient religion rituals, beliefs were still widely practiced after the and have survived even till the nowadays. For example, is a pagan origin festival that was adapted to the , which takes place during the seventh week before. During it, Lithuanians dances around and burns , believing that it will help bring spring faster. In the 13th and 14th centuries and warriors were practicing the Pagan faith as an official religion. It was largely affected by the war mythology and žyniai or kriviai caste existed. In the 15th century and higher society layers were Christianized, however peasants continued the old traditions and worshiped the agro-cultural deities. Oak forests were considered holy, and aesthetically pleasing or unique places of nature were selected as places of worshipping -. To this day, names from nature or mythology are popular in Lithuania. For example, goddess of the morning , the god of the seas and storms , the foster of the Holy Fire , goddess of Fate and pregnant women , Mėnuo the Moon, a son of Dievas , the Thunder, the main god , the Sun Goddess , goddess of the Evening Star , god of the wind and master of Dausos paradise , goddess and the deified soil , žvaigždės stars. People used to keep it as a pet by the or other special area of the house and fed with milk, believing that it would bring good harvest and wealth. Killing žaltys was said to bring great misfortunes upon the household. Demonic creatures in the Lithuanian mythology included the evil spirit , goddess of death , an old-looking female or witch , means pain, misery or nightmare , devil trickster , a scary forest spirit that appears as a phosphorescent skeleton. The was founded in 1933 and is the largest museum of art conservation and display in Lithuania. Among other important museums are the , where pieces comprise a major part of the collection, National Gallery of Art, presenting collection of Lithuanian art of the 20th and 21st Century, presenting Lithuanian archaeology, history and ethnic culture. Perhaps the most renowned figure in Lithuania's art community was the composer 1875—1911 , an internationally renowned musician. The , identified in 1975, honors his achievements. The , as well as the only military museum in Lithuania, , are located in Kaunas. Other notable artists includes , , , , Jonas Šileika, , , , , , , , , , , Robertas Antinis, Antanas Gudaitis, , , Antanas Žukauskas, Viktoras Vizgirda, , , ,. Theatre Lithuania has some very famous theatre directors well known in the country and abroad. One of them is. He was awarded more than forty times with special prizes. Possibly most prestigious award is Swedish Commander Grand Cross:. Today's the most famous theatres in Lithuania are in , , ir. It is , Theatre of Freaks in Vilnius, , Theatre of Oskaras Koršunovas, Klaipėda Drama Theatre, Theatre of Gytis Ivanauskas, Miltinis Drama Theatre in Panevėžys, The Doll's Theatre, and others. There are some very popular theatre festivals like Sirenos Sirens , TheATRIUM, Nerk į teatrą Dive into the Theatre and others. The figures dominating in Lithuanian theatre world are , the general director of Lithuanian National Drama National Drama Theatre, also directors like , , Cezaris Graužinis, , number of talented actors like Rimantas Bagdzevičius, Vytautas Rumšas, Saulius Balandis, Marius Jampolskis, Rimantė Valiukaitė and many others. Cinema , the oldest still operational in Lithuania On July 28, 1896, live photography session was held in the Concerts Hall of the. After a year, similar American movies were available with the addition of special that also provided sound. In 1909, Lithuanian cinema pioneers and released their first movies. Soon the Račiūnas' recordings of Lithuania's views became very popular among the abroad. In 1925, Pranas Valuskis filmed movie Naktis Lietuvoje Night in Lithuania about that left first bright Lithuanian footprint in. The most significant and mature Lithuanian American movie of the time Aukso žąsis Golden goose was created in 1965 by that featured motifs from the fairy tales. In 1940, was opened in and currently is the oldest still operational movie theater in Lithuania. After the occupation of the state, movies mostly were used for the purposes. After the restoration of the independence, , , , , , , Dijana and her husband Kornelijus Matuzevičius, Ramunė Kudzmanaitė received success in international movie festivals. Music Lithuanians dancing at Skamba skamba kankliai festival and singing at in Lithuanian folk music belongs to music branch which is connected with culture. Two instrument cultures meet in the areas inhabited by Lithuanians: stringed and wind instrument cultures. Lithuanian folk music is archaic, mostly used for ritual purposes, containing elements