Lithuania is our motherland where we were born and grew up. Our ancestors rest in peace in their native land. Lithuania is our forests, rivers and lakes. Everyone finds what to enjoy staying in any corner of Lithuania. But most of all the Baltic sea is admired my everyone. It is Lithuanian pride. The history of Lithuania irs dear to each Lithuanian. There were glorious deeds where freedom and independence of Lithuania was regained. Our language is unique. It is related to Sanskritas. The people of Lithuania cherish and protect folklore, customs and traditions.
Vilnius is the hart of Lithuania. It is a multicultural city. There is a wide variety of impressive places.of interest such as Gediminas castle, ancient churches, the Old Town. Vilnius is a great cultural center. Opera and Ballet Theater, Picture Gallery, Opera Theater attract visitors from all Lithuania. In Vilnius there are leisure activities for both elders and youngsters. Cinemas, museums, clubs are opened for everyone. Vilnius is an exceptional place with its deep history, traditions and cultural diversity.
Some geographical information about Lithuania
The Republic of Lithuania is situated between two Worlds, in Northeast Europe. It is situated next to the Baltic Sea shores, and it shares frontiers with Poland (that is situated to the south), Belarus (situated to the southeast), the Russian region of Kaliningrad Oblast (to the southwest), and Latvia (to the north).
It is a really small country that has 65,200 square km, which represents about 20% of the German territory. However, it is the biggest in the Baltic States (name given to the three countries that lie next to the Baltic Sea, the two others are Latvia and Estonia).
Lithuania is a really plane country, it only has some small hills in its west and south part, the majority of the country it´s not higher than 200 meters of altitude, and the highest point in the whole country is the Kroupine hill with 293 meters of altitude.
It has more then 700 rivers and streams that feed the 3,000 lakes that Lithuania has and lots of forests, because the 30% of the country area is taken by vegetation.
The climate is dominated by the sea influence, but the conditions change more easily in the eastern part. The occidental area has cooler summers and warmer winters.The temperatures vary between 18º C in summer and less than 0º C in winter.
Some political and administrative information
Lithuania is a parliamentary republic. The president, elected by the people, is the highest authority in the country and he nominates the Prime Minister, but the Parliament has to agree also.
This country is divided in 10 counties, each of them are named after their principal cities, for example, if we talk about the county where Vilnius is situated we call it the same as the city , it would be the Vilnius county . Each of these counties is divided at the same time into 60 municipalities which are the most important units, because they have their own elected government.
The capital of the country is Vilnius. It is the biggest city in Lithuania with 600,000 (2006 year) inhabitants. It is situated next to the Neris River, surrounded by hills. It is also the capital of the Vilnius city municipality and the Vilnius district municipality.
Other important cities are Kaunas with 430,000 (2006 year) inhabitants and Klaipeda with 210,000 (2006 year) inhabitants.
Lithuania has a difference between the other countries that were part of the Soviet Union, those countries are characteristic because their industrial zones were very concentrated in an area of the country, but Lithuania is not like that, it has some separated areas along the country that could be called as
industrial, they are situated in the principal cities.
Here follows a chart presenting the figures of the main ethnic groups in Lithuania before and after independence :
1942
2001
Lithuanians
81.1%
83.45%
Poles
12.1%
6.74%
Russians
3.0%
6.31%
Belarussians
2.9%
1.23%
As it is shown in this chart, the leading group before and after the independence is the Lithuanians. However, we can observe that after the independence the number of Lithuanians increased. This fact is explained by the policy of mass deportation of the Stalinism regime : from 1941 till 1952, hundred thousands of persons were deported to Siberia or other parts of the USSR.
As for another major group, the Russians, they were encouraged by the Soviet government to immigrate to Lithuania. The aim of that policy was to increase the number of Soviet workers in the country so as to make the Lithuanian integrate in the USSR, and also to encourage industrial development
After independence, we can observe an increase in the number of Lithuanians. This can partly be explained by the fact that the familly were deported abroad, came back to their native country after the independence was proclaimed.
After independence, the main religion was the roman catholicism, which nowadays represents approximately 84.6% of the total population. Then the second religion is the Eastern Orthodoxy, or more precisely the Russian Orthodoxy, which represents 3.1% of the population. Then comes the Protestantism which represents 1.2% of the population. Finally, there exists two minorities : Judaism and Islam, which each represents 0.2% of the population. Finally, we can also observe that 1 % of the population are atheist.
Private Business And Private Property
After the official annexation of Lithuania, the government started to nationalize companies and also properties.
As for private business, the Soviet government gave economic support mainly to farms while other groups were neglected, and seized all manufacturing facilities. As for private property, the Soviet government requisitionned the ownership of all properties such as lands, houses and bank deposits.
After the independence has been declared, the first of the economic measure was to privatize organisations such as shops and also flats, which were used to be owned by the Soviet government and leased to the people. Since independence, lots of private business were created. Lithuania is becoming a fast growing country. In 2002, its growth rate reached + 6.8 %, which is more than Western European countries. For example the growth rate of Germany in 2002 was only + 0.7%.
