Part 493

Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Switzerland

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: claims 1,600 sq km of Czech territory confiscated from its royal family in 1918; the Czech Republic insists that restitution does not go back before February 1948, when the communists seized power ______________________________________________________________________

LITHUANIA

@Lithuania:Geography

Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 56 00 N, 24 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 65,200 sq km land: 65,200 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: total: 1,273 km border countries: Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km

Coastline: 99 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: transitional, between maritime and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers

Terrain: lowland, many scattered small lakes, fertile soil

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Juozapine Kalnas 292 m

Natural resources: peat

Land use: arable land: 35% permanent crops : 12% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 31% other: 15% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 430 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with petroleum products and chemicals at military bases

Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

@Lithuania:People

Population: 3,617,104 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (male 385,959; female 370,100) 15-64 years: 66% (male 1,157,987; female 1,240,850) 65 years and over : 13% (male 157,328; female 304,880) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.49% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 10.64 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)