Lithuania, bodering the Baltic Sea has a rich and ancient history to boast. Lithuania was once a part of the USSR and the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991.
BACKGROUND
Lithuania consists of a population of 3,585,906 inhabitants. The ethnic groups in Lithuania comprise of: Lithuanians – 83.5%, Polish – 6.7%, Russians – 6.3%, Belarusians – 1.2%, others – 2.3%. There are approximately 115 ethnic groups which makes Lithuania the most indigenous of all the Baltic countries.
The religious composition of Lithuania is as follows: Roman Catholic – 79%, Russian Orthodox – 4.1%, Protestant – 1.9%, other or unspecified – 5.5%, none – 9.5%. The official language spoken in Lithuania is Lithuanian. Other languages widely spoken are Russian and Polish, other languages are spoken to a lesser extent (including English).
GEOGRAPHY
Lithuania is 65, 200 sq kilometers in size, an area slightly larger than West Virginia. Lithuania’s climate is transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers.