We see small differences between the European and the Lithuanian business. It is really interesting to notice that nobody accepts authority. This can be explained by the fact that the Lithuanians did not accept the Soviet occupation during the last decades. The Soviet government was dictating the rules and nobody had the rights to contest them for fear of being killed. Therefore, Lithuanians prefer to see the authority at the same level of communication. The boss should never show his or her authority, otherwise he or she can generate a negative reaction coming from the employee.
2016-03-23 04:53:47
Jonas:Nowadays in our lives we use many different words to express our feelings , emotions and to say what we mean. Every day we communicate with each other in different languages , mostly I speak in Lithuanian , but sometimes I need to explain in English to foreigners how to go to one or another place. But some people sometimes do not understand me clearly, and I noticed one thing , that mostly they do not understand me or other people because they use not an appropriate form of collocation.
2016-03-29 01:33:18
Guest:2011:
President Dalia Grybauskaitė is proposing an experiment with small companies, which lets them work for a year without any inspections and no taxes. The president of the country is surprised that people have to go through control systems and have to start paying up taxes before even starting their business.
Prime minister Andrius Kubilius doesn't want to assess this kind of proposal and notes that such advantages might cause people to abuse the system, which must be avoided.
The Statistics Department (SD) notified that this year, during the first quarter, the unemployment rate in the Lithuania was 17.2% and it was 0.1 percentage points higher than in the fourth quarter of last year. During the year, the unemployment rate decreased 0.9 percentage points.
However, statisticians estimated that in the first quarter of this year the unemployed was 277,600 -1.5% lower than in the fourth quarter in 2010. The unemployment per year decreased 5,4%.
“We cannot support a candidate to the General Assembly, who does not understand the significance of victory against Nazism – the victory that allowed the creation of United Nations,” implied the Russian mission in United Nations to the Reuters news agency. Dalius Čekuolis a Lithuanian ambassador is competing with Vuk Jeremic the Serbian minister of foreign affairs for the position of United Nations General Assembly chairman. Lithuanian official’s state that behind the unexpected Serbian competition to Lithuania also lies Russia. This diplomatic dispute will be depicted on Thursday by Reuters and AFP news agencies.
According to Reuters Russia has been frustrated by the comments of D. Čekuolis in General Assembly at the celebration the 65th anniversary for the end of the Second World War in May 2010. In 1940 Lithuania has been occupied by the Soviet Union, in 1941 – 1944 followed by another occupation by Nazis, during which Lithuanian Jewish community was slaughtered, and later Lithuania has been occupied by The Soviets again. Russia is solemnly celebrating the victory against the Nazis in the Second World War; however, the Baltic countries emphasizes that it did not bring them freedom. Up till 1952, during the Soviet occupation 275 thousand people were exiled to concentration camps and more than 20 thousands of resistance fighters and their supporters were killed.
According to the reports by the news agencies, Audronius Ažubalis, the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, who recently visited New York said, that Serbian minister also threatened to block Lithuania’s aim to take a position of occasional member of United Nations Security Council in 2014, unless Vilnius withdraws its candidate. A. Ažubalis accused Serbia, that suddenly formed a competition and its supporter - Russia of breaking the general rules.
According to the minister, Belgrade’s and Moscow’s reluctance to resolve the matter in the so called Eastern Europe’s Group, that has to delegate the Assembly’s chairman this year, does not suit diplomatic traditions.
Back in 2004 Lithuania declared that this year they will aim to take the position of United Nations General Assembly chairman and expressed its resentment when recently Serbia, supported b Russia, nominated V. Jeremic for the position. All three of these nations belong to Eastern Europe’s Group.
“We cannot support a candidate to the General Assembly, who does not understand the significance of victory against Nazism – the victory that allowed the creation of United Nations,” implied the Russian mission in United Nations to the Reuters news agency. Dalius Čekuolis a Lithuanian ambassador is competing with Vuk Jeremic the Serbian minister of foreign affairs for the position of United Nations General Assembly chairman. Lithuanian official’s state that behind the unexpected Serbian competition to Lithuania also lies Russia. This diplomatic dispute will be depicted on Thursday by Reuters and AFP news agencies.
According to Reuters Russia has been frustrated by the comments of D. Čekuolis in General Assembly at the celebration the 65th anniversary for the end of the Second World War in May 2010. In 1940 Lithuania has been occupied by the Soviet Union, in 1941 – 1944 followed by another occupation by Nazis, during which Lithuanian Jewish community was slaughtered, and later Lithuania has been occupied by The Soviets again. Russia is solemnly celebrating the victory against the Nazis in the Second World War; however, the Baltic countries emphasizes that it did not bring them freedom. Up till 1952, during the Soviet occupation 275 thousand people were exiled to concentration camps and more than 20 thousands of resistance fighters and their supporters were killed.
According to the reports by the news agencies, Audronius Ažubalis, the Lithuanian minister of foreign affairs, who recently visited New York said, that Serbian minister also threatened to block Lithuania’s aim to take a position of occasional member of United Nations Security Council in 2014, unless Vilnius withdraws its candidate. A. Ažubalis accused Serbia, that suddenly formed a competition and its supporter - Russia of breaking the general rules.
