Lithuania: sand dune

From Almis in Vilnius, Lithuania:

             The card shows some sand dunes with the setting sun creating light patterns on the sand.

I love the playful patterns of light on the sand! So pretty...

Lithuania is the largest of the three Baltic States. These are three territories that gained independence from the Russian empire after WWI, and the other two territories are Estonia and Latvia. It borders Latvia, Poland, Belarus and a Russian enclave. Vilnius is the capital of the country, as well as the largest city in Lithuania. The first time Vilnius was mentioned as the Lithuanian capital was in 1323.

The Lithuanian lands were united in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1253, which was the largest European country during the 14th century, including present-day Ukraine and Belarus, as well as parts of Poland and Russia. For a while, Lithuania and Poland formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, until 1918, when Lithuania became a sovereign state again.

During the 1940's, Lithuania was occupied by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, with the Soviet Union occupying them again after the war. Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare its independence in 1990. They are a member of NATO, the European Union and the Council of Europe. They are also listed as "Very High Human Development" on the Human Development Index of the United Nations.

Vilnius is known for its Old Town, with beautiful architecture, which was classified as UNESCO World Heritage in 1994. In 2009, Vilnius was the European Capital of Culture.                                                                         Pin It