Lithuania

Lithuania is a country in northern Europe on the Baltic Sea. It is the largest of the three Baltic states. Lithuania is crazy about basketball and has a castle built on an island in a lake.

Land and People

About 2.8 million people live in Lithuania. The capital is Vilnius, a city with a charming old town. Lithuania is flat with many rivers, lakes, and forests. The Curonian Spit is a long sandy peninsula on the coast with giant sand dunes.

Very old writing with the first mention of Lithuania.
Very old writing with the first mention of Lithuania. (Unknown. Most likely a canoness at the Quedlinburg Abbey. 16th century copy of Annals of Quedlinburg. / Wikimedia Commons)

Culture and Fun Facts

Basketball is almost a religion in Lithuania and the national team is one of the best in Europe. Amber, a golden fossilized tree resin, washes up on Lithuanian beaches. Cepelinai are big potato dumplings shaped like airships. Vilnius has a quirky neighborhood that declared itself an independent republic as a joke.

Fun Facts

  • Basketball is the most popular sport in Lithuania and is sometimes called the second religion.
  • Lithuania's Curonian Spit has some of the tallest sand dunes in Europe.
  • Amber found on Lithuanian beaches can be millions of years old.

Did You Know?

Pieces of amber that wash up on Lithuanian beaches can be millions of years old. Sometimes you can find tiny insects trapped inside. Ancient people called amber Baltic gold and traded it across Europe. Lithuania is sometimes called the Land of Amber.