|
Background:
|
Independent between the two World Wars, Lithuania
was annexed by the USSR in 1940. On 11 March 1990,
Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics
to declare its independence, but this proclamation
was not generally recognized until September of 1991
(following the abortive coup in Moscow). The last
Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania
subsequently has restructured its economy for
eventual integration into Western European
institutions. |
|
Location:
|
Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between
Latvia and Russia |
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Lithuanian(s) adjective: Lithuanian
|
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%,
Belarusian 1.6%, other 2.1% |
|
Religions:
|
Roman
Catholic (primarily), Lutheran, Russian Orthodox,
Protestant, Evangelical Christian Baptist, Muslim,
Jewish |
|
Languages:
|
Lithuanian (official), Polish, Russian |
|
Currency:
|
litas
(LTL)
|
|
Currency code:
|
LTL
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
litai
per US dollar - 3.4946 (15 October 2002), 3.4794 (1
July 2002), 4.000 (fixed rate between 1 May 1994 and
1 February 2002); note - litai is the plural of
litas; effective 1 February 2002 the litas was
pegged to the euro at a rate of 3.4528 |
|
English
Italiano 
Deutsch
Español
Français 