About Lithuania

Lithuania borders on the Baltic Sea in the west, Latvia in the north, Belarus in the east and southeast, Poland in the south, and the Kaliningrad oblast (a Russian exclave; formerly East Prussia) in the southwest. Vilnius is the capital, largest city, and an important rail and highway center. About 80% of the population is Lithuanian; there are Russian, Polish, Belarusian, Latvian, and Jewish minorities. The major religion is Roman Catholicism and there are small communities of Lutherans and Russian Orthodox. The Lithuanians speak a Baltic language (see Balts), which is the official language; Polish and Russian are also widely spoken. Lithuania was one of the largest and most powerful states in Europe from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, at which time it merged with Poland. In the late eighteenth century, it was absorbed by Russia. A nationalist movement that grew in strength throughout the nineteenth century finally bore fruit when the Russian empire collapsed during World War I. Besides, following are some more information about Lithuania.