While at the annual Columbus International Festival last weekend, my friend and I stopped by a booth manned by some people in very colorful, traditional costumes. There was a man and a woman there who were very friendly and happy to tell us all about their home country: the small, Baltic country of Lithuania. One thing in particular that surprised me was that the Lithuanian language is NOT Slavic, which I'd incorrectly assumed it was. No - it actually stems from Sanskrit, an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken in the Indian subcontinent.
Trakai Castle
Located in Northeastern Europe, Lithuania is one of three small, Baltic states (Estonia and Latvia's being the other two), that are nestled in between Russia, Poland and the Baltic Sea. A little bit larger than West Virginia, Lithuania is the largest of three countries, though boasting only 90 KM of coastline.
Peace Corps volunteers served in Lithuania between 1992 and 2002 providing assistance with business and economic development as well as English language training. While it has a good mixture of agriculture and manufacturing, Lithuania is probably best known for its amber from which jewelry is made.
Aside from the obvious difference in size, Lithuania is very different from the U.S. as it turned 1000 years old in 2009! Lithuanians celebrated the anniversary of when their country was first mentioned in 1009 AD in The Annals Quedlinburgenses, a document that survives to this day. After centuries as an independent nation, Lithuania was absorbed by the Soviet Union in 1940 and though it claimed independence in 1990, it still disputes ownership of a tiny piece of Russia (Калининградская область)that rests on the Baltic Sea.
Lithuania's flag - Its three stripes symbolize prosperity (yellow), hope (green) and life (crimson).
Here are some basic facts about Lithuania:
Republic of Lithuania
Capital: Vilnius
Population: 3,535,547 (July 2011 estimate)
President: Dalia Grybauskaite (since 12 July 2009)
Prime Minister: Andrius Kubilius (since 27 November 2008)
Life expectancy: 75.34 years old
HIV/AIDS rate: .1% of the population
Literacy rate: 99.6% of the population (99.6% male, 99.6%female)
National Holiday: Independence Day - 16 February, 1918 (11 March 1990 is when it declared its independence from the Soviet Union.
Suffrage: 18 years of age, universal
Unemployment: 29.4%
Except for the flag and map which are from the CIA Factbook, the pictures posted here are all borrowed from the
Lithuania Tourism website. If you have a chance, I recommend your taking some time to check it out as there are many more beautiful pictures in there as well as lots more information about this wonderful country.
