]! ^! Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US. On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics to declare its independence, but Moscow did not recognize this proclamation until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania subsequently restructured its economy for integration into Western European institutions; it joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004. 
]" ^" Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia ^# 56 00 N, 24 00 E ^$ Europe ^% `! 65,200 sq km `" NA sq km `# NA sq km ^& slightly larger than West Virginia ^' `! 1,613 km `Y Belarus 653.5 km, Latvia 588 km, Poland 103.7 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 267.8 km ^( 90 km ^) `$ 12 nm ^* transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers ^+ lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil ^, `% Baltic Sea 0 m `& Juozapines Kalnas 293.6 m ^- peat, arable land, amber ^. `' 44.81% `( 0.9% `) 54.29% (2005) ^/ 70 sq km (2003) ^0 NA ^1 contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases _P `P Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands `Q none of the selected agreements ^2 fertile central plains are separated by hilly uplands that are ancient glacial deposits 
]# ^3 3,575,439 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 14.9% (male 273,573/female 259,570) `, 69.3% (male 1,213,011/female 1,264,996) `- 15.8% (male 194,500/female 369,789) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 38.6 years `. 36.1 years `/ 41.2 years (2007 est.) ^6 -0.289% (2007 est.) ^7 8.87 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 11.05 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 -0.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.06 male(s)/female `1 1.054 male(s)/female `, 0.959 male(s)/female `- 0.526 male(s)/female `2 0.887 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 6.68 deaths/1,000 live births `. 7.99 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 5.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 74.44 years `. 69.46 years `/ 79.69 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.21 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.1% (2001 est.) ^? 1,300 (2003 est.) ^@ less than 200 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Lithuanian(s) `4 Lithuanian ^B Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6% (2001 census) ^C Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5% (2001 census) ^D Lithuanian (official) 82%, Russian 8%, Polish 5.6%, other and unspecified 4.4% (2001 census) ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 99.6% `. 99.7% `/ 99.6% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 Republic of Lithuania `7 Lithuania `Z Lietuvos Respublika `[ Lietuva `\ Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic ^H parliamentary democracy ^I `8 Vilnius `9 54 41 N, 25 19 E `: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October ^J 10 counties (apskritys, singular - apskritis); Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos, Vilniaus ^K 11 March 1990 (declared); 6 September 1991 (recognized by Soviet Union) ^L Independence Day, 16 February (1918); note - 16 February 1918 was the date Lithuania declared its independence from Soviet Russia and established its statehood; 11 March 1990 was the date it declared its independence from the Soviet Union ^M adopted 25 October 1992 ^N based on civil law system; legislative acts can be appealed to the constitutional court ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; President Valdas ADAMKUS (since 12 July 2004) `< Prime Minister Gediminas KIRKILAS (since 4 July 2006) `= Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister `> president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 13 and 27 June 2004 (next to be held June 2009); prime minister appointed by the president on the approval of the Parliament `? Valdas ADAMKUS elected president; percent of vote - Valdas ADAMKUS 52.2%, Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE 47.8%; Gediminas KIRKILAS approved by Parliament 85-13, with five abstentions ^Q unicameral Parliament or Seimas (141 seats, 71 members are elected by popular vote, 70 are elected by proportional representation; members serve four-year terms) `> last held 10 and 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2008) `? percent of vote by party - Labor 28.6%, Working for Lithuania (Social Democrats and Social Liberals) 20.7%, TS 14.6%, For Order and Justice (Liberal Democrats and Lithuanian People's Union) 11.4%, Liberal and Center Union 9.1%, Farmers and New Democracy Union 6.6%, other 9%; seats by faction - Labor 29, Homeland Union 26, Social Democrats 23, Civil Democracy (split from Labor) 11, Liberal Movement (formerly Liberal Political Group) 11, National Farmer's Union (formerly Farmers and New Democracy Union) 11, Social Liberal 10, Liberal Democrats 9, Liberal and Center Union 8, independents 3 (as of late-July 2006) ^R Constitutional Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judges for all courts appointed by the President ^S Civil Democracy Party [Viktor MUNTIANAS]; Electoral Action of Lithuanian Poles [Valdemar TOMASZEVSKI]; National Farmer's Union [Kazimiera PRUNSKIENE]; Homeland Union/Conservative Party or TS [Andrius KUBILIUS]; Labor Party [Kestutis DAUKSYS]; Liberal and Center Union [Arturas ZUOKAS]; Liberal Democratic Party [Rolandas PAKSAS]; Liberal Movement [Petras AUSTREVICIUS]; Lithuanian Christian Democrats or LKD [Valentinas STUNDYS]; Lithuanian People's Union for a Fair Lithuania [Julius VESELKA]; Lithuanian Social Democratic Party [Algirdas BRAZAUSKAS]; Social Liberal/New Union [Arturas PAULAUSKAS]; Social Union of Christian Conservatives [Gediminas VAGNORIUS]; Young Lithuania and New Nationalists [Stanislovas BUSKEVICIUS] ^T NA ^U ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BA, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NIB, NSG, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO ^V `R Ambassador Audrius BRUZGA `S 4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20007 `T [1] (202) 234-5860 `U [1] (202) 328-0466 `V Chicago, New York ^W `R Ambassador John A. CLOUD `_ Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius, LT-03106 `` American Embassy, Akmenu Gatve 6, Vilnius LT-03106 `T [370] (5) 266 5500 `U [370] (5) 266 5510 ^X three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), green, and red 
