Lietuva

Lietuva, known as Lithuania in English, is a country in Northern Europe and one of the three Baltic states. It borders Latvia to the north, Belarus to the southeast, Poland to the south, and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia to the southwest, with a coastline along the Baltic Sea to the west. The capital and largest city is Vilnius. The official language is Lithuanian. The country has a population of around 2.8 million and covers about 65,300 square kilometers.

Lithuania operates as a unitary semi-presidential republic. The president is the head of state and, together with the parliament, represents the country internationally; the prime minister is the head of government and oversees the cabinet. The Seimas, a unicameral parliament of 141 members, is elected for four-year terms. Lithuania is a member of the European Union and NATO, and adopted the euro as its currency in 2015. It joined the EU and NATO in 2004.

Geography includes a long Baltic coast, the Nemunas (Neman) and Neris rivers, and the Curonian Spit, a UNESCO World Heritage Site shared with Russia. Major cities include Vilnius, Kaunas, and Klaipėda. The economy is advanced and diversified, with significant manufacturing, services, and energy sectors. The population is predominantly ethnic Lithuanians and Roman Catholic in faith, with minority communities including Poles, Russians, and Belarusians.

Historically, Lithuania emerged as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Middle Ages and later formed a union with Poland that evolved into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. After periods of independence and conquest, Lithuania declared independence in 1918, endured Soviet and Nazi occupations during World War II, and restored independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.