Lithuania is a land of
castles,
lakes and
forests. Its landscape consists of vast plains parted by hills and sand dunes along the Baltic shore. Its capital,
Vilnius, is one of Europe’s most
enchanting cities, owing especially to its Baroque old town.
Lithuanian
independence came soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. By 1995, the transition to a full market economy had been completed. The long-running border dispute with Poland was settled with the signing of a
friendship and co-operation treaty in January 1992 and negotiations
with Russia led to the withdrawal of the remaining Russian troops in Lithuania in August 1993.
It is the largest of the three Baltic states. Since gaining EU membership in 2004, the country has been placed on the global stage, encouraging more visitors than ever.
GeographyLithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest, and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical center of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania near the village of Bernotai, 25km (16 miles) north of Vilnius. The landscape alternates between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a dense, intricate network of rivers, including the Nemunas and the Neris. Around 1.5% of the country’s territory is made up of lakes, of which there are over 2,800. The majority of these lie in the east of the country and include Lake Druksiai and Lake Tauragnas.
Next Page »