According to the minister, Belgrade’s and Moscow’s reluctance to resolve the matter in the so called Eastern Europe’s Group, that has to delegate the Assembly’s chairman this year, does not suit diplomatic traditions.
Back in 2004 Lithuania declared that this year they will aim to take the position of United Nations General Assembly chairman and expressed its resentment when recently Serbia, supported b Russia, nominated V. Jeremic for the position.
All three of these nations belong to Eastern Europe’s Group.
2016-04-06 10:32:50
Guest:Shares in Lithuanian companies are quoted on the Vilnius-based National Stock Exchange of Lithuania. The first Lithuanian exchange opened in Klaipėda in 1775. The Vilnius Stock Exchange was working from 1926 until 1936. After World War II the Lithuanian securities market was moribund for half a century. After restoration of independence in 1990, Lithuania started implementing radical economic reforms. And it was essential to establish a centralized securities market in order to ensure a rational distribution of financial resources, help determine a fair market price of the enterprises, and create favorable conditions for investors to trade shares as well as protection the rights of minority shareholders. Since ownership was initially evidenced only by temporary shareholders’ certificates, the Government of Lithuania decided to implement a model of dematerialised securities market. The official opening of the NSEL was on September 14, 1993. A stock exchange is a centralized point, which provides the organizational and technical conditions to match the intentions of buyers and sellers of securities. A stock exchange may be also defined as an well-organized securities market in which the demand and supply for these securities is concentrated and where professional intermediaries, financial brokers, come together to buy and sell securities under the instructions of their clients. The exchange is an indicator of economic change. A financial broker bids and offers securities in the name of the client or the broker/dealer. His main value is experience and knowledge of the market. Not only is the broker expected to find a buyer or seller of the security, but also to recognize the most promising shares, to grasp both the short-term and long-term prospects. One of the main goals of the broker is to ensure the liquidity of his client’s securities. Brokers perform a double mission: on the one hand, they act in the public interest, and on the other hand, they are businessmen as they seek personal profit as well the broker is accountable to both the Exchange and client. Rights and guarantees for the investors are ensured by the Law on Public Trading of Securities of the Republic of Lithuania. In order to evaluate the status of the securities market, at least some of its indicators and their variables should be known. For example, market capitalization, liquidity of securities, stock indices, and stock exchange turnover. These indicators would be sufficient for the initial evaluation. All institutions of the Lithuanian capital market take a due regard to the EU and international standards while developing their businesses. And today the Exchange is functioning in accordance with generally accepted European and international principles. The main objective of the exchange is to prove most favorable conditions for the issuers to raise capital and finance their development, for investors to invest their savings, and for market intermediaries to match interests of suppliers and consumers of the capital. The NSEL will make its best endeavors to increase liquidity, transparency and safety of the market.
2016-04-25 10:22:34
Lithuanian:
Customs in Lithuania
Every family in Lithuania has its own rules. The respect of the young people toward their own family has really changed. Before the independence, grandparents and parents were respected by children, kids were always listening what the parents were suggesting or saying. But nowadays, the situation has worsened. The kids are on the parents’ heads, they do not listen, they do what they want. This can be explained by the influence of western countries through medias like television, radio and so on. Sometimes, condemnable things happen such as children who kill their own parents just for money. These facts are just reflecting of a tough reality: there is less and less respect of the young generation for the elder.
As for the education about drugs and sex, twenty to forty years ago, those subjects were tackled by nobody. The country did not have to deal with massive drug problems. When Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union, some few people were of course taking drugs, but they were rejected by the society, they had no friends, nobody liked them.
Today, these subjects, drug and sex are no longer considered as taboos or disgraceful. At school teachers talk about these subjects explaining what is good from what is bad. It is really relevant to speak with kids about sex and drugs. Family members should speak with children so as to make them aware of the reality, to prevent them from the danger that can occur. However, there are lots of parents who do not like talking about that because still some of them consider these subjects as taboos, or because they do not feel easy with the situation.
Lithuania was highly influenced by Russia. Nowadays, lots of old people drink, during every holiday people use beverages. Drinking is good as long as we do it using our mind, but lots of them drink until they fall down of sickness. That is due to the Soviet influence.
Let us think now about the global influence. The Lithuanians picked up from the global world lots of new things such as meals; many people enjoy eating meals from the western and eastern countries. Another kind of influence is the sport style clothes and the will of traveling abroad: twenty to forty years ago nobody except sportsmen had the right to travel to western countries.
Nowadays everything is different, it is democracy. The independence has wide opened to Lithuania the doors of freedom.
2016-05-11 10:44:43
Lithuanian:
Today Lithuania is a country of stable democracy and a functioning market economy. As we mentioned, Lithuania is a parliamentary republic. The president, elected by the people, is the highest authority in the country and he nominates the Prime Minister, but the Parliament has to agree also. After the official annexation of Lithuania, the government started to nationalize companies and also properties. The first of the economic measure was to privatize organization such as shops and also flats, which were used to be owned by the Soviet government and leased to the people. Since independence, lots of private businesses were created. Lithuania is becoming a fast growing country.
2016-05-12 01:39:08
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