Facts about Lithuania

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18 Mar 2024

Lithuania is a beautiful country in the Baltic region of Europe. The Republic of Lithuania is the official name of the country. Vilnius is the capital city as well as the largest city in the country, and Euro is the country’s national currency. Lithuanian is the official language of the country. Mead is the national drink, and “Tautiška giesmė" is the country’s national anthem. Similarly, Nemunas is the country’s principal river. The White Stork is the country’s national bird, and the Rue is the country’s national flower. Steluužė Oak is the country’s national tree. Also, White Wagtail is the national animal, and Basketball is the country’s national sport. With these interesting facts about Lithuania, let’s learn more about the history, culture, religion, people, industries, tourism, tradition, and many more.

Quick facts about Lithuania

The official name of Lithuania: The Republic of Lithuania
Area: 65,300 square km
Population(2022): 2.65 million
Population density: 43 per km Sq
GDP (PPP)(2022): $107 Billion
GDP Per Capita: $22,412
Continent: Europe
Capital: Vilnius
Spoken Languages in the country: Lithuanian, Belarusian, Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, English, and Yiddish.
Official Languages: Lithuanian
Largest by area: 121st largest country
Religion: Christianity: 79.4% (Catholicism: 74.2%, Other Christian: 5.2%), No religion: 6.1%, and Others-0.8%, No answer: 13.7%
Government: Unitary semi-presidential republic
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Time Zone: UTC +02 (EET), Summer (DST): UTC +03 (EEST)

Lithuania is a small country with around 2.6 million people and is also part of the Baltic countries. It is a pretty old country.
The country is known for its diverse culture, sandy beaches, wetlands, numerous lakes, and green forests.
The country has amazing beaches where you can enjoy your trips. Thousands of people come here every year to see its natural wonder. 30% of its territory is covered by forest, so this country is also one of the greeny countries in the world.
Further, Lithuania is a developed country with a high income and also ranks very high on the human development index. Let’s learn some interesting facts about Lithuania.

Interesting facts about Lithuania

1. Bordering country of Lithuania

The country shares its land borders with four countries. It is bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the south and east, Russia to the southwest, and Poland to the south.
Further, it also shares maritime borders with Sweden to the west on the Baltic sea.

2. Lithuania is the geographical center of Europe

Lithuania is called the geographical center of Europe. In 1987 when the re-estimation of the boundaries of the continent of Europe, the famous scientist Jean George Affholder at the French National Geographical institute determine that the geographical center of Europe is located at 54°54′N 25°19′E, near the Village of Purnuškės of Lithuania.
The method used for calculating this point was that of the center of gravity of the geometrical figure of Europe.
However, it needs to be said that there are many other places that claim this title.

3. The first country to declare its independence from the Soviet Union

Lithuania was the first country to declare its independence from the Soviet Union (USSR). The Soviets countered to stop the independence movement with an economic blockade and a military attack.
The Soviet troops attacked the Vilnius Tv Tower, killing 14 Lithuanian civilians and wounding 600 others on the night of 13 January 1991. But they ultimately failed to stop the secession.
Lithuania becomes independent on 11 March 1990 and became the first independent country from USSR.

4. The largest moving sand dunes in Europe

You don't expect to find sand dunes so far up North but Lithuania is home to one of the largest moving sand dunes in Europe; the Curonian spit.
The spit is one of the popular holiday spots. Every year thousands of Lithuanians, as well as international tourists visit the Curonian spit.
The Curonian Spit is a unique and vulnerable, sandy, and wooded cultural landscape on a coastal spit that features small Curonian lagoon settlements. It is one of the unique landscapes in Europe.

5. The Republic of Uzupis

Vilnius is home to the Republic of Užupio. In 1995, a group of Lithuanian artists and intellectuals erected a statue of Frank Zappa in the nation’s capital Vilnius.
Two years later, on April fool's day 1997, a bohemian quarter of the capital city declared its independence and give the name of the independent republic of Užupio. The Republic of Užupio has its own flag, unofficial currency, President, constitution, and an army of 11 men.
The Republic of Užupio has its own (funny) constitution with articles like; "Everyone has the right to love and take care of the cat" or "A dog has the right to be a dog".

