Lithuania

Lithuania

Lithuania is located in Eastern Europe, east of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania shares borders with Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia. It is the largest of the three Baltic states and is the southernmost.

Quick Facts

Population: 2.793 million
Ethnic Groups: Lithuanian (84.1%), Polish (6.6%), Russian (5.8%), Belarusian (1.2%), Other (1.1%), Unspecified (1.2%)
Languages: Lithuanian (Official) (82%), Russian (8%), Polish (5.6%), Other (0.9%), Unspecified (3.5%)
Religions: Roman Catholic (77.2%), Russian Orthodox (4.1%), Old Believer (0.8%), Evangelical Lutheran (0.6%), Evangelical Reformist (0.2%), Other (0.8%), None (6.1%), Unspecified (10.1%)
Capital: Vilnius
CIA: The World Factbook — Last Updated December 27, 2019

Lithuanians in Canada

Lithuanian Population in Canada

52,285

Useful Links

Catholicism was very popular in Lithuania beginning in the mid-1200s. However, in the late 1600s, many Russians came to Lithuania to escape persecution. The “Russianization” of Lithuania saw Catholic churches handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church; Russian Orthodoxy was the state religion from 1799 to 1915. Lithuania originally became independent in 1918, but was occupied by the Soviets for half a century beginning in 1940. During this time, religion was repressed. Many churches and monasteries closed down, and Christians were persecuted. The religious persecution ended in the late 1980s. In 1990, Lithuania regained independence, and with it, religious and other freedoms.

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