]% ^Y Lithuania, the Baltic state that has conducted the most trade with Russia, has grown rapidly since rebounding from the 1998 Russian financial crisis. Unemployment fell to 3.7% in 2006, while wages grew 17.6%, contributing to rising inflation. Exports and imports continue to grow strongly, and the current account deficit rose to nearly 10% of GDP in 2006. Trade has been increasingly oriented toward the West. Lithuania has gained membership in the World Trade Organization and joined the EU in May 2004. Privatization of the large, state-owned utilities is nearly complete. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy, but foreign direct investment declined in 2006. ^Z $54.03 billion (2006 est.) ^[ $30.2 billion (2006 est.) ^\ 7.4% (2006 est.) ^] $15,100 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 5.5% `A 33.3% `B 61.2% (2006 est.) ^_ 1.617 million (2006 est.) ^` `@ 15.8% `A 28.2% `B 56% (2004) ^a 3.7% `* based on survey data, official registered unemployment of 5.7% (2006 est.) _! 4% (2003) _" `C 3.2% `D 24.9% (2000) _d 32.5 (2003) _# 3.8% (2006 est.) _V 23% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $9.415 billion `F $9.761 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.) _% 18% of GDP (2006 est.) _& grain, potatoes, sugar beets, flax, vegetables; beef, milk, eggs; fish _' metal-cutting machine tools, electric motors, television sets, refrigerators and freezers, petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical equipment, electronic components, computers, amber jewelry _( 7% (2006 est.) _) 17.8 billion kWh (2004) _* 9.358 billion kWh (2004) _+ 11.49 billion kWh (2004) _, 4.293 billion kWh (2004) _- 14,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _. 56,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) _/ 0 bbl/day (2004) _0 93,000 bbl/day (2004) _1 0 cu m (2004) _2 2.92 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 0 cu m (2004 est.) _Y 2.92 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Q $-2.572 billion (2006 est.) _3 $14.64 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 mineral products 23%, textiles and clothing 16%, machinery and equipment 11%, chemicals 6%, wood and wood products 5%, foodstuffs 5% (2001) _5 Russia 10.4%, Latvia 10.2%, Germany 9.4%, France 7.1%, Estonia 5.9%, Poland 5.5%, Sweden 5%, US 4.7%, UK 4.7%, Denmark 4.3% (2005) _6 $18.25 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 mineral products, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, chemicals, textiles and clothing, metals _8 Russia 27.9%, Germany 15.1%, Poland 8.3% (2005) _[ $5.22 billion (2006 est.) _9 $15.12 billion (30 June 2006 est.) _: $1.6 billion (1995) _; litas (LTL) _< litai per US dollar - 2.7498 (2006), 2.774 (2005), 2.7806 (2004), 3.0609 (2003), 3.677 (2002) _= calendar year 
]& _> 801,100 (2005) _? 4.353 million (2005) _@ `G inadequate, but is being modernized to provide an improved international capability and better residential access `H a national, fiber-optic cable, interurban, trunk system is nearing completion; rural exchanges are being improved and expanded; mobile cellular systems are being installed; access to the Internet is available; still many unsatisfied telephone subscriber applications `I country code - 370; landline connections to Latvia and Poland; major international connections to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway by submarine cable for further transmission by satellite _A AM 29, FM 142, shortwave 1 (2001) _B 27 (may have as many as 100 transmitters, including repeater stations) (2001) _C .lt _D 148,675 (2006) _E 1.222 million (2005) 
]' _F 91 (2006) _G `! 34 `a 4 `J 1 `b 7 `c 2 `W 20 (2006) _R `! 57 `b 1 `c 3 `W 53 (2006) _^ gas 1,696 km; oil 228 km; refined products 121 km (2006) _e `! 1,771 km `r 1,749 km 1.524-m gauge (122 km electrified) `m 22 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) _H `! 79,497 km `K 70,549 km (includes 417 km of expressways) `L 8,948 km (2005) _b 425 km (2005) _S `! 49 ships (1000 GRT or over) 353,094 GRT/352,883 DWT by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 20, chemical tanker 1, container 1, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 14, roll on/roll off 1 `X 10 (Denmark 10) `d 17 (Antigua and Barbuda 3, Belize 1, North Korea 1, Norway 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 3, unknown 3) (2006) _I Klaipeda 
]( _J Ground Forces, Naval Force, Lithuanian Military Air Forces, National Defense Volunteer Forces (2005) _T 19-45 years of age for compulsory military service, conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for volunteers (2004) _K males age 19-49: 830,368 females age 19-49: 830,524 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 19-49: 590,606 females age 19-49: 676,102 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 29,689 females age 19-49: 28,543 (2005 est.) _U 1.9% (2005 est.) 
]) _N Lithuania and Russia committed to demarcating their boundary in 2006 in accordance with the land and maritime treaty ratified by Russia in May 2003 and by Lithuania in 1999; Lithuania operates a simplified transit regime for Russian nationals traveling from the Kaliningrad coastal exclave into Russia, while still conforming, as a EU member state having an external border with a non-EU member, to strict Schengen border rules; the Latvian parliament has not ratified its 1998 maritime boundary treaty with Lithuania, primarily due to concerns over potential hydrocarbons; as of January 2007, ground demarcation of the boundary with Belarus was complete and mapped with final ratification documents in preparation _O transshipment and destination point for cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, and opiates from Southwest Asia, Latin America, Western Europe, and neighboring Baltic countries; growing production of high-quality amphetamines, but limited production of cannabis, methamphetamines; susceptible to money laundering despite changes to banking legislation 