LITHUANIA

Vilnius (population 600,000) has a beautiful baroque old Town, and is vibrant and full of energy.

After a long time in crappy hostels (bad location, dirty rooms, no towels, bathrooms down the hall, etc.) we finally got lucky and scored a pimped out apartment right in the center of town.

Full country name: Republic of Lithuania Area: 65,200 sq km Population: 3.59 million Capital City: Vilnius People: Lithuanian 80.6%, Russian 8.7%, Polish 7%, Byelorussian 1.6% Language: Lithuanian, Russian Religion: Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Protestant, evangelical Christian Baptist, Islam, Judaism Government: parliamentary democracy Head of State: President Valdas Adamkus Head of Government: Prime Minister Algirdas Brazauskas GDP: US$30.8 billion GDP per capita: US$8,400 Annual Growth: 4.5% Inflation: 5.1% Major Industries: petroleum refining, shipbuilding (small ships), furniture making, textiles, food processing, fertilizers, agricultural machinery, electronic components, agriculture Major Trading Partners: Russia, Germany, Belarus, Latvia, Ukraine, Poland, Denmark, Italy, Finland Member of EU: Yes