6. The fourth-best basketball team in the world

Most of us think that football is the number one sport everywhere in Europe but it is wrong in the case of Lithuania. Basketball is the most popular sport in Lithuania. The national team (men's basketball team) ranks 8th worldwide. It is said that basketball is the second Religion of the people.
The country has adequate representation in the NBA and has won three Bronze medals at the Olympics.

7. The Largest Kingdom

In the early 13th century, Lithuania was the largest kingdom in Europe; the Grand Duchy Kingdom. The tribes in the area formed the kingdom of Lithuania. The Grand Duchy Kingdom quickly expanded outwards into Mongol-controlled Russia, as well as major power European countries like Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland.
At the end of the 18th century, this era ended and the lands of the kingdom were split between Russia and Prussia.

8. Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of Lithuania

The capital of Lithuania; Vilnius is known for its Old Town of beautiful architecture. You can find different architectural buildings in the country which indicate how much beautiful the capital city is.
Before World War II, Vilnius was known as the Jerusalem of Lithuania. It was a world center for the study of the Torah and had a Jewish population of over 50,000. The Jewish influence in the country until the 20th century. After that, the Jewish influence slowly disappears from the country. Even today you found Jewish people in the country.
Further, Napoleon also named the country "the Jerusalem of the North" when he was passing through the country in 1812.

9. Oldest language in the world

Lithuanian is one of the oldest languages in the world today, having its roots in Sanskrit, Latin, and ancient Greek. This language is one of the oldest living Indo-European languages in Europe.
The Lithuanian language is older than Greek, German, Latin, Slavic, and Celtic.

10. Fastest internet connections in the world

Lithuania has one of the fastest internet connections in the world. It has the fastest broadband with a download speed of up to 30 megabits per second. Also, there are many free wi-fi hotspots around the biggest cities.
Therefore if you're visiting this country on business, you no longer need to sit with your computer in hotels or in conference halls. You can easily find an internet connection in many free public places.
Further, Lithuania is the first country in Europe that has introduced the local breakout technology offering cheap mobile internet for travelers and allowing them to avoid big data roaming charges.
These are some interesting facts about Lithuania.

Lithuania facts

The Stelmuze Oak Tree of Lithuania is in Lithuanian forests and is the largest and the oldest tree in Europe. It is estimated to be around 1000 to 2000 years old.
Lithuanians celebrate two independence days; The restoration of state Day on February 16th and The restoration of independence day on March 11.
On the 23rd of August 1989, around 2 million citizens from Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia joined hands in a human chain that stretched 600 kilometers across the three baltic countries.
In the Lithuanian language, the country is called Lietuva.
Lithuania is Europe's last country to convert to Christianity. Almost 1000 years after the conversion of the Roman Empire.
During the 2000s, the economy of Lithuania was the fastest growing in Europe.

These are some Lithuania facts.

Some interesting facts about Lithuania

The name "Lithuania" was first mentioned in 1009.
Lithuania is a country with many hot air balloons per capita.
The industry of Lithuania consists of clothing, textiles, chemicals, television sets, electric motors, freezers, refrigerators, and so on.
The traditions of Lithuania are a mix between Christianity and Paganism.
This country joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.
The first documented school in this country was founded in 1387.
In 2018, the main export destinations of Lithuania were Russia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, and the United States.
Before Christianity, the religion of Lithuania was Romuva.
Before the Euro, the official currency of Lithuania was the Lithuanian Litas.

These are some interesting facts about Lithuania.

In Conclusion

In this article, we discussed some interesting facts about Lithuania. After reading this article, you might gain some knowledge about Lithuania. If you have still queries and want to learn more about the country, then please comment to us. Further, if you already visited this beautiful country, and want to add more interesting facts to this article that are not included in the article above, please comment to us. Also, share your take on this article.