:Lithuania People
Population:
3,788,542 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
15 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
11 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
18 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Lithuanian(s); adjective - Lithuanian
Ethnic divisions:
Lithuanian 80.1%, Russian 8.6%, Poles 7.7%, Byelorussian 1.5%, other 2.1%
Religions:
Catholic NA%, Lutheran NA%, unknown NA%, none NA%, other NA%
Languages:
Lithuanian (official), Polish NA%, Russian NA%
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write
Labor force:
1,836,000; industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 18%,
other 40% (1990)
Organized labor:
Lithuanian Trade Union Association; Labor Federation of Lithuania; Union of
Workers
:Lithuania Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Lithuania
Type:
republic
Capital:
Vilnius
Administrative divisions:
none - all rayons are under direct republic jurisdiction
Independence:
1918; annexed by the Soviet Union 3 August 1940; restored independence 11
March 1990; and regained indpendence from the USSR 6 September 1991
Constitution:
NA; Constitutional Commission has drafted a new constitution that will be
sent to Parliament for ratification
Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 February; Defenders of Freedom Day, 13 January
Executive branch:
prime minister, Council of Ministers, Government,
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council, Parliament
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; district and city courts; Procurator
General of Lithuania
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Chairman, Supreme Council Vytautas LANDSBERGIS (since March 1990), Deputy
Chairmen Bronius KUZMICKAS (since March 1990), Ceslovas STANKEVICIUS (since
March 1990)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Gediminas VAGNORIUS (since January 1991); Deputy Prime
Ministers Algis DOBROVOLSKAS (since January 1991), Vytantas PAKALNISKIS
(since January 1991), Zigmas VAISVILA (since January 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party, FNU KATILIUS, chairman; Democratic Labor Party
of Lithuania, Algirdas Mykolas BRAZAUSKAS, chairman; Lithuanian Democratic
Party, Sauluis PECELIUNAS, chairman; Lithuanian Green Party, Irena
IGNATAVICIENE, chairwoman; Lithuanian Humanism Party, Vytautas KAZLAUSKAS,
chairman; Lithuanian Independence Party, Virgilijus CEPAITIS, chairman;
Lithuanian Liberty League, Antanas TERLECKAS; Lithuanian Liberals Union,
Vytautus RADZVILAS, chairman; Lithuanian Nationalist Union, Rimantas
SMETONA, chairman; Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, Aloizas SAKALAS,
chairman
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held March 1990 (elected by Parliament); results - LANDSBERGIS,
BRAZAUSKAS
Supreme Council:
last held 24 February 1990; results - Sajudis (nationalist movement won a
large majority) (90) 63%; seats - (141 total)
Other political or pressure groups:
Sajudis; Lithuanian Future Forum; Farmers Union
Member of:
CSCE, IAEA, ILO, NACC, UN, UNCTAD
:Lithuania Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Stasys LOZORAITIS, Jr.; Embassy at 2622 16th St. NW, Washington,
DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-5860, 2639
US:
Ambassador Darryl JOHNSON; Embassy at Mykolaicio putino 4, Vilnius; (mailing
address is APO AE 09862); telephone [7] (01-22) 628-049
Flag:
yellow, green, and red horizontal stripes
:Lithuania Economy
Overview:
Lithuania is striving to become a small, independent, largely privatized
economy rather than a segment of a huge, centrally planned economy. Although
substantially above average in living standards and technology in the old
USSR, Lithuania historically lagged behind Latvia and Estonia in economic
development. It is ahead of its Baltic neighbors, however, in implementing
market reform. The country has no important natural resources aside from its
arable land and strategic location. Industry depends entirely on imported
materials that have come from the republics of the former USSR. Lithuania
benefits from its ice-free port at Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea and its rail
and highway hub at Vilnius, which provides land communication between
Eastern Europe and Russia, Latvia, Estonia, and Belarus. Industry produces a
small assortment of high-quality products, ranging from complex machine
tools to sophisticated consumer electronics. Thanks to nuclear power,
Lithuania is presently self-sufficient in electricity, exporting its surplus
to Latvia and Belarus; the nuclear facilities inherited from the USSR,
however, have come under world scrutiny as seriously deficient in safety
standards. Agriculture is efficient compared with most of the former Soviet
Union. Lithuania holds first place in per capita consumption of meat, second
place for eggs and potatoes, and fourth place for milk and dairy products.
Grain must be imported to support the meat and dairy industries. As to
economic reforms, Lithuania is pressing ahead with plans to privatize at
least 60% of state-owned property (industry, agriculture, and housing)
having already sold many small enterprises using a voucher system. Other
government priorities include stimulating foreign investment by protecting
the property rights of foreign firms and redirecting foreign trade away from
Eastern markets to the more competitive Western markets. For the moment,
Lithuania will remain highly dependent on Russia for energy, raw materials,
grains, and markets for its products.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $NA; per capita NA; real growth rate -13%
(1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
200% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues 4.8 billion rubles; expenditures 4.7 billion rubles (1989 economic
survey); note - budget revenues and expenditures are not given for other
former Soviet republics; implied deficit from these figures does not have a
clear interpretation
Exports:
700 million rubles (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
electronics 18%, petroleum products 16%, food 10%, chemicals 6% (1989)
partners:
Russia 60%, Ukraine 15%, other former Soviet republics 20%, West 5%
Imports:
2.2 billion rubles (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
oil 24%, machinery 14%, chemicals 8%, grain NA%
partners:
NA
External debt:
$650 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -1.3% (1991)
Electricity:
5,875,000 kW capacity; 25,500 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1991)
:Lithuania Economy
Industries:
employs 25% of the labor force; its shares in the total production of the
former USSR are metal-cutting machine tools 6.6%; electric motors 4.6%;
television sets 6.2%; refrigerators and freezers 5.4%; other production
includes petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making,
textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, optical
equipment, electronic components, computers, and amber
Agriculture:
employs 29% of labor force; sugar, grain, potatoes, sugarbeets, vegetables,
meat, milk, dairy products, eggs, and fish; most developed are the livestock
and dairy branches - these depend on imported grain; Lithuania is a net
exporter of meat, milk, and eggs
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to
Western Europe
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1992), $10 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million;
Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million
Currency:
as of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency but planning early introduction
of ``litas''
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year