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LITHUANIA |
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Last Updated: Monday 7 March 2005 National anthem |
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Known as Prussia in the earliest times of European history, Lithuania and the tribal lands between the Vistula and lower Niemen rivers along the southeastern Baltic coast were inhabited by an Indo-European people who, though not ethnically Germanic, belonged to the Baltic Indo-european sub-group. The Lithuanians are considered, along with the Latvians, to be a fair-skinned people of the nordic Caucasoid sub-race who predominate in the area from the rim of the Baltic sea to Belarus.
Last of the European peoples to be converted to Christianity in the 14th century, both Lithuanians and Latvians became Roman Catholics and their territory expanded considerably to include large land areas of present-day northern Poland with which they formed a union in the 15th century. Lithuania and Poland combined to form a kingdom stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea in the days when Odessa was a Polish port. The union mainly influenced the culture of Vilnius, a city which dates back to the early 12th century which had become Lithuania’s capital in 1323. In the early 16th century the city flourished in trade and scholarship, becoming a predominantly Polish city with a large Jewish population in the 17th century. The city thus became for well nigh 150 years the centre of eastern European Jewish cultural life, with a copious religious and secular literature which was written both in Hebrew and Yiddish, until Lithuania was partitioned between Russia and Prussia in the 18th century. In more recent history, the Jewish population of Vilnius did not survive the German occupation of 1941-1944, and after the war most of the Poles living in Lithuania, together with several ethnic Lithuanians, emigrated to the USA, Canada and Australia. Also after the Soviet Union annexed Lithuania in 1940, many Russians moved into the territory, so much so that today only about 80% of the population is considered to be purely Lithuanian. The Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, now forming part of the Russian Federation, is a case in point: it has been given its political status due to its overwhelming Russian population. In September 1991, when Lithuania gained its independence from the crumbling Soviet Uion, Vilnius was re-established as the national capital. It had oftentimes lost this status before in its chequered history when it was occupied by Russia during 1665-60, Sweden 1702-06, Russia after 1795 and France in 1812. With a population of 3.6 million, 80.6% are of Lithuanian origin, 8.7% Russian, 7% Polish, 1.6% Belarusian, and 2.1% other. The capital is Vilnius (Polish-occupied Vilna from 1919 to 1939 or the Jewish "Northern Jerusalem" of Wilno before 1945) with a population of 220,000.Religion is predominantly Roman Catholic, but there are also Lutherans, Russian Orthodox, Protestants, Evangelical Christian Baptists, Muslims and Jewish. Vilnius became a Catholic Diocese seat in 1387. The official language is Lithuanian, but Russian and Polish are also spoken. After Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940, there followed 48 years of Communist rule. In 1988 a group of writers and intellectuals set up the Lithuanian Movement for Reconstruction and its leaders declared at a mass rally in Vilnius, that the USSR occupied Lithuania illegally. In 1989 Parliament approved a declaration of Lithuanian sovereignty, wherein it was stated that Lithuanian laws took precedence over Soviet laws.On the 11th March, 1990 the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union, which had earlier been withdrawn, was declared. Later in the year, Lithuania agreed yet again to suspend independence pending talks with Moscow. Yet as no progress was made in these talks and the economy was seriously failing, the suspension of declaration of independence was ended on Lithuania’s part and during a demonstaration in January 1991, Soviet troops fired on civilians outside television tower in Vilnius, with 13 dead and several hundred injured. On the 6th September, 1991 Moscow recognized Lithuania's independence. On the 25th October, 1992 a new constitution was adopted. It made Lithuania a parliamentary democracy, introduced the presidency, and made legislative acts liable to appeal before the constitutional court. Independence Day is recalled on the 16th February, but this commemorates the date of independence from German, Austrian, Prussian, and Russian occupation. 11th March, 1990 is the date of independence from the Soviet Union. The last Russian troops withdrew by agreement in 1993. Former President Valdas Adamkus has won a second term in office on June 27, 2004 obtaining 52% of the vote on a run-off with Ms Kazmeira Prunskiene who was free Lithuania’s first prime minister in the early nineties. Mr Adamkus, 77 and a former US citizen, had earlier served as president from 1998 to 2003. The Seimas is a unicameral system of parliament with 141 seats. Its members serve four-year terms, 71 being directly elected by popular vote and 70 by proportional representation. After that in the first round of for the 71 seats directly elected by popular vote, the newly founded workers’ party of populist billionaire of Russian origin, Viktor Ouspaskitch, obtained some 30% of the vote, the party did not do as well in the election for the remaining seats by proportional representation. After the election on the 24th October, 2004 the governing Social Democrat and Social Liberal coalition gained 31 seats which, together with the 39 seats of the new Labour Party, gave Mr Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas enough seats to stay on as Prime Minister.There are ten apskritis or counties in Lithuania, namely Alytaus, Kauno, Klaipedos, Marijampoles, Panevezio, Siauliu, Taurages, Telsiu, Utenos and Vilniaus apskritys. On the 1st May, 2004 Lithuania joined the European Union. The national anthem is Lietuva, Tevyne Musu, Lithuania, land of heroes.Lithuania, land of heroes Oh Lithuania, land of heroes, Fatherland that you are, Your children shall take heart From your past glorious deeds. May your children ever follow Their heroic fathers In their devotion to country And good will towards others.
Upon us shine evermore; That right and truth may Keep our pathway lighted. May the love of our dear land Strengthen our heart and hand, Oh that our land may ever stand Peaceful and united. An interesting personal website is that of Vykintas Pugaciauskas at Þ http://www.geocities.com/vykintas/index_e.html ÜLietuvos Rytas - largest national quality newspaper, liberal pro-market Kauno Diena - largest regional newspaper, covering Kaunas city and region Veidas - weekly news magazine focussing on social and political issues Ekstra - weekly news magazine ELTA - Lithuanian News Agency Baltic News Service (BNS) - privately-owned news agency
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COUNTRIES |
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