The Republic of Lithuania is a republic in Eastern Europe. One of the three Baltic States along the Baltic Sea, it borders Latvia, Belarus, Poland, and Russia. The official language is Lithuanian, and it declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. With a population of approximately 3,596,600 people, Lithuania joined the United Nations in 1991 and became the 141st member of the World Trade Organization in 2001. Since 1988, Lithuania wanted closer ties with the west, so in 1994, it became the first of the Baltic States to apply for NATO. In 2002, NATO invited Lithuania to start membership negotiations and in 2004, Lithuania was a full and equal NATO partner. Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, is a few kilometers south of the geographic center of Europe. Lithuanian citizenship is easier to establish than that of many other European countries; you only have to have one great-grandparent of Lithuanian ancestry. Thus, people who were citizens prior to 1940, their children, grandchildren and great-grand children are eligible. For examples, Jews from South Africa, the vast majority of whom have at least on Lithuanian great-grandparent, can claim citizenship, but it can be a long, hard effort. In addition, documentation is required and is often difficult to obtain.

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