Lithuania is a relatively small state located in the northwestern part of the East European Plain. The name of the country comes from the name of the river "Letava", which has come down to the present from ancient times. In Lithuanian, this word means "pouring." The capital of the country is the city of Vilnius. What is the area of this state? What geographical, climatic and economic features does Lithuania have?
The geographical position of the country
On the southeast side, Lithuania borders with Belarus, with part of the border passing through land, and the other part along the Neman River. From the south-west, Lithuania borders with Russia, as well as Poland. From the north, Lithuania is adjacent to Latvia. Almost the entire area of Lithuania is occupied by vast clay plains. They are divided into two large categories: glacial-lacustrine, as well as moraine. Closer to the Baltic Sea there are more and more moraine plains covered with uneven sand deposits. Sometimes you can find other types - for example, sandy plains or hilly moraine hills.
Territory of the state
The area of Lithuania in thousand km2 is 65.3 km 2 . Despite the fact that Lithuania is not a large country, the nature in it is extremely diverse. There are plains and lakes, forests and swamps, sand dunes and the Baltic Sea. But the most important thing in this small state is that it has preserved the purity of nature, air. Lithuanians are very careful about nature - there are a large number of national parks in the country. In Lithuania, there are as many as five. The largest forest - Dainava - covers 1,450 square meters. km The area of Lithuania in thousand km2 is 580 square meters. km The total forest area is constantly changing. In 1940, it amounted to 20% of the entire territory, by 1990 it had increased to 30%. Now, forest cover is relatively stable and makes up about 33% of the entire country.
Climate of Lithuania
Almost the entire area of Lithuania, a moderate type of climate prevails. On the territory of the eastern and central parts there are areas where the continental type of climate prevails, and on the coast of the Baltic Sea - areas with a marine climate. The continental type of climate on the territory of Lithuania differs from the moderate one in that in the first case a little more rainfall occurs. The hottest month in Lithuania is July. The temperature in July reaches +22 ° C in the daytime, and at night it drops to +13 ° C. On the hottest summer days in territories where the continental type of climate dominates, the temperature can rise to +32 ° C. Winters are usually not very cold - the thermometer’s column rarely drops below 0 ° C during the day, and at night the minimum temperature is -9 ° C. Most of the precipitation in Lithuania falls at the end of summer. The water temperature in the Baltic Sea is almost independent of air temperature, underwater currents and the wind direction have a much stronger influence on it. The maximum water temperature in the sea is 22 o C.
Ethnic reference
Ethnographers divide the modern square of Lithuania into four historical areas. These are Zemaitiya, Dzukiya, Suvalkia and Aukstaytiya. Sometimes only the Zemait group of Lithuanians is singled out, and the other three are combined into one - the Aukstait. The official language in Lithuania is Lithuanian, which belongs to the Baltic group of the Indo-European language tree. The ancestors of Lithuanians, as well as Latvians, are considered the ancient Baltic ethnic groups. They inhabited not only the area of Lithuania, but also the territories from the Baltic coast and the Neman all the way to the Western Dvina and even the banks of the Oka. Historically, large-scale migrations did not occur in the Baltic states that could affect the ethnic composition of the peoples inhabiting these territories. The only exception is the spread of Slavic tribes, which could affect the southern and eastern parts of the then Baltic area.
Population of the country
Lithuania has a population of approximately 2.91 million. Moreover, the population is declining. Back in 2004, it amounted to 3.61 million. The birth rate in Lithuania is less than the death rate. The birth rate per thousand inhabitants is 8.49 and the death rate 11.03. The ethnic composition in Lithuania is as follows: the majority of the population are Lithuanians (80.6%); Russians - 8.7%; Poles of the order of 7%; and representatives of other nationalities, there are about 2.1%. The most densely populated cities are Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipeda, Siauliai. The total area of Lithuania per 1000 inhabitants is 20 km 2 . Lithuania is divided into 10 counties - administrative units. In districts, self-government territories from 9 cities, as well as 43 regions, are allocated. If we correlate the area of Lithuania in sq. km and the population, it turns out that the population density is 49 people. on km 2 .
Population decline
Researchers have long drawn attention to the fact that the population of Lithuania is rapidly declining. According to some estimates, it is getting 2% less each year. Analysts believe that by 2040 less than 2 million Lithuanians will live here, despite the low unemployment rate and the vast total area of Lithuania. This should be paid attention not only to politicians, but to health workers. Indeed, in Lithuania the average life expectancy is the lowest throughout the European Union - it is only 66 years. An aging population, a large number of emigrants, as well as poor medical care can seriously affect Lithuania's further economic competitiveness.