The Republic of Lithuania is one of the BalticStates that received independence from the Soviet Union on September 6, 1991. The capital of Lithuania is the city of Vilnius. The official state language is Lithuanian. The population is 2.8 million people.
The total area of the territory occupied by the Republic of Lithuania is about 65.3 thousand square meters. kilometers, which makes it the largest of the three states located in the Baltic region.
The country is a presidential-parliamentaryRepublic, the leading role in which belongs to the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. The president is elected for a five-year term. At the moment, the head of the country is Dalia Grybauskaite.
In 2008, the law of the Republic of Lithuania equatedsymbolism of fascism and the Soviet Union, making them equally illegal. In the country there is an active propaganda of anti-Soviet and anti-Russian sentiments. Most of the Russian-speaking residents of the country have a specially created category of "non-citizens" of Lithuania.
Despite the almost complete absence ofthe country of any natural resources and resources, the Republic of Lithuania managed to restore its economy after the collapse of the USSR and switch to a capitalist type of farming.
Much of the success of the transition and recoveryLithuania's economy depended on foreign investment, assistance and subsidies, primarily from the European Union. Today the country has developed a processing industry and services. In general, the economic situation is good, although the country has the lowest income level among the Baltic countries. A positive indicator is the low annual inflation rate (just over 1%).
To date, the country is home to about 2.8million people. The republic has great demographic problems, as the population of the country is steadily and steadily declining. A few years ago in Lithuania there were more than 3 million people. And the Lithuanian Soviet Republic had more than three and a half million inhabitants.
The largest city in the country is the capitalThe city of Vilnius, in which more than 500 thousand inhabitants live. Then come Kaunas (about 400 thousand inhabitants) and Klaipeda, where less than 200 000 people live.
Approximately 85% of the total population of the country are ethnic Lithuanians. Then come the Poles, Russians, Ukrainians, Byelorussians and Jews.
Despite significant demographicproblems, lack of a raw material base for industrial development and a small territory, the Republic of Lithuania managed to create a very stable and successful market economy, become a full member of the European Union and restructure its monetary system, making the euro a national currency.
Today Lithuania is one of the most prosperouscountries that once were part of the USSR, as well as an active member of the pan-European trade market. It has a rich history that often came in contact with the Russian, and in a certain historical period Lithuania was a part of the Russian Empire first, and then it was one of the republics of the USSR.
