Northern Europe · EuropeLithuania
Discover Lithuania - the last European nation to adopt Christianity, home to basketball fanatics, a Baroque capital, and Europe's geographic center.
Where Is Lithuania?
Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe. Its capital is Vilnius.
- Capital Vilnius
- Population 2.89M
- Area 65,300 km²
Lithuania was once one of the largest countries in Europe. In the 15th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania stretched from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea, covering modern-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia. The country was also the last in Europe to adopt Christianity, holding out until 1386. That history of stubborn independence has never really gone away - Lithuanians were the first Soviet republic to declare independence in 1990, and they formed a human chain of 2 million people across the Baltic states to make their point.
Today, Lithuania is the southernmost and largest of the three Baltic states. Vilnius has one of the largest surviving medieval old towns in Europe, entirely UNESCO-listed, and the Baroque architecture is stunning. But what really defines Lithuanian culture is basketball. It's not just a sport here, it's practically a religion - the national team has won three European championships, and the phrase "basketball is the second religion" is only slightly an exaggeration. Outside the cities, there are sand dunes on the Curonian Spit that look like they belong in the Sahara, thousands of lakes, and dense forests that still feel properly wild.
At a glance
Largest cities in Lithuania
Vilnius
Kaunas
Klaipeda
Siauliai
Panevezys
Famous people from Lithuania
Arvydas Sabonis
SportOne of the greatest basketball players in European history, later played in the NBA for Portland
Czeslaw Milosz
LiteratureBorn in Lithuania, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1980 for his poetry and essays
Jonas Mekas
FilmThe Godfather of American avant-garde cinema, Lithuanian-born filmmaker and poet
Violeta Urmana
MusicWorld-renowned operatic mezzo-soprano and soprano who performed at the world's greatest opera houses
Martynas Mažvydas
LiteratureAuthor of the first printed Lithuanian book in 1547, a foundational figure in Lithuanian culture
Traditional cuisine of Lithuania
- Cepelinai (Zeppelins)
- Massive potato dumplings stuffed with meat, shaped like zeppelins, served with sour cream and bacon - the national dish
- Saltibarsciai
- Cold pink beetroot soup with kefir, served in summer with hot potatoes on the side
- Kibinai
- Crescent-shaped pastries from the Karaite minority in Trakai, filled with mutton and onion
- Kugelis
- Baked potato pudding with bacon and onion, sliced and served with sour cream
- Skilandis
- Smoked meat sausage stuffed into a pig's bladder, a traditional Lithuanian cold cut
- Sakotis
- Tree cake baked on a rotating spit, dripping batter creating tree-like branches - a celebration cake
Nature and landmarks in Lithuania
- Curonian SpitCoast
- UNESCO-listed sand dune peninsula shared with Russia, with 60-meter dunes, pine forests, and charming fishing villages
- Trakai Island CastleLandmark
- Fairytale Gothic castle on an island in Lake Galve, the medieval seat of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
- Hill of CrossesLandmark
- Pilgrimage site near Siauliai with over 200,000 crosses, repeatedly bulldozed by Soviets but always rebuilt
- Aukstaitija National ParkNational Park
- Lithuania's oldest national park with over 100 lakes, ancient pine forests, and traditional wooden villages
- Dzukija National ParkNational Park
- Vast pine and mushroom forests in southern Lithuania with traditional villages and the Ula River for kayaking
- Center of EuropeLandmark
- The geographic center of Europe is near Vilnius, according to the French National Geographic Institute's 1989 calculation
Sports in Lithuania
- Basketball
- Three-time European champions, basketball is a national obsession and Lithuania's de facto second religion
- Rowing
- Multiple Olympic medals in rowing and canoeing, one of Lithuania's strongest Olympic sports
- Discus Throw
- Virgilijus Alekna won two Olympic gold medals in discus, a Lithuanian athletics legend
- Modern Pentathlon
- Laura Asadauskaite won Olympic gold in 2012 in modern pentathlon
Did you know?
Basketball is so important in Lithuania that the national team's logo was designed by the Grateful Dead, who sponsored them in 1992
Lithuania was the last country in Europe to adopt Christianity, finally converting in 1386
The Hill of Crosses near Siauliai has over 200,000 crosses - the Soviets bulldozed it three times, but Lithuanians kept rebuilding
The geographic center of Europe is located just north of Vilnius, according to French cartographers
Lithuanian is one of the oldest surviving Indo-European languages, remarkably close to ancient Sanskrit
Lithuania was once one of the largest countries in Europe, stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea
The country's suicide rate was once the highest in the world, though it has significantly decreased in recent years
Can you find Lithuania on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Lithuania and its neighbours without a second thought.
