Lithuania

The Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Respublika), commonly known as Lithuania (Lietuva), is a republic located in the southernmost part of the Baltic countries in Europe .

Latvia to the north , Poland to the south , Russia to the west It borders Kaliningrad Oblast and Belarus to the east . The capital is Vilnius , and the main cities are Vilnius , the capital, and Kaunas , the second city .

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The coat of arms of Lithuania is a crest depicting a white knight riding on the back of a white horse against a red background and charging with a sword . It is derived from the coat of arms of the medieval Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the predecessor of Lithuania, and can also be found in the coat of arms of Poland- Lithuania, a merger of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania .

This sentence was used not only in Lithuania but also in Belarus.[7] In Belarus, it is called ' пагоня ' and also means 'pursuit' and 'chaser'.[8] Strictly speaking, it is not a Lithuanian, but the Dongslabs , including the Belarus . According to the traditions of the Dongslav, if his tribe was a surprise of the enemy, he had to escape to escape, and if he got on the end, he had to chase the enemy to fight against the enemy. Since then, Keyev Ruth 's successor, Pskov, and Polotsk, have used the Paho Naya sentence, which represents their traditions .

Originally, when the Great Vilnius Conference (Didysis Vilniaus Seimas), a Lithuanian national conference held in Vilnius held in Vilnius in 1905, established a flag symbolizing Lithuanians, this flag was also nominated along with the current tricolor flag and received considerable support, but it is difficult for this flag to fully symbolize Lithuanians after the rise of modern national consciousness.[9] , was eliminated because it was difficult to draw. Instead, when Lithuania gained independence, it was designated as the national emblem and is still used today.


In 2004, a flag based on the national coat of arms was designated as the government flag.

Apart from Lithuania, Belarusians also adopted 'Pahonya' as their symbol while awakening Belarusian nationalism, and used white and red, the color combination of Pahonya, as their symbolic colors. The People's Republic of Belarus , which was briefly established after the Russian Revolution , the Central Rada of Belarus, which was a puppet state of Nazi Germany , and the Republic of Belarus after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and before Lukashenko took office also had a horizontal white, red, white, and tricolor flag as their national flag and Pahonya as their national emblem.

The national anthem is the national anthem ( Tautiška giesmė ). It is also known as the first line of the lyric, “Lithuania, my homeland ( Lietuvá, Tėvyne mūsų ).” It was written and composed by Lithuanian poet Vinchas Kudyrka in 1898 during the Russian Empire . It was designated as a country in 1919 after independence.

Even after the Soviet Union occupied Lithuania, it was used until 1950, and after 1950, it was designated as a banned song, and the Lithuanian SSR was designated as the official anthem of the Lithuanian SSR . In 1990, when independence was achieved, it began to be called a state again, and in 1999, a law on the state was enacted and it became an official state again. Currently, the Lithuanian SSR is considered a puppet state established by the Soviet Union, and the Lithuanian SSR is also banned. For most Lithuanians, the days of the Soviet Union, like the rest of the Baltic states, remain quite bleak.

Clockwise from north Latvia , Belarus , Poland , Russia It borders Kaliningrad and the Baltic Sea .

It is located in the southernmost part of the three Baltic countries. Unlike other Baltic countries, which are often classified as Northern Europe, they are often classified as central Europe . Among the three countries, the land is the largest and the population is the largest with 2.88 million, similar to Incheon . Estonia is 1.34 million and Latvia is 1.88 million.

Traditionally, Lithuania was divided into five regions: Mažoji Lietuva, which covers the area of present-day Kaliningrad Oblast and Klaipeda , Samogitia (Žemaitija) in the northwest, Aukštaitija in the northeast, Suvalkija (or Sūduva) in the southwest, and Dzūkija in the southeast. separated. Among them, there is the Subauki Corridor right in Subalkiya .

The climate is a cold wet climate (Dfb) over most of the country, with a cold summer dry climate (Dsb) occurring in a small portion of the coast.

The shape of the country resembles the African continent, including the island of Madagascar right down to the hangnail in the southeast. The difference is that Lithuania is compressed from top to bottom.

Lithuania is divided into 10 provinces (apskritis) and 60 municipalities (savivaldybė), which are further divided into sub-administrative divisions called seniūnija. The state unit existed only nominally when the state government was abolished in 2010, and since then, the local government system has been unified in the first stage.

Here is a list of Lithuania's states:

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Lithuania is a country with a dual administration system , with the president generally in charge of external affairs and the prime minister in charge of internal affairs. The president is elected by direct election for a five-year term, and the election method is a runoff election . The president during his term of office cannot have any party affiliation.

