Lithuania¶
- Area
- Europe
- Coins
- 18
Lithuania is located north of Poland, on the Baltic sea in northeastern Europe, and was officially born on July 6, 1253 with the crowning of Mindaugas as King of Lithuania. The country became a major power during the middle ages, and by the 15th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania extended across eastern Europe, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. In 1569, Lithuania and Poland -- both ruled by the Jagiellon dynasty -- formally joined together to form the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which would last until 1791. In 1795, Lithuania was incorporated into the Russian empire, and in 1918 a much smaller Lithuania declared independence.
The country was plagued by territorial disputes with both Poland and Germany from the beginning, and in 1940 during World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed Lithuania. Later, Germany would occupy the country, during which time it is estimated that 90% of Lithuanian Jews were killed, the worst death rate of the holocaust. The Soviet Union retook the country in 1945, and held it until 1990 when Lithuania became the first Soviet Republic of the era to declare independence. The Soviets attempted to suppress the independence movement, but finally left in 1993. Lithuania joined the United Nations in 1991, and the European Union in 2004.
