Forests in Lithuania cover approximately three thirds of Lithuania's territory. [1] Of these, around half are publicly owned, and three third are privately owned; the remainder is reserved for possible future privatization. The dominant species are Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) (42%) and spruce (Picea abies) (22.8%). The average age of the forest stands is 53 years. The largest forest is Dainava Forest at 1,290 km2. [2]
Lithuania encompasses about 65,200 square km. Based on an estimated average of 100 trees per hectare, there are over 200 million trees in Lithuania.
Telecommunications in Lithuania include internet, radio, television, and telephony.
Vilnius, previously known in English as Vilna, is the capital of and largest city in Lithuania and the second-most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated July 2024 population was 605,270, and the Vilnius urban area has an estimated population of 708,627.
Klaipėda is a city in Lithuania on the Baltic Sea coast. It is the third largest city in Lithuania, the fifth largest city in the Baltic States and the capital of Klaipėda County, as well as the only major seaport in the country.
Darius Songaila is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He serves as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has represented the Lithuania national team. He played at the power forward and center positions.
Varėna District Municipality is a municipality in Alytus County in southern Lithuania.
Šalčininkai District Municipality is one of 60 district municipalities in Lithuania. The municipality is part of the Vilnius County and is located in southeastern Lithuania, next to the Belarus–Lithuania border. The south-eastern border of the municipality with Belarus includes a distinctive salient of Lithuanian territory, known as the Dieveniškės appendix, almost completely surrounded by Belarus.
Zalavas is a small village in Švenčionys district municipality, Lithuania. It is located on the Mera River near the Lithuanian state border with Belarus. According to the Lithuanian census of 2011, it had 140 residents. It is the birthplace of Marshal Józef Piłsudski, who later became Chief of State of Poland.
Zervynos is an ethnographic village in the Varėna district, Lithuania. It is situated within the territory of the Dzūkija National Park near the Ūla River. The Saint Petersburg–Warsaw Railway runs through this village. Zervynos has 48 homesteads; 8 homesteads and 32 separate buildings are officially declared ethnographic monuments. The village was among the sites short-listed for nomination for the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Though the village is isolated by the Dainava Forest, it is a busy place during summer as tourists kayaking in the Ūla River pass through the settlement.
Suvalkija or Sudovia is the smallest of the five cultural regions of Lithuania. Its unofficial capital is Marijampolė. People from Suvalkija are called suvalkiečiai (plural) or suvalkietis (singular) in Lithuanian. It is located south of the Neman River, in the former territory of Vilkaviškis bishopric. Historically, it is the newest ethnographic region as its most distinct characteristics and separate regional identity formed during the 19th century when the territory was part of Congress Poland. It was never a separate political entity and even today it has no official status in the administrative division of Lithuania. However, it continues to be the subject of studies focusing on Lithuanian folk culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The economy of Lithuania is the largest economy among the three Baltic states. Lithuania is a member of the European Union and belongs to the group of very high human development countries and is a member of the WTO and OECD.
Lithuanian partisans were partisans who waged guerrilla warfare in Lithuania against the Soviet Union in 1944–1953. Similar anti-Soviet resistance groups, also known as Forest Brothers and cursed soldiers, fought against Soviet rule in Estonia, Latvia and Poland. An estimated total of 30,000 Lithuanian partisans and their supporters were killed. The Lithuanian partisan war lasted almost for a decade, thus becoming one of the longest partisan wars in Europe.
Medeina or Medeinė, often treated as synonymous to Žvorūnė or Žvorūna, is one of the main deities in the Lithuanian mythology, and is similar to Latvian Meža māte. She is a ruler of forests, trees and animals. Her sacred animal is a hare.
Musteika is a village in Varėna district municipality, in Alytus County, in southeastern Lithuania. According to the 2021 census, the village has a population of 36 people.
Berželė is a village in Kėdainiai district municipality, in Kaunas County, central Lithuania. According to the 2011 census, the village has a population of 47 people.
The Krakės-Dotnuva Forest is a forest in Kėdainiai District Municipality, central Lithuania, located 1.5 km from Krakės and 4 km from Dotnuva. It covers 32.8 km2 area. The rivers Jaugila, Smilgaitis, Tranys, Girotakis drain the forest.
The Josvainiai Forest is a forest in Kėdainiai District Municipality, central Lithuania, located 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) to the west from Kėdainiai and 4 km to the north from Josvainiai. It covers an area of 3,110 hectares. It consists of smaller forests: Josvainiai Forest (proper), Medininkai Forest, and Giraitė. The rivers Smilga, Smilgaitis and Tranys drain the forest.
The Pernarava-Šaravai Forest is a forest in Kėdainiai District Municipality, central Lithuania, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west off Josvainiai. Covering an area of 3,570 hectares, it consists of smaller forests: the Šaravai Forest, the Sviliai Forest, the Pernarava Forest, the Juodgiris. Most of the forest is drained by the Šušvė tributaries while the western part is drained by the Aluona and its tributary the Sakuona.
The Lančiūnava-Šventybrastis Forest is a forest in Kėdainiai District Municipality, central Lithuania, located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north east to Kėdainiai, around Lančiūnava and Šventybrastis villages. It covers an area of 5,890 hectares. It consists of smaller forests: the Lančiūnava Forest, the Lepšynė Forest, the Pavermenys Forest, the Šventybrastis Forest, the Apytalaukis Forest, the Stebuliai Forest. The forest belongs to the Nevėžis basin. The main rivers, draining the forest, are the Malčius, the Alkupis, the Suleva, the Šumera. The rivers' courses are mostly channelized. The relief is flat, marshy in places.
Rūdninkai Forest is the fifth-largest forest in Lithuania. This old-growth forest in southeastern Lithuania is 23 kilometres (14 mi) south of Vilnius. The forest is within the Vilnius, Šalčininkai and Varėna district municipalities.
