
Independent between
the two World Wars, Lithuania was annexed by the USSR in 1940.
On 11 March 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Soviet republics
to declare its independence, but this proclamation was not generally
recognized until September of 1991 (following the abortive coup
in Moscow). The last Russian troops withdrew in 1993. Lithuania
subsequently has restructured its economy for eventual integration
into Western European institutions and was invited to join NATO
and the EU in 2002.. LOCATION:
Eastern Europe, bordering the
Baltic Sea, between Latvia and Russia CLIMATE: Transitional, between maritime
and continental; wet, moderate winters and summers BORDERS:
Belarus 502 km, Latvia 453 km,
Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km