Official Name: Republic of Lithuania
Capital: Vilnius
Total area: 65 300 km2
GDP per capita: $21,615
Native Language: Lithuanian
Government: Parliamentary republic
Population: 2,955,986
Major Religion: Roman Catholicism
Monetary Unit: Euro (EUR)

Lithuania is the southernmost of the three Baltic States - and the largest and most populous of them. Lithuania was the first occupied Soviet republic to break away from the Soviet Union and restore its sovereignty with the March 11, 1990 declaration of independence.

The Lithuanian landscape is mostly flat, with some low hills in the western highlands and the eastern highlands. The highest point is Aukštasis at 294 meters. Lithuania has 758 rivers, more than 2,800 lakes and 99 km of Baltic Sea coast, mostly used for recreation and nature conservation. Forests cover just over 30% of the country.

About 84% of the population are ethnic Lithuanians. The two largest minorities are Poles with just over 6% of the population and Russians with just over 5%. The Lithuanian language belongs to the family of Indo-European languages.

The capital, Vilnius, is a picturesque city on the banks of the Neris and Vilnia rivers, and the architecture in the old part of the city is among the most beautiful in Eastern Europe. Founded in 1579, Vilnius University is a Renaissance-style complex with countless courtyards forming a city within a city.

The President of Lithuania is directly elected for a five-year term and is mainly involved in foreign and security policy. The Lithuanian unicameral parliament, the Seimas, has 141 members.

Perhaps Lithuania's most famous culinary export is cold beet soup. Potatoes are also regularly on the menu, popular dishes are potato pancakes and cepelinai - potato dumplings filled with meat, quark or mushrooms.

Health & Wellbeing
The 1992 Lithuanian Constitution guarantees social rights, including paid pre- and postnatal leave for working mothers, old-age and disability pensions, unemployment and sickness benefits, and free medical care.

Economy & Jobs
Oil exploration and refining, banking, railroad equipment, electrical machinery, household appliances, mining, iron, steel, chemical manufacturing, natural gas and power generation.

Main attraction
Vilnus, Curonian Spit, Druskininkai Resort, Hill of Crosses and Palanga City.

Business
In 2003, before joining the European Union, Lithuania had the highest economic growth rate of all candidate and member countries at 8.8% in the third quarter. 2004 – 7.4%; 2005 – 7.8%; 2006 – 7.8%; 2007 – 8.9%, 2008 Q1 – 7.0% GDP growth reflects impressive economic performance and is therefore often referred to as the Baltic Tiger. However, 2009 saw a dramatic fall in GDP of -14.74% due to the overheating of the economy. In 2010, the rate was 1.33%. As of June 2013, the unemployment rate is 10.4%.

Lithuania has a flat tax rate rather than a progressive system. In 2007 income tax was reduced to 24% and in January 2009 to 21%. Lithuanian income levels are lower than in older EU Member States. According to Eurostat data, Lithuania's PPS GDP per capita in 2008 was 61 percent of the EU average.