I think that in order to understand the history and culture of a nation it is important to first look at its geography and climate to see how they may have influenced its development.  Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe which borders Latvia, Russia, Belarus and Poland.  Although it has a coastline of almost 100km, only part of that (38km) faces the Baltic Sea.  Instead, the remainder is sheltered by the Curonian Sand Peninsula where the major port, Klaipeda, sits at the mouth of the shallow Curonian Lagoon which extends south to Kaliningrad.    The major waterway of Lithuania is the Neman River which, together with some of its tributaries, is used for internal shipping.

Like a lot of Europe, the landscape of Lithuania was largely created by the slow progress and subsequent melting of glaciers during the last ice-age.  This created uplands in the east and highlands to the west of the country.   The highest point in Lithuania is Aukstojas Hill measuring 965 feet (294 metres.)  Peppered by many lakes, such as Lake Vistytis , wetlands and peat bogs, a forested zone covers nearly a third of the country and is rich in mushrooms and berries. 

The climate of Lithuania comprises wet, moderate winters and warm summers although some winters can be particularly cold with temperatures dipping as low as -40 degrees C in the east of the country and summer temperatures sometimes being as high as 35 degrees C, particularly inland away from the cooler coast.
The average annual rainfall in Lithuania is around 800 millimetres on the coast and slightly more in the highlands.  Snow is an annual event and can last from October to April on higher ground. 
Lithuania’s rich soil make it very suitable for many types of farming, particularly, beef, pork and dairy farming and growing a wide variety of crops including wheat and potatoes.   It is also famous for the mining of fossilised tree resin known as amber. 

The population of Lithuania, according to the 2001 census is just under 3.5 million with about a third of the people living in either of the two biggest cities which are Vilnius (the capital) and Kaunas.