Lithuania

Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It borders Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and the Russian semi-exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast to the southwest, with a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Lithuania covers an area of 65,300 km2 (25,200 sq mi), with a population of 2.86 million. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius; other major cities are Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Panevėžys. Lithuanians belong to the ethnolinguistic group of the Balts and speak Lithuanian, one of only a few living members of the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family, which is also the most widely spoken language of the branch.

Some of the key events about Lithuania

1236
The Baltic Crusades led to the conquest and forced Christianization of Lithuania
1253
The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was established, marking the beginning of a powerful medieval state
1387
Lithuania officially adopted Christianity, becoming the last pagan nation in Europe to do so
1569
The Union of Lublin created the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest and most populous countries in 16th-century Europe
1569
The Union of Lublin resulted in Lithuania losing its political sovereignty to Poland
1579
Vilnius University was founded, becoming one of the oldest universities in Northern Europe
1791
The Constitution of May 3 was adopted, considered Europe's first written national constitution
1795
The Third Partition of Poland-Lithuania ended the existence of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
1915
German forces occupied Lithuania during World War I
1918
Lithuania declared its independence, establishing the modern Lithuanian state
1940
The Soviet Union occupied and annexed Lithuania
1941
Nazi Germany invaded Lithuania, leading to the Holocaust and mass killings of Jews
1944
The Soviet Union reoccupied Lithuania, beginning a period of Soviet rule
1948
Mass deportations of Lithuanians to Siberia by Soviet authorities intensified
1986
The Chernobyl disaster affected Lithuania with radioactive fallout
1990
Lithuania became the first Soviet republic to declare independence from the USSR
2004
Lithuania joined the European Union and NATO, integrating with Western political and economic structures
2008
The global financial crisis severely impacted Lithuania's economy
2015
Lithuania adopted the euro as its official currency, further integrating with the European economy
2022
Lithuania became the first country in the EU to completely stop importing Russian gas, demonstrating energy independence

Disclaimer: This material is written based on information taken from open sources, including Wikipedia, news media, podcasts, and other public sources.