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General Information Area: 65,301 sq km (25,213 sq miles). Population: 3,692,000 (official estimate 2001). Population Density: 56.5 per sq km. Capital: Vilnius. Population: 577,969 (2000). GEOGRAPHY: Lithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical centre of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania near the village of Bernotai, 25km (16 miles) north of Vilnius. The landscape alternates between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a dense, intricate network of rivers, including the Nemunas and the Neris. One and a half per cent of the country’s territory is made up of lakes, of which there are over 2800. The majority of these lie in the east of the country and include Lake Druksiai and Lake Tauragnas. Government: Republic. Gained independence from Russia/Germany 1918-1940, and then from the Soviet Union in 1990. Head of State: President Rolandas Paksas since 2003. Head of Government: Prime Minister Algirdas Mykolas Brazauskas since 2001. Language: Lithuanian is the official language. Lithuanian has a large number of dialects for such a small territory, including High Lithuanian (Aukstaiciai) and Low Lithuanian (Zemaiciai). Religion: Predominantly Roman Catholic with Evangelical Lutheran, Evangelical Reformist, Russian Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim and Jewish minorities. Time: GMT + 2. Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. European two-pin plugs are in use. Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 370. City codes: 2 for Vilnius, 7 for Kaunas, 6 for Klaipeda. Outgoing international code: 810. There are two kinds of payphone: rectangular telephones which take magnetic strip cards and rounded telephones which take chip cards. Phonecards are sold at kiosks and post offices. Plans are underway to introduce one type of phonecard, compatible with both phones. Mobile telephone GSM 1800 and 900 networks in use. Network operators include Bite (website: www.bite.lt), Omnitel (website: www.omnitel.lt) and Tele2 (website: www.tele2.lt). Coverage extends all over the country. Roaming agreements in operation. Fax Services in Vilnius are available in large hotels, at the Central Post Office, Gedimino 7, and at Faxsav (tel/fax: (2) 629 868) and at a few other fax bureaux. Internet Public access is available at the Lithuanian National Library and increasingly at Internet centres and cafes in main cities and towns. ISPs include Omnitel (website: www.omnitel.net) and Aiva (website: www.aiva.lt). Telegram There are telegram facilities in main post offices in each town. Post Post to Western Europe takes up to six days. There is a variety of private companies offering express mail services. Press Newspapers are published in Lithuanian and some in Russian or Polish. The major dailies are Lietuvos Rytas, Respublika, Lietuvos Aidas, Kauno Diena and the twice weekly Valstieciu Laikrastis. The newspapers Lithuanian Weekly and Lithuanian Worker are published in English. The Baltic Times is published weekly in English. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.57 12.10 9.410 6.195 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.