of faith. There are three ancient styles of singing in Lithuania connected with ethnographical regions: , and. Folk song genres: Sutartinės Multipart Songs , Wedding Songs, War-Historical Time Songs, Calendar Cycle and Ritual Songs and Work Songs. Painter and composer Italian artists organized the first in Lithuania on 4 September 1636 in the by order. During his short life he created about 200 pieces of music. His works have had profound influence on modern Lithuanian culture. His In the Forest Miške and The Sea Jūra were performed only. Čiurlionis contributed to symbolism and art nouveau and was representative of the fin de siècle epoch. He has been considered one of the pioneers of abstract art in Europe. In Lithuania, is very important. There is a long-standing tradition of the Dainų šventė. The first one took place in in 1924. Since 1990, the festival has been organised every four years and summons roughly 30,000 singers and folk dancers of various professional levels and age groups from across the country. In 2008, Lithuanian Song and Dance Festival together with its and versions was inscribed as. Gatvės muzikos diena Street Music Day gathers musicians of various genres annually. Modern classical composers emerged in seventies - , , , , and others. Most of those composers explored archaic Lithuanian music and its harmonic combination with modern minimalism and neoromanticism. Jazz scene was active even during the years of Soviet occupation. Most known annual events are , ,. MICL collects, promotes and shares information on Lithuanian musical culture. Rock and Protest music Under a firm , band and actively mocked the regime by using in their lyrics After the , the continued firmly controlling all artistic expressions in Lithuania, and any violations by criticizing the regime would immediately result in punishments. The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and included Kertukai, Aitvarai and Nuogi ant slenksčio in Kaunas, and , Vienuoliai, and Gėlių Vaikai in Vilnius, among others. Unable to express their opinions directly, the Lithuanian artists began organizing patriotic and were using in their songs lyrics, which were easily identified for their true meanings by the locals. For example, in the song Zombiai Zombies , the band indirectly sang about the soldiers who occupied the state and its military base in. In the early independence years, rock band was particularly popular and gathered tens of thousands of spectators to the concerts. After disbanding in 1997, Foje vocalist remained one of the most prominent Lithuanian performers and an active participant in various events. Cuisine Lithuanian dark rye bread Lithuanian cuisine features the products suited to the cool and of Lithuania: , , , , greens, berries, and are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialties. Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with Northern Europe, Lithuanian cuisine has some similarities to. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history. Dairy products traditionally is an important part of Lithuanian cuisine - white cottage cheese varškės sūris , curd varškė , soured milk rūgpienis , sour cream grietinė , butter sviestas , kastinis - sour cream butter. Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked - smoked sausages dešros , lard lašiniai , , smoked ham kumpis. Soups sriubos - boletus soup, cabbage soup, beer soup, milk soup and various kinds of porages košės are part of tradition and daily diet. Freshwater fish, herring, wild berries and mushrooms, honey are highly popular diet to this day. One of the oldest and most fundamental Lithuanian food products was and is rye bread. Rye bread is eaten every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Bread played an important role in family rituals and agrarian ceremonies. Lithuanians, Poles, , and other nations which lived in share many dishes and beverages. Namely, similar versions of: dumplings koldūnai, kreplach or , doughnuts spurgos or pączki , and lietiniai, sklindžiai. The most exotic of all the influences is Eastern Karaite cuisine, and the dishes and are popular in Lithuania. Lithuanian noblemen usually hired French chefs - influence came to Lithuania in this way. Beer alus is the most common alcoholic beverage. Lithuania has a long farmhouse beer tradition, first mentioned in 11th century chronicles. Beer was brewed for ancient Baltic and rituals. Farmhouse brewing survived to a greater extent in Lithuania than anywhere else, and through accidents of history the Lithuanians then developed a commercial brewing culture from their unique farmhouse traditions. Lithuania is top 5 by consumption of beer per capita in Europe in 2015, counting 75 active breweries, 32 of