The Republic of Lithuania, southernmost of the Baltic states, has an area of a little over 65,000 square kilometres, and a population of 3.6 million. Lithuanians are spread over a wide area due to emigration for political and economic reasons in the 19th and early 20th centuries. More than 3 million Lithuanians live abroad, including an estimated 800,000 in the USA, mainly in Chicago.

After independence Lithuania's economic performance was far from great, but slowly the nation clawed its way back to become the Baltic top dog. Praised by the International Monetary Fund as 'dynamic, liberal and open' the economy is now one of the world's fastest growing. In February 2002 the Lithuanian Litas was pegged to the euro at 3.4528 to 1 paving the way for Lithuania's entry into the European Union and ultimately the growing eurozone. The Bank of Lithuania will oversee the currency changes.