Elections for the Seimas, the legislative branch, are held through a parallel election system with 71 single-member constituency seats and 70 proportional representation seats. In the case of Lithuania, a runoff system is adopted for single-member constituency voting, so voting is held twice. In the proportional representation election held along with the first round, seats are distributed to parties that receive more than 5% of the votes (7% for the political coalition). Lithuania is a typical multi-party country. Except for the 1992 general election, no single party has ever won a majority in parliament, and several parties usually form a coalition to form a government.

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There was a nuclear power plant built in 1987 , but an accident occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant a year ago, and after seeing the RBMK, which was the same model, European countries told them to close it, and eventually closed it. Before closing, the Ignalina nuclear power plant produced 80% of Lithuania's electricity. For this reason, Lithuania imports a significant amount of electricity from Sweden .

The suicide problem is very serious, and according to statistics from the World Health Organization, as of 2012, the suicide rate was 28.2 per 100,000 people, ranking 4th in the world . At least, this figure is lower than the period in the 1980s and 1990s, when the suicide rate rose significantly due to economic difficulties that occurred during the period of system change after the end of the Soviet Union and the collapse of the Soviet Union . In particular, when Lithuania joined the OECD in 2018 , it overtook Korea and once ranked first in OECD suicide rate.[11] It is especially higher in rural areas, and although there are differing opinions as to the exact reason, it is presumed to be related to the widespread problem of alcoholism .

In fact, not only Lithuania, but also neighboring Latvia , Estonia , Russia , Ukraine , and Belarus are all unusually high suicide rates among European countries, similar to those of South Korea . Basically, there is the problem of transitional social chaos in the former Soviet Union countries, but Finland , a neighboring country that is free from these economic problems , also has a high suicide rate, which seems to be due to the high incidence of depression due to the cold and cloudy weather unique to Northern and Eastern Europe.

The Draches Kedis Incident has occurred.

It is one of only three countries in Europe that writes the date using the 'year-month-day' system, the other two being Hungary and Turkey . It is the only European country that speaks an Indo-European language.

'Year Month Date' method is used globally in Korea , Japan , China , and Taiwan.[12] , Turkiye[13] , Hungary is used, and other immigrants from these countries are used only.

However, in East Asia alone, there are more than 1.5 billion people who use year, month, and day worldwide, which is the second most popular date notation method in the world after 'Jan, Month, and Year', which is used in the most countries around the world and is used by about 3.3 billion. am. #

It is considered one of the best drunkards in Europe.[14] As a result, there are many problems such as alcoholism, drunk driving, and still high suicide rates, so it is considered a social problem. It's because the price of alcohol is relatively cheap and it's easy to access. As I drink so much, alcohol advertisements have been completely banned since 2017, and the government is struggling in various ways, such as raising the drinking age from 18 to 20 years old.

According to the 2021 census, 74.19% were Catholic, 3.74% Orthodox, 0.64% Paleorite , 0.56% Lutheran, 0.19% Evangelical Protestant, 0.13% Baltic indigenous faith, 0.10% Pentecostal , 0.07% Islam, and 0.07% Jehovah's Witnesses. 13.66% refused to respond, and 6.11% said they had no religion.

Currently, more than 70% of Lithuanians are Catholic , and although Catholicism is the predominant country among the countries that made up the former Soviet Union, Lithuania is also the last Christianized country among European Christian countries. Lithuania did not accept Christianity until the Middle Ages, when Poland and Germany in the southwest, Russia in the east, and Sweden in the north had long since become Christian, and so, along with the Islamic world, it was the target of a holy war during the Crusades.[15]

Lithuania only officially accepted Catholics in 1389 when anti -air yoga Ila married Polish Queen Yardbee and began the alliance. Although some nobles were baptized before that, it was not affected by Lithuania as a whole.

Until then, Lithuania has been recognized by Western Europeans as a mysterious people who live in a dense forest that has not been heard in the dense forest , and is always accompanied by the name 'pagan'. But immediately after Catholic Christianization, all the temples and altars in the forest were destroyed and the magnificent cathedrals were located.

Lithuania, one of the three Baltic countries, is considered one of the countries that have maintained the Catholic tradition the best in Europe, along with Poland, which was a ally with them in the past. This is proved by the fact that after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the first thing Lithuania cared about before economic development was the extensive restoration of cathedrals used as a figure museum, music school, and atheism museum.

Compared to Latvia and Estonia , other countries within the Baltic states, cathedrals that were repurposed as exhibition halls and museums during the Soviet era are left as they are without restoration even after independence.[16] Lithuanian religious piety is very special.



On the way from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, to Latvia, there is 'Hill of Crosses' in Siauliai, the 4th city of Lithuania.

