TravellerHints! Northern European country belonging to the Baltic region – that is Lithuania. A country with a rewarding access to the Baltic Sea and bordering with Sweden, Denmark, Latvia (another Baltic state), Belarus, Poland and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast.
The Republic of Lithuania is a smaller country covering an area of total 65 thousand square kilometres and having a population of nearly 3 million people. There is plenty of minority ethnic groups (mostly from the neighbouring states) and the official language is Lithuanian.
The capital city of Lithuania is Vilnius.
It is the largest city with a political significance, having a noticeable Old Town which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage list. Vilnius was also once named the European Capital of Culture. This beautiful little nation is one of the members of the European Union, Schengen Area, Eurozone and NATO. It is a Baltic country with fast growing economy and a high human development index.
Together with other Baltic countries, also the Lithuanian history begun with various Baltic tribes. Kingdom of Lithuania in the 13th century was a firsts state on the territory of today’s Lithuania. The massive Grand Duchy of Lithuania from the 14th century was then replaced by Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth lasting for more than two thousand years.
The Russian Empire then connected majority of the territory of Lithuania. The modern history of Lithuanian Republic began in 1918 with the declaration of independence. After the occupation by Nazi Germans and Soviet Union mostly during the World War II, the final independence came in 1990.
Today, Lithuania is maybe a lesser known country, yet having a numerous superb attractions to offer. Beside the precious Old Town of the Vilnius capital, there is so much of the natural beauty just outside of the city. Lithuanian landscape is full of lush forests and woodlands.
The white sand and beautiful coast of the Baltic Sea is a must see and the inland is a pristine piece of land covered by some of the most stunning lakes your eye will ever see.
