February 16th: Lithuania Independence Day

Lithuania's Act of Independence was signed on 16 February 1918, declaring the establishment of a sovereign State of Lithuania. 10 things you may not know about Lithuania:

Lithuania's flag

1. The first written mention of Lithuania is found in a medieval German manuscript, the Annals of Quedlinburg, in an entry dated 9 March 1009.
2. The Kingdom of Lithuania, was created on 6 July 1253 when King Mindaugas was crowned and united the Lithuanian lands.
3. During the 14th century, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was the largest country in Europe, including present-day Belarus, Ukraine, and parts of Poland and Russia. Now, Lithuania covers an area of about 65,200 square kilometres, which is about the size of the US state of West Virginia; larger than Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, the Netherlands, or Switzerland.
4. Lithuania has its own legendary Robin Hood character. His name was Tadas Blinda and he lived from 1846 to 1877.Like Robin Hood, he was an outlaw with a band of followers who lived in a forest.
5. Hannibal Lecter is Lituanian.
6. The population of Lithuania in 2013 was about 3 million.
7. Its capital and largest city is Vilnius.
8. According to some geographers, the geographical midpoint of Europe is just north of Vilnius.
9. The Longest river is the Nemunas.
10. The highest point is Aukštojas Hill at 294m.