Lithuanians are Mediterranean.
Lithuania -LRB- UK and US  : -LSB- lɪθuː ` eɪniə -RSB- , Lietuva -LSB- lʲɪɛtʊˈvɐ -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of Lithuania -LRB- -LSB- Lietuvos Respublika , links = no -RSB- -RRB- , is a country in Northern Europe .. Northern Europe. Northern Europe. One of the three Baltic states , it is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea , to the east of Sweden and Denmark .. Baltic states. Baltic states. Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea. Sweden. Sweden. Denmark. Denmark. It is bordered by Latvia to the north , Belarus to the east and south , Poland to the south , and Kaliningrad Oblast -LRB- a Russian exclave -RRB- to the southwest .. Latvia. Latvia. Belarus. Belarus. Poland. Poland. Kaliningrad Oblast. Kaliningrad Oblast. exclave. Enclave and exclave. Lithuania has an estimated population of 2.8 million people , and its capital and largest city is Vilnius .. Vilnius. Vilnius. Lithuanians are a Baltic people .. Lithuanians. Lithuanians. Baltic people. Baltic people. The official language , Lithuanian , along with Latvian , is one of only two living languages in the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family .. Lithuanian. Lithuanian language. Latvian. Latvian language. Baltic branch. Baltic languages. Indo-European. Indo-European languages. For centuries , the southeastern shores of the Baltic Sea were inhabited by various Baltic tribes .. Baltic Sea. Baltic Sea. Baltic tribes. Balts. In the 1230s , the Lithuanian lands were united by Mindaugas , the King of Lithuania , and the first unified Lithuanian state , the Kingdom of Lithuania , was created on 6 July 1253 .. Lithuanian. Lithuanian language. Mindaugas. Mindaugas. Kingdom of Lithuania. Kingdom of Lithuania. During the 14th century , the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe ; present-day Lithuania , Belarus , Ukraine , and parts of Poland and Russia were the territories of the Grand Duchy .. Russia. Russia. Belarus. Belarus. Poland. Poland. Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Grand Duchy of Lithuania. With the Lublin Union of 1569 , Lithuania and Poland formed a voluntary two-state union , the Polish -- Lithuanian Commonwealth .. Lithuanian. Lithuanian language. Poland. Poland. Lublin Union. Lublin Union. The Commonwealth lasted more than two centuries , until neighboring countries systematically dismantled it from 1772 -- 95 , with the Russian Empire annexing most of Lithuania 's territory .. systematically dismantled. Partitions of Poland. Russian Empire. Russian Empire. As World War I neared its end , Lithuania 's Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918 , declaring the founding of the modern Republic of Lithuania .. Independence. History of Lithuania. World War I. World War I. Act of Independence. Act of Independence of Lithuania. In the midst of the Second World War , Lithuania was first occupied by the Soviet Union and then by Nazi Germany .. Germany. Germany. Soviet Union. State Council of the Soviet Union. Second World War. Second World War. occupied by the Soviet Union. Soviet occupation of the Baltic states ( 1940 ). Nazi Germany. Occupation of Lithuania by Nazi Germany. As World War II neared its end and the Germans retreated , the Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania .. Germans. Baltic Germans. Soviet Union. State Council of the Soviet Union. Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania. Soviet occupation of the Baltic states ( 1944 ). On 11 March 1990 , a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union , Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare itself independent , resulting in the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania .. Soviet Union. State Council of the Soviet Union. dissolution of the Soviet Union. dissolution of the Soviet Union. Soviet republic. Republics of the Soviet Union. the restoration of an independent State of Lithuania. Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania. Lithuania is a member of the European Union , the Council of Europe , a full member of the Eurozone , Schengen Agreement and NATO .. European Union. European Union. Council of Europe. Council of Europe. Eurozone. Eurozone. Schengen Agreement. Schengen Agreement. NATO. NATO. It is also a member of the Nordic Investment Bank , and part of Nordic-Baltic cooperation of Northern European countries .. Nordic Investment Bank. Nordic Investment Bank. Nordic-Baltic. NB8. The United Nations Human Development Index lists Lithuania as a `` very high human development '' country .. United Nations. United Nations. Human Development Index. Human Development Index. Lithuania has been among the fastest growing economies in the European Union and is ranked 21st in the world in the Ease of Doing Business Index .. European Union. European Union. Ease of Doing Business Index. Ease of Doing Business Index