The Hill of Crosses originated when people began to erect crosses during the partition by Prussia-Austria-Russia in the 18th century, and it was also considered a national sacred place during the Soviet rule.

This place, with large and small crosses studded on a small hill, has become one of the major symbols representing Lithuania, appearing at the beginning of the novel <Lithuanian Woman> published by Lee Mun-yeol a few years ago. During the former Soviet Union, when religion was banned, Cross Hill became a place where the Catholic faith, a symbol of Lithuanian national spirit, and Soviet autocracy fought against each other. Tight security was put in place day and night in this area to prevent people from erecting crosses, but they could not stop them all. In the end, the so-called 'Cross War' ensued, in which crosses were secretly erected at night and taken down during the day.

In 1993, immediately after Lithuanian independence, the Pope As John Paul II visited this place and stories related to the war of independence during the Soviet Union became known, Cross Hill became famous around the world as a sacred place where political difficulties were overcome through religious power and the power of oppression was fought. Currently, Lithuania's cross craft is recognized by UNESCO under the name 'Cross-crafting and its Symbolism'. It is also registered as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity .[17]

Protestantism was originally strong in Klaipeda (formerly Memel), but after World War II most Protestants immigrated to West Germany just before Soviet rule and assimilated with the Germans. Currently, only about 1% of Lithuania's population is Protestant.

In the case of Islam , it is mainly believed by the Lipka Tatars in Lithuania. As a side note, there is a fairly large building that looks like a mosque in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, but it is not a mosque, it is a Karaim Jewish synagogue. And other Muslim peoples who immigrated to Lithuania from Russia during the Russian Empire and Soviet times, such as the Volga Tatars and Chechens , also believe in Islam.



The proportion of people who believe in the Orthodox Church is small, but it exists, and in Lithuania , Russian-Lithuanians , Ukrainians , and Belarusians mainly believe in the Orthodox Church.

Some of the Ukrainian population also believe in the Eastern Catholic Church of the Orthodox liturgy.

Armenians in Lithuania believe in the Armenian Apostolic Church or the Armenian Catholic Church .

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In Lithuania, basketball is the best sport. During the 1982 World Championships in the 1982 Soviet Union , Lithuania's strongest center Avidas Sabonis led the team to defeat the United States in the finals. Avidas Sabonis was also a leading member of the 1988 Seoul Olympics, who overwhelmed David Robinson , defeating the United States and winning gold medals, and became the strongest center in Europe until he retired in 1996. Since then, he has entered the NBA by contracting with the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA , but he was completely lost in both knees in Europe, and he was 31 years old when he entered the NBA. Portland nominated Sabonis in the first round in the first round in 1986, but during the Cold War, Soviet athletes entered the United States, and eventually became a rookie in 1986 in 10 years. Nevertheless, he has been a Portland main center for six seasons with a natural basketball sense. In addition to Savonis, Lithuanian players were always among the former Soviet basketball national teams. In the 80s, most of the former Soviet basketball teams were from Lithuania. Among them, in 1989, Sharunas Maru Temple joined the Golden State Warriors and stepped on the NBA stage for the first time in Lithuania.

Amid this popularity and skill, he received bronze medals in men's basketball at the 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympics three times in a row, and placed fourth at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. In other words, he was a powerhouse who reached the semifinals of Olympic basketball five times in a row. However, since then, he stopped in the quarterfinals and was prevented from advancing to the Olympic finals, so he did not receive a basketball medal, but after 24 years, he received a bronze medal in men's 3X3 basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics , his fourth basketball Olympic bronze medal.

Because basketball is so popular and the skills are so good, Lithuanian schools always have basketball gyms, even if they are small. The top floor of the school building is used as a gym, and of course the popularity and investment in basketball is enormous. Whenever there is an international competition, the streets of Lithuania are said to be similar to the streets of Korea during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. According to the testimony of a traveler who traveled to Lithuania in 2011, when EuroBasket was being held, the streets of Korea were shown in the same way as during the 2002 World Cup, and when the country was eliminated in the semifinals, people were sitting down and crying on the streets. The national basketball league is strong, but the domestic basketball league is also quite active, and in the 2008-09 Euro Cup , Vilnius Rytubos Ritas won the 2008-09 Euro Cup, beating the Russian club Moscow Khimki 80-74, which was a melting pot of enthusiasm in Lithuania. However, in terms of soccer , it is the Europa League , which is inferior to the Euroleague , which is the Champions League.

