Central Europe Review - Lithuania Basics

General facts

Official Name: Lietuvos Respublika (Republic of Lithuania)

Official Language: Lithuanian

Area: 65,200 square km

Population: 3,715,400 (estimated, 2000)

Population Density: 57 per square km

Population by Ethnicity: 80.6% Lithuanian; 8.7% Russian; 7% Polish; 1.6% Belarusian.

Cities: Vilnius (capital, 581,200); Kaunas (419,700); Klaipėda (203,900); Šiauliai (146,600); Panevėžys (132,800).

National Holiday: 16 February 1918

For a concise history of Lithuania
click here.

Economy

Currency: Lithuanian litas (LTL) LTL one equals 100 centas; pegged at LTL four equals USD one

GDP change: -4.1% (1999, preliminary, LTL 42.597 billion in current prices); +4.2% (Q1 2000, preliminary)

Unemployment (official, May 2000): 11.1%

CPI (1999): +0.3%

Trade (1999, preliminary): exports LTL 12.015 billion, main partners Germany (16%), Latvia (12.8%), Russia (7%); imports LTL 19.338 billion; main partners Russia (20%), Germany (16.5%), Poland (5.7%).

Government

Prime Minister: Andrius Kubilius, Tėvynės Sąjunga (TS)
Foreign Minister: Algirdas Saudargas, Kriščionių demokratų partija (KDP)
Finance Minister: Vytautas Dudėnas, TS
Defence Minister: Česlovas Stankevičius, KDP
Interior Minister: Česlovas Blažys (officially non-affiliated)
Justice Minister Gintaras Balčiūnas, Centro sąjunga (CS)
Social Welfare Minister Irena Degutienė, TS
Economics Minister Valentinas Milaknis, officially non-affiliated
Health Minister Raimundas Alekna, TS
Environment Minister Danius Lygis, TS
Education Minister Kornelijus Platelis, TS
Culture Minister Arūnas Bėkšta, officially non-affiliated
Agriculture Minister Edvardas Makelis, officially non-affiliated
Transport Minister Rimantas Didžiokas, TS
Minister for Public Administration Reform Jonas Rudalevičius, officially non-aligned

Head-of-State: President Valdas Adamkus (first term expires February 2003)

Head-of-Government: Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, Tėvynės sąjunga (Lietuvos konservatoriai)

Ruling Coalition: Tėvynės sąjunga (Lietuvos konservatoriai, Homeland Union, Lithuanian Conservatives). Also represented in the government are two ministers from Lietuvos kriščionių demokratų partija (Lithuanian Christian Democratic Party) and one from Lietuvos centro sąjunga (Lithuanian Centre Union)

Parliament: 141-seat Seimas, with 71 seats elected by individual constituencies and 70 by proportional representation. Next scheduled election, October 2000.

Compiled by Mel Huang, 10 July 2000

Moving on:

Sources and useful links:

Statistical Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Chancellery of President Valdas Adamkus
Chancellery of the Government
Seimas (Parliament)