Lithuania : Profile

Facts

• Lithuania is the largest and most populous of the three Baltic Republics, lying on the Baltic Sea south of Latvia.

• Lithuania became a member of the European Union on 1 May 2004.

• Its coast is only some 60 miles long, half of which is on the Courland Spit (Neringa in Lithuanian, Kurshskaya kosa in Russian), a long, narrow sandbar, sheltering the Courland lagoons which can be reached from Klaipeda.

• Shallow drafted boats can use the inland waterway that links Klaipeda with Kaliningrad, in the Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania. Cruising opportunities are few, although shallow drafted boats may explore the northern part of Kurskiy Zaliv, the large inland body of water fronting the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.

Weather

Summers are generally cool and winters mild.

Main Ports

Klaipeda * , Nida

*Indicates a port of entry.

Related Reports

World Cruising Handbook Corrections and Updates 4: Northern Europe (08 Jan 2007)

The Baltic Sea (10 Feb 2006)

World Cruising Handbook, Corrections August to November 2004 (18 Dec 2004)

Ten New Members Join European Union (14 May 2004)