Among the Lithuanian basketball leagues , the most famous team is 'BC Žalgiris' based in Kaunas . begins at Abidas Sabonis and ends at Sabonis. Sabonis, who joined in 1981, took Zalgiris to the top of several big and small competitions in Europe . Afterwards, they won the Saporta Cup in 1998 and the Euroleague in 1999, showing the dignity of running the team without Sabonis. However, in the 2000s, their power weakened somewhat, and they did not stand out much in European competitions. In 2013, Ukio Bank, which owned 75% of the Zalgiris team, went bankrupt, and their finances were hit hard .

For more information on the national team, see Lithuania National Basketball Team .

In contrast, Europe's most popular sports football is not popular with the weakest weight. In the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers , they ranked fourth after the weakest Liechtenstein . At the same time, it is the one -winning offerings of Liechtenstein, the weakest European body (away 2: 0 loss, home 0: 0 draw). On the contrary, he won the first win by winning 1: 0 in the Czech expedition, and the Czech Republic was pushed to third place in the aftermath of the defeat. That gave the Czech 1 loss[18] Lithuania succeeded in escaping by one point by one point of evacuation with Liechtenstein until the end.

The World Cup qualifiers, which were held in the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil/Regional Qualifiers (Europe), were eliminated, but they played fourth in the group, beating Latvia and Liechtenstein . 3 points for Slovakia, 3rd place.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia/Regional Qualifiers (Europe), they were drawn in Group F along with England, Scotland, Slovenia, Slovakia and Malta. As expected, it was confirmed to be eliminated in the 5th place in the group. It was barely ahead of Malta, which was at the bottom of the group.

For more information about this country's national football team, see Lithuania national football team .

It attracted the 2020 FIFA Futsal World Cup, but it was changed in 2021 due to the 19th Corona incident. He was drawn with a group A, and he was eliminated by three games against Venezuela, Kazakhstan and Costa Rica.

The popularity of ice hockey is lower than in neighboring countries Russia, Belarus, and Latvia. Perhaps it was pushed out by basketball, a similar sport.[19] However, they produced Dainhos Jubrus, who played nearly 1,300 games in the NHL .

Swimming also has strengths. The signboard is the 2012 London Olympic Women's Breaststroke 100m gold medalist Ruta Meilutete , and Danas Rapsys, who ranked No. 1 in the men's freestyle 200m in the 2018 season, is also a Lithuanian.

Baseball is also an underdog and unpopular even in Europe. However, they did produce one major leaguer, Dovidas Neverauskas, who played as a pitcher in Pittsburgh in the major league for four years starting in 2017 . Well, baseball is popular not only here but in Europe itself, and Neverauskas also says that no one recognizes him in his home country.

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Lithuanian is designated as the official language. Lithuanian is an Indo-European language . It belongs to the Baltic language family and is closely related to Latvian . In addition, Russian , Polish , Belarusian , English , and German are also used. Russian is known by 78% to 80% of the population due to the influence of the former Soviet Union , and many people born after the 1990s are fluent in English. In some areas with a large Polish-Lithuanian or Russian-Lithuanian population, Polish and Russian are designated as official regional languages. In the northwestern region of Lithuania, a Baltic minority language called Samogitian is spoken, which is sometimes treated as a dialect of Lithuanian.

As can be seen in Lithuanian , like men/female nouns, men's name must be unconditionally attached-AS/-IS/-US/-ys, and the female name should be -a/-ė. The surname is also divided into male and female forms, and the female molding is divided into unmarried/married type. The male castle ends with -a/-uS, and the unmarried female sex ends with -Aitė/-UTė/-ūtė, and the married female sex ends with -ienė.

To put it simply, if there is a Lithuanian man with the surname Kazlauskas, his wife's surname is Kazlauskienė and his daughter's surname is Kazlauskaitė. If this daughter grows up and is married to a man with the surname Paulauskas, she becomes Paulauskienė, the married female form of her husband's surname.

For example, typical surnames in Lithuania include:

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During the Great War in the past, it became a German territory under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, so place names in German remain, but they are not used often. However, the name Memeland is quite common.

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Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs comes from a noble family in this country. Therefore , Hannibal Rising was also written in this country. Also, Captain Marco Ramius, the protagonist of Red October, is also from Lithuania. In addition , Jurgis Rudkus, the main character of The Jungle written by American novelist Upton Sinclair, is a Lithuanian immigrant to the United States.

In the alternate history, Il Betisad, there exists a country called "Republic of the Two Crowns" that seems to assume that the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth will continue to the present day. The language spoken in this country is called Benedic, which is a combination of Polish and Lithuanian. Benedict (Korean Wikipedia) Benedict's description from the IB wiki

Tree of Savior , an RPG game developed by imc Games and published by Nexon, is set in Lithuanian traditional beliefs and villages. The actual place name or the gods believed there were dramatized.