Lithuania is a country on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, the largest and southernmost of the three Baltic states. A flat, forested land of lakes and rivers, it has a history of striking contrasts: in the Middle Ages it was the heart of one of the largest states in Europe, yet it was also the last pagan country on the continent. Its people speak one of the oldest and most archaic of all living Indo-European languages, a treasure for scholars of language.
In the Middle Ages Lithuania rose to remarkable power, expanding under its grand dukes into a vast realm, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, that at its height stretched from the Baltic almost to the Black Sea. It famously remained pagan longer than any other part of Europe, converting to Christianity only in the late fourteenth century, around the time it entered a long and powerful union with Poland. Later absorbed by the Russian Empire, Lithuania declared independence in 1918, lost it to Soviet occupation, and regained it in 1990.
Tradition holds that Grand Duke Gediminas, hunting in the forest, fell asleep and dreamed of a great iron wolf standing on a hilltop and howling with the voice of a hundred wolves. A pagan priest interpreted the dream as a sign to build a mighty city on the spot, and so, the legend says, Gediminas founded Vilnius, the capital. The tale is cherished as the origin story of the city, but the dream of the iron wolf belongs to legend rather than documented history.
Lithuania is a low-lying, gently rolling country of farmland, extensive forests, and many lakes and rivers, with a relatively short but scenic Baltic coastline. Among its most striking natural features is the Curonian Spit, a long, narrow finger of towering sand dunes separating a lagoon from the open sea. The land has no mountains, and its mild, damp climate and fertile soils have long supported farming, while the Baltic shore is the source of the amber for which the region is famous.
The flag of Lithuania has three horizontal bands of yellow, green, and red. The colours are drawn from traditional Lithuanian folk art and culture, and they are commonly interpreted as yellow for the sun, prosperity, and the fields of ripening grain, green for the country's forests and the hope of the nation, and red for the courage and blood of those who fought for its freedom. The tricolour was first adopted when Lithuania declared independence in 1918.
Lithuania is the most Roman Catholic of the Baltic states, and Catholicism, adopted relatively late in the country's history, became deeply woven into national identity, serving as a focus of resistance during the long decades of Soviet rule when religion was suppressed. The faith remains strong in the country's culture and traditions, expressed in pilgrimages and a landscape of churches, including the remarkable Hill of Crosses, where countless crosses have been planted as an act of devotion and defiance.
Lithuanian cuisine is hearty and built around potatoes, grains, dairy, and pork, suited to a cool northern climate. The national dish is cepelinai, large potato dumplings, named for their zeppelin shape, stuffed with meat and served with sour cream. A summer favourite is a vivid pink cold beetroot soup, served chilled with a side of hot potatoes. Dark rye bread, smoked meats, and curd cheese are staples, and a tradition of mead and beer accompanies the table.
Lithuania has a strong agricultural tradition supported by its fertile soils and gentle landscape. Farmers grow cereals such as wheat and barley, along with potatoes, sugar beet, and rapeseed, and dairy and livestock farming are important, with the country exporting dairy products and grain. Flax was historically a significant crop. As in the rest of the Baltic region, much of the land is forested, and forestry adds to an economy that has modernised rapidly since independence.
The medieval Grand Duchy, which made Lithuania a great European power, and its long union with Poland, are sources of deep national pride, as is its distinction as the last pagan state in Europe. After regaining independence in 1918 and losing it to Soviet occupation, Lithuania led the Baltic push for freedom, becoming, in 1990, the first Soviet republic to declare its independence, a bold step that helped bring about the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Lithuania has a population of around 2.9 million people, the great majority ethnic Lithuanians, a Baltic people whose language is among the oldest and most archaic still spoken, preserving features lost in other Indo-European tongues. There are Polish and Russian minorities. Like much of the region, the country has seen significant emigration since independence. Most Lithuanians live in cities, above all the historic capital, Vilnius, famed for its baroque old town.
