EUROPE

Lithuania

The southernmost Baltic state, Lithuania was once the heart of a medieval empire stretching to the Black Sea. Vilnius hides a self-declared artists' 'republic' and a hill covered in thousands of crosses.

WHAT THE FLAG MEANS ◢

Three horizontal bands of yellow, green and red. Article 15 of the constitution states the colours of the State flag and nothing else about them, referring the flag and its use to ordinary law. The colours are conventionally read as yellow for the sun and ripening fields, green for the forests and countryside, and red for the blood shed for the nation.

Lithuania FACTS ◢

Capital	Vilnius
Continent	Europe
Population	2,888,774 (2025)
Area	65,300 km²
Population density	44/km²
Currency	Euro (EUR)
Official language	Lithuanian
Calling code	+370
Internet TLD	.lt
Time zone	UTC+02:00
Drives on the	Right
ISO codes	LT / LTU

DID YOU KNOW? ◢

In the 14th and 15th centuries it was one of the largest states in Europe.
The Hill of Crosses near Siauliai is covered with well over a hundred thousand crosses.
Its capital, Vilnius, contains a bohemian district that jokingly declared itself an independent 'republic'.
It was the first Soviet republic to declare its independence, in 1990.