Lithuania

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Country Name

Lithuania, or officially the Republic of Lithuania.

Location

Lithuania is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of the Baltic states. Lithuania is situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, to the southeast of Sweden and Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and Russia to the southwest.

Capital

Vilnius.

Reasons for Naming the Country

According to a widespread popular belief, the word Lietuva (Lithuania) originated from the Lithuanian words lyti (to rain) and lietus (rain). However, there is no serious scientific support for this theory. Since the word Lietuva has a suffix (-uva), the original word should have no suffix.

Flag

The first use and adoption of the current flag design occurred on April 25, 1918.
Then the flag of Lithuania was restored on November 18, 1988.* the current flag was adopted on July 8, 2004.​
The flag consists of three horizontal yellow, green, and red stripes. The flag was in force from 1919 to 1940 until Lithuania did not become part of the Soviet Union, and the flag was not dropped.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the tricolor has been re-adopted as the national flag. The yellow color represents the sun and fertile cornfields; the green color represents forests and meadows; and the red color represents the bloodshed in the struggle for the country’s independence and the courage of Lithuanians during these fights.

*The flag that is used nowadays differs only by dimensions from the flag used before the Soviet occupation.

* Flag Facts:

– The flag of Lithuania is similar to the flag of Myanmar, both composed of three horizontal stripes of yellow, green, and red, but the flag of Myanmar is charged with a large white five-pointed star at the center.
-The flags of Lithuania, Myanmar, and Suriname are the only non-African national flags to contain the pan-African colors red, yellow, and green.

Language

The official national language in Lithuania is “Lithuanian,” which is also used as an official language in the European Union. Lithuanian is the most popular language in the country, Minor languages in Lithuania are Russian and Polish.
Russian is one of the minor languages spoken by about 8.2% of Lithuania’s citizens. While the language has been used in the country for centuries, its use was enforced during Lithuania’s occupation by Soviet Russia, whereby Russian was used as the Lingua Franca. Russian is not only spoken by Russians, but also by Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Jews in Lithuania.
Polish is another minority language and is natively spoken by about 5.8% of Lithuanians. The language is primarily used in southeast Lithuania by a minority ethnic Polish community in the region. While Lithuanian is used in all official communication in the country, the government promotes the use of these minority languages in the regions where they exist by using them as the medium of instruction in learning institutions.
English is the most popular foreign language in Lithuania and is spoken by about 80% of the country’s youth. English is primarily used in locations frequented by foreign tourists, such as museums and hotels.

Religion

Christianity is the predominant religion in the country. The Catholic Church has the highest number of adherents. 77.2% of Lithuanians are Roman Catholics. 4.1% of the population is affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church. Old Believers, Evangelical Lutherans, and Evangelical Reformists account for 0.8%, 0.6%, and 0.2% of the population, respectively. Other religions with a minor presence in the country include Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, etc. 6.1% of Lithuania’s residents claim not to adhere to any religion, while 10.1% do not specify any religion.

Currency

Euro (€) (EUR).

Time Zone

+03:00 GMT. (Summer Time)
+02:00 GMT.

Government Regime

Unitary semi-presidential republic.

Climate

In Lithuania, the climate is semi-continental, with very cold winters and mild, moderately rainy summers.
On the coast, the average temperatures are just below freezing in January and February and around 18 °C (64 °F) in July and August. In inland areas, the temperatures are a bit lower in winter and a bit higher in summer.
Winter is cold and dark: temperatures are often below freezing (0 °C or 32 °F), and landscapes are usually snow-covered from December to mid-March. The temperature decreases gradually towards the interior: the daily average in January and February is around -1 degrees Celsius (30 °F) on the coast, it slightly drops in the central area, and even more in the east, where it reaches -4 °C (25 °C) in Vilnius, which is therefore the coldest city in Lithuania.
Snowfalls are frequent but not plentiful and they often occur in the form of continuous but light snow. The temperature can change a lot depending on the meteorological situation: when currents come from the Atlantic Ocean, it can exceed freezing even in winter, while when they blow from Russia, it can plunge to -20 °C (-4 °F) and at times even to -30 °C (-22 °F).
Summer, from June to August, offers, in addition to very long days, pleasant temperatures: highs are around 18/21 °C (64/70 °F) on the coast and around 21/23 °C (70/73 °F) in inland areas. However, summer is a fairly rainy season.
Sometimes, warm currents from the southernmost plains of Eastern Europe can cause a considerable increase in temperature: in these cases, it can reach 25/30 °C (77/86 °F) on the coast and up to 30/35 °C (86/95 °F) in inland areas. However, these hot periods generally only last a few days. The best time to visit Lithuania is in the summer, from June to August when the temperatures are pleasant and sometimes even warm.

International Phone Code

+370

Internet Code

.lt

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