them are microbreweries. The microbrewery scene in Lithuania has been growing in later years, with a number of bars focusing on these beers popping up in Vilnius and also in other parts of the country. First one is the on July 6, marking the establishment of the medieval by in 1253. Creation of modern Lithuanian state is commemorated on 16 February as a on which declaration of independence from Russia and Germany was declared in 1918. As of 2018, there are 13 public holidays which come with a day off. Other notable festivals are , , , , , , , ,. Date English name Local name Remarks January 1 Naujieji metai February 16 Lietuvos valstybės atkūrimo diena March 11 from the , 1990 Lietuvos nepriklausomybės atkūrimo diena The first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or soonest after 21 March and following Monday Velykos Commemorates resurrection of May 1 Tarptautinė darbo diena First Sunday in May Mother's Day Motinos diena First Sunday in June Father's Day Tėvo diena June 24 St. Mergelės Marijos ėmimo į dangų diena November 1 Visų šventųjų diena Vėlinės December 24 Šv. Kūčios December 25 and 26 Šv. Kalėdos Commemorates birth of Sports — , multiple and champion. Basketball is the most popular and of Lithuania. The has had significant success in international basketball events, having won the on three occasions , and , as well a total of 8 other medals in the Eurobasket, the and the. The men's national team also has extremely high TV ratings as about 76% of the country's population watched their games live in 2014. Lithuania hosted the Eurobasket in 1939 and. The historic Lithuanian basketball team , from Kaunas, won the European basketball league in 1999. Lithuania has produced a number of players, including inductees and and current NBA players , and. Lithuania has won a total of , including 6 gold medals in , , , and. Numerous other Lithuanians won Olympic medals representing Soviet Union. More recently, the gold medal won by a then 15-year-old swimmer at the in London sparked a rise in popularity for the sport in Lithuania. Druskininkai Lithuania has produced prominent athletes in athletics, modern pentathlon, and , , , , , , , , and other sports. Few Lithuanian athletes have found success in , although facilities are provided by several ice rinks and skiing slopes, including , the first indoor ski slope in the. In 2018 won gold medals at the. A Lithuanian ethnic sport, known since the 17th century is. Lithuanians annually participates in the. 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By this standard he recognizes Duverger's pléiade as semi-presidential regimes, as well as Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Lithuania 1993: 87. Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies. United States: University of California, San Diego. Archived from PDF on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 23 August 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017. A pattern similar to the French case of compatible majorities alternating with periods of cohabitation emerged in Lithuania, where Talat-Kelpsa 2001 notes that the ability of the Lithuanian president to influence government formation and policy declined abruptly when he lost the sympathetic majority in parliament. Retrieved 27 October 2017. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 24 March 2017. Roach, Peter; ; Esling, John, eds. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 7 June 2018. Lithuania last night became the first republic to break away from the Soviet Union, by proclaiming the restoration of its pre-war independence. The newly-elected parliament, 'reflecting the people's will,' decreed the restoration of 'the sovereign rights of the Lithuanian state, infringed by alien forces in 1940,' and declared that from that moment Lithuania was again an independent state. Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences. Zigmas Zinkevicius, , 1999. Kelios mintys, kurios kyla skaitant Alfredo Bumblausko Senosios Lietuvos istoriją 1009-1795m. Retrieved 28 February 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2010. Lietuvos didžiojo kunigaikščio leičiai: iš Lietuvos ankstyvųjų valstybinių struktūrų praeities Leičiai of Grand Duke of Lithuania: from the past of Lithuanian stative structures in Lithuanian. Vilnius: Lietuvos istorijos instituto leidykla. Retrieved 29 January 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2018. Retrieved 26 January 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Tarybų Lietuvos enciklopedija in Lithuanian. Vilnius: Vyriausioji enciklopedijų redakcija. Retrieved 28 December 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2018. 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