Kaunas University of Technology is the largest technical university in the Baltic States and the second largest university in Lithuania. Vilnius University is one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe and the largest university in Lithuania. The population ages 6 to 19 has decreased by 36% between 2005 and 2015.
Wetlands (raised bogs, fens, transitional mires, etc.) cover 7.9% of the country, with 70% of wetlands having been lost due to drainage and peat extraction between 1960 and 1980. The country is also drained by numerous rivers, most notably the longest Nemunas. Lithuania does not have high mountains, and its landscape is dominated by blooming meadows, dense forests and fertile fields of cereals. The growing season lasts 202 days in the western part of the country and 169 days in the eastern part.
Traditional meat products are usually seasoned, matured and smoked – smoked sausages (dešros), lard (lašiniai), skilandis, smoked ham (kumpis). Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country's long and difficult history. The first local rock bands started to emerge around 1965 and included Kertukai, Aitvarai and Nuogi ant slenksčio in Kaunas, and Kęstutis Antanėlis, Vienuoliai, and Gėlių Vaikai in Vilnius, among others. According to Financial Times, roughly 20 Lithuanian top tier professionals are performing internationally per season.
From the middle of the 13th century, leičiai were a distinct warrior social group of the Lithuanian society subordinate to the Lithuanian ruler or the state itself. Lietava, a small stream near Kernavė—the core area of the early Lithuanian state and a possible first capital of the eventual Grand Duchy of Lithuania—is usually credited as the source of the name. Lithuania is a developed country with a high-income and an advanced economy ranking very high in Human Development Index. On 11 March 1990, a year before the formal dissolution of the Soviet Union, Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to break away when it proclaimed the restoration of its independence. The two realms were united into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569, forming one of the largest and most prosperous states in Europe. In the 1230s, Lithuanian lands were united for the first time by Mindaugas, who formed the Kingdom of Lithuania on 6 July 1253. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km2 (25,200 sq mi), and has a population of 2.9 million.
Starting with 2015, the mayor is elected directly by the majority of residents of the municipality. Members of the council, with the exception of the mayor, are elected using proportional representation. Women were allowed to vote by the 1918 Constitution of Lithuania and used their newly granted right for the first time in 1919. Elections for president take place on the last Sunday no more than two months before the end of current presidential term. The judges are appointed by the Seimas on the nomination by the president, chairman of the Seimas, and the chairman of the Supreme Court. He was re-elected in 2024, winning more than 74% of the run-off votes.
Its main strategic goals are to defend the country's interests, and to maintain and thehollywoodtrainerclub.com expand the capabilities of its armed forces so they may contribute to and participate in the missions of NATO and European Union member states. The Lithuanian National Defence Policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state, the integrity of its land, territorial waters and airspace, and its constitutional order. Fighter jets of NATO members are deployed in Šiauliai Air Base and provide security for the Baltic airspace.
President Gitanas Nausėda was elected on 26 May 2019 by winning in all the municipalities of Lithuania in the second election round. The president appoints the prime minister and the cabinet, as well as other top civil servants and the judges for all courts except the Constitutional Court. A separate referendum was held on 23 May 1992 to gauge public opinion on the matter, and 41% of voters supported the restoration of the President of Lithuania. There were intense debates concerning the constitution, particularly the role of the president.
By the early 21st century, about two-thirds of the population lived in urban areas. There has been a steady movement of population to the cities since the 1990s, encouraged by the planning of regional centres, such as Alytus, Marijampolė, Utena, Plungė, and Mažeikiai. According to the survey carried out within the framework of the Lithuanian census of 2021, 85.33% of the population speaks Lithuanian as their native language, 6.8% are native speakers of Russian and 5.1% of Polish. The state laws guarantee education in minority languages, and there are numerous publicly funded schools in the areas populated by minorities, with Polish as the language of instruction being the most widely available. In 1941, the Jewish population reached its peak at approximately 250,000 people, making up about 10% of the population.