Europe: All about Lithuania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Latvia

The border between Lithuania and Latvia is around 365 miles (590 km).

Lithuania does border Poland, but Poland lies south. Lithuania's border with Poland is comparatively shorter than the other borders, at only around 55 miles (90 km), but this border is usually busy due to regular international traffic. It also shares a border with Belarus, with Belarus lying east and south; Lithuania also shares a border with Russia, which lies to the southwest. At around 420 miles (680 km), Lithuania's longest border is with Belarus.

Answer: Aukstojas Hill

Named after a pagan deity Aukstojo Kalnas, Aukstojas Hill is around 965 feet (290 m) high, and only around 19cm taller than the country's second-highest peak, Kruopinė Hill. Aukstojas Hill is in the Medininkai highlands, with Medininkai being around 15 miles (25 km) away from Lithuania's capital. Vilnius.

Answer: Neris

The Neris also flows through neighbouring Belarus for around 170 miles (275 km), and then through Vilnius and into the Neman River, through the city of Kaunas. The Neris is 320 miles (510 km) long and about 145 miles (235 km) of it flows through Lithuania.

Vilnius is located just under 200 miles (310 km) from the Baltic Sea, and is the headquarters of Lithuania's government.

Answer: Palanga

Founded in 1963, the Palanga Amber Museum is located within a large palace in the centre of Birute Park, and is one of the busiest museums of Lithuania. The guides talk about amber formation, the historical trade routes of amber in the country and the extraction and processing methods. One of the most popular exhibits of the museum is the Sun Stone, which weighs 8 pounds (just under 3,700 grams) and is one of the largest known pieces of amber in Europe. The grounds also include a scenic botanical park.

Palanga is a seaside town and was once the centre of the Russian amber trade in the Baltics. The legendary and partially factual character of Birutė, second wife of Kęstutis, Grand Duke of Lithuania was from Palanga. She was said to be tending the fires of the shrine in the hills of Palanga, when the duke accosted her claiming she would now be his wife. She reportedly returned to the hills to tend to the shrines again, after the husband she had been forced to marry was assassinated.

After the split of the Russian Empire, Palanga was listed as part of Latvia before being classed as a Lithuanian town in 1921.

Answer: Neman

Originating in Belarus, the Neman River (also known as Nemunas, Nioman and Memel) is just over 580 miles (940 km) long and drains about 70% of Lithuania's total area. The river also flows through neighbouring Belarus, and forms part of Lithuania's border with Russia before flowing into the Baltic Sea.

The Lithuanian cities of Kaunas and Sovetsk are located along the River Neman. The river is also historically notable; Napoleon I and Czar Alexander I met on a raft in the middle of this river, which resulted in the Treaty of Tilsit of 1807.

Answer: Bog

Located around 70 miles (110 km) from Vilnius, Čepkeliai Marsh encompasses an area of 27,710 acres (11,212 hectares), with the bog itself covering an area of 14,480 acres (5,858 hectares), and includes many small islands and lakes within its area.

The wetlands have been created between three small rivers: Ūla, Grūda and Katra. During the summer, it is said that Čepkeliai is the warmest place to be in Lithuania. The area is populated with wolves, lynxes, hares, eagles, cranes and snakes. Cranberries and heather grow in abundance.

Answer: Tauragnas

At just over 200 feet (62 m) in depth, Lake Tauragnas is located within Aukstaitija National Park, which is close to the town of Tauragnai in Utena County. It also has the highest altitude of any lake of Lithuania.

Answer: Sesupė

Marijampolė is situated along both banks along the River Sesupė, and has been an industrial city since after World War II (a war in which thousands of Jews from the city were buried near the Sesupė in mass graves, after being murdered).

The Sesupė is approximately 185 miles (300 km) long, and flows through both Russia and Belarus as well as Lithuania. The river starts near the village of Szeszupka in Poland.

Answer: Galvė

Lake Galvė is located within the territory of Trakai, a city of Lithuania rich in history and a current lake resort. Trakai is often coined "lake country" and is full of beautiful lakes, with Trakai District possessing over 200 lakes in its territory.

Standing since the 14th century, Trakai Island Castle was established by Kęstutis, the Duke of Trakai during medieval Lithuania. It was his son, Vytautas, however who had most of the castle completed, and he died in the castle in 1430. The castle underwent major reconstruction and repairs in the 1950s-60s and is now a major tourist attraction.

Answer: Port of Klaipėda

Located on the Akmena-Danë River which gives access to the Batlic Sea, the Port of Klaipėda is an international ferry port that can be used to travel as far as Kiel (Germany), Karlshamn (Sweden) and Copenhagen (Denmark). The port not only connects Lithuania to various places in Europe via sea, but also via train and road. The Baltija Shipbuilding Yard, which supplies marine fleets internationally, operates from the Port of Klaipėda. The longest recorded ship to have entered this port was approximately 400 meters (1,310 feet).

Klaipėda, where the port is located, is the third largest city of Lithuania. Due to its location by the Baltic Sea, the city is windy with gales being frequent throughout the colder parts of the year.

Answer: Druskininkai

Druskininkai is a spa town in the south of the country, located on the River Neman, near Lithuania's borders with both Belarus and Poland. Druskininkai is home to Lithuania's first water park, which was opened to the public in 2006. It is also home to one of the largest indoor ski slopes in the world, the Snow Arena, which was opened to the public in 2011.

Grūtas Park was established in 2001, 11 years after Lithuania's independence in 1990, by Lithuanian businessman, Viliumas Malinauskas. The purpose of the park and museum is historical, with many statues of Communist leaders being dumped or abandoned around the country after independence. There was going to be a recreation of a Gulag train running through the park, however the creators of the park thought better of this. It is unofficially nicknamed "Stalin Park" or "Stalin World" as many statues of the dictator are displayed on the premises.

Answer: Kaunas

Standing since around 1662, the Pazaislis Monastery has a Baroque style and a church heavily decorated with marble. it is located near the Kaunas Reservoir, which is Lithuania's largest artificial lake. Since 1996 the complex has been home to the Pazaislis Music Festival, lasting three months annually, with a variety of concerts taking place.

Kaunas is the second largest city of Lithuania, and is home to the largest indoor arena in all of the Baltics, Zalgiris Arena.

Answer: Siauliai

Located in the north-east of the country, Siauliai is the fourth largest city of Lithuania. Renowned film director, Sarūnas Bartas, was born in Siauliai.

The origin of the tradition of leaving crosses on the Hill of Crosses is lost to history. A major Catholic pilgrim site, in 2006 it was estimated that 100,000 crosses are stationed on the hill. Between 1944-1990, the hill was especially important to the people of Lithuania, who left crosses and crucifixes there as a way to preserve their culture and identity, and protest the Soviet regime that occupied the country (a regime that worked hard to remove the crosses, and even bulldozed the site several times, to no permanent avail). Pope John Paul II visited the site in 1993.

Answer: Alytus

Like all counties of Lithuania, the county names are eponymous with their capitals, with Alytus City being the capital of the county. The city is on the Neman River. Snaigė, the only manufacturer of refrigerators of Baltic origin, has its plant in Alytus City.

Druskininkai, where Grūtas Park ("Stalin World") is located is in Alytus County.

Answer: Russia

Near the two country's tripoint with Poland, Lake Vistytis lies between Lithuania, and Kaliningrad Oblast, which is the westernmost oblast of Russia. On Lithuania's side on the north of the lake lies Vistytis, a small Lithuanian town named after it. The lake's maximum depth is just under 180 feet (55m) and smuggling is a problem, with cigarettes being the usual contraband of choice to be smuggled here.