Lithuania

Lithuania, located in Northern Europe, possesses a significant historical, cultural, and natural heritage. Officially the Republic of Lithuania, this little but energetic nation sits strategically on the eastern Baltic Sea. Lithuania has borders to the north from Latvia, east from Belarus, south from Poland, and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest over its varied 65,300 square kilometre terrain. Maintaining a maritime border with Sweden to the west, the nation also reinforces its ties to the larger Baltic area.

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, is the political, economic, and cultural center of the country, as well as evidence of its continuing vitality. The dynamic urban scene of the nation is enhanced by other main urban centers, including Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys. With a population of almost 2.88 million, Lithuania boasts a proud and strong population that has maintained their own identity across millennia of hardships and successes.

Sharing cultural and linguistic ties with their Latvian neighbors, the Lithuanian people fit the Baltic ethnolinguistic group. Retaining many archaic traits, the Lithuanian language—a living fossil among Indo-European languages—is essential for understanding the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. For Lithuanians, this linguistic legacy brings great pride and is still very important for forming their national identity.

The history of Lithuania offers a gripping story of tenacity and will. Various Baltic tribes lived on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea millennia ago, laying the groundwork for what would become the Lithuanian state. Mindaugas combined the Lithuanian territories to create the Kingdom of Lithuania on July 6, 1253, so marking a turning point in Lithuanian history. This unity prepared the ground for a period of amazing growth and consolidation that resulted in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania’s founding.

Stretch from the Baltic to the Black Sea, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania had grown to be the biggest nation in Europe by the 14th century. When the Grand Duchy united personally with the Kingdom of Poland in 1386, this golden period of Lithuanian power and influence was even more enhanced. After developing into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, this alliance produced one of the most powerful and rich states in Europe. The Commonwealth fostered a special fusion of Lithuanian and Polish traditions by being a shining example of political and cultural success for almost two centuries.

Still, the tides of history presented Lithuania with fresh difficulties. The once-mighty Commonwealth was divided between 1772 and 1795 as it progressively gave in to the aspirations of surrounding nations. Most of Lithuania’s territory was taken by the Russian Empire, bringing a period of foreign rule spanning more than a century. Still, driven by a developing national consciousness, the flame of Lithuanian identity and freedom kept ablaze.

The turbulent events of World War I gave Lithuania a chance to recover its freedom. Lithuania declared its independence in 1918, thus founding the contemporary Republic of Lithuania among the turmoil of crumbling empires. But this earned freedom was fleeting. World War II brought fresh hardships as Lithuania discovered it caught between the conflicting interests of world powers. Before being reintegrated into the Soviet Union in 1944, the nation suffered successive occupations by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

Resistance and resilience define the Soviet era. A monument to the relentless spirit of the Lithuanian people, Lithuanian armed opposition to Soviet rule endured into the early 1950s. Notwithstanding the difficulties of Soviet control, Lithuanians kept their cultural identity and yearned for freedom. This relentless drive resulted in a turning point on March 11, 1990, when Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare the restoration of its independence, so starting the process that would cause the Soviet Union to fall apart.

Lithuania has changed remarkably since winning its freedom. Today, it is a developed nation with a sophisticated, high-income economy. The country’s development is shown in its remarkable scores on world indices, including 19th place in the World Happiness Report and 37th on the Human Development Index. These successes highlight Lithuania’s will to raise living conditions for its people and create a rich, forward-looking society.

Lithuania’s participation in important world and regional organizations clearly shows its integration into the international scene. Participating in the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Eurozone, NATO, and Lithuania actively shapes European and transatlantic policies. Further evidence of the nation’s dedication to building close ties with its northern European neighbors comes from its membership in the Nordic Investment Bank and the Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) regional cooperation arrangement.