Lithuania

 

 

Lithuania Map lithuaniaflag.gif (342 bytes) vilniu1.gif (113345 bytes)

 

 

Lithuania

 
Lithuania, republic in northeastern Europe, bounded on the north by Latvia; on the east and south by Belarus; on the southeast by Poland and Russia’s Kaliningrad Oblast; and on the west by the Baltic Sea. With Latvia and Estonia, Lithuania is one of the Baltic states. Its name in Lithuanian is Lietuvos Respublika (Republic of Lithuania). Vilnius, the capital and largest city of Lithuania, is located in the southeastern portion of the country.

Lithuania is situated on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea. Ethnic Lithuanians constitute a majority of the country’s population. Lithuania was an independent republic from 1918 until 1940, when it was annexed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In 1991 Lithuania regained its independence, and in 1992 it adopted a new constitution and held its first post-Soviet democratic elections. Since the early 1990s Lithuanians have been working to establish a free-market economy in place of the centralized economy of the Soviet period.

Lithuania is the largest of the Baltic states with an area of about 65,300 sq km (about 25,200 sq mi). The country consists primarily of a low-lying plain; nearly its entire territory is less than 200 m (less than 660 ft) in elevation. A centrally located lowland is broken in the extreme east and southeast by adjacent highlands. To the west of the central lowland, a hilly region gradually gives way to a low-lying coastal area. Lithuania’s Baltic coast extends 108 km (67 mi). The southern half of the coastline is buttressed by a long, narrow sandbar that forms an offshore lagoon. Lithuania has about 3000 small lakes and many rivers. The country’s longest and largest river is the Nemunas (Neman), which flows north from Belarus to the center of Lithuania, and then west until it reaches the Baltic. Marshes and swamps are prevalent in Lithuania, especially in the north and west, although much of the original wetlands have been drained for agricultural purposes.

Forests, which occupy 31 percent of the country’s total land area, are most dense in the southeast. Pine trees are found in the coastal region and the south, while oak trees predominate in the central portion of the country. Spruce, birch, black alder, and aspen are less common. Lithuania’s nature reserves support a vast array of wildlife. There are 68 known species of mammal, including elk, deer, wolves, foxes, and wild boar. The country’s 305 bird species include white storks, herons, geese, ducks, and hawks.

Lithuania’s limited mineral resources include peat (a compact, high-carbon material used for fuel and mulch), sulfates, limestone, chalk, sand, and gravel. Amber, a fossil tree resin, is found along the Baltic shore. Minor oil and gas deposits are found in coastal and offshore areas.

The climate of Lithuania is dominated by marine influences, but conditions are more variable in the eastern portion of the republic. In the west, summers are cooler and winters are milder. Average annual precipitation ranges from less than 600 mm (less than 24 in) in the center of the country to more than 850 mm (33 in) in the west.

Lithuania, like other parts of the former USSR, suffers from rampant industrial pollution. Factories and industries built during the Soviet period continue to operate without adequate pollution controls due to the high cost of upgrading or replacing them. Pollution is especially pronounced at the cement works at Akmenė and the fertilizer plant at Jonava. The Ignalina nuclear power plant, built in the 1980s, also poses an environmental threat, as it has a history of operational problems. Its nuclear reactors are of the same Soviet-engineered design as those at Ukraine’s Chernobyl’ plant, where a disastrous explosion occurred in 1986 (see Chernobyl’ Accident).

Another environmental concern in Lithuania is its polluted coastal waters, which receive untreated sewage as well as fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals washing out from rivers. Although the outflow of pollution persists, pollution levels in the Baltic Sea have been reduced significantly since 1974, when the nations bordering the sea signed a pact to protect its waters. In the 1980s Lithuanians began to publicly oppose the degradation of their environment. Because they held the Soviet government responsible, their concerns became part of the independence movement. Environmental awareness is strong in Lithuania, and the government allocates funds for environmental initiatives.

Lithuania is a democratic republic. According to its constitution, which was ratified in October 1992, a president is head of state. The president is elected by direct popular vote for a term of five years and may serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. With the approval of parliament, the president appoints a prime minister. The president also appoints members of the council of ministers on the nomination of the prime minister. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 44 regions and 11 municipalities.

The highest legislative authority in Lithuania is the Seimas, or parliament, a single-chamber body composed of 141 members elected to four-year terms. Seventy-one seats in the Seimas are determined by direct popular vote in single-member districts, while the remaining seats are allocated on a proportional basis to each party that receives at least 5 percent of the vote. All citizens age 18 and older may vote.

Lithuania’s judicial system, which is based on a civil law system, consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, and district and local courts. The Supreme Court is the highest court. Its judges are appointed by the Seimas on the recommendation of the president. The Seimas also appoints the members of the Constitutional Court, which rules on the constitutionality of legislation. The president appoints all other judges, with appointments to the Court of Appeal subject to approval by the Seimas.

Lithuania’s major political parties are the Homeland Union, the Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Center Union Party, the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Democratic Labor Party (DLP; formerly the Communist Party of Lithuania), and the Lithuanian Democratic Party. Parties representing ethnic minorities include the Union of Poles. In parliamentary elections held in 1996, the DLP lost most of its seats. The Homeland Union, a newly formed conservative party, emerged with the largest number of seats (70) and joined a ruling coalition with the Christian Democrats.

During the Soviet period, Lithuania had no armed forces separate from those of the Soviet Union. Lithuania’s defense forces now include an army of 4300, a paramilitary border guard of 4000, and a volunteer home guard reserve of 12,000. The country also has a small navy and air force. Men are conscripted for 12 months beginning at age 18.

Lithuania is a member of the United Nations (UN) and the Council of Europe. The country also participates in the Partnership for Peace program of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Lithuania’s relations with its Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, are loosely coordinated through the Baltic Assembly, a consultative intergovernmental body established in late 1991. Like the other Baltic states, Lithuania has declined membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), a loose alliance of most of the former Soviet republics.

 

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