Municipalities of Lithuania

Lithuania is divided into three layers of administrative divisions. The first-level division consists of 10 counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys). These are sub-divided into 60 municipalities (Lithuanian: plural – savivaldybės, singular – savivaldybė), which in turn are further sub-divided into over 500 smaller groups, known as elderships (Lithuanian: plural – seniūnijos, singular – seniūnija).

Location of Lithuania in the European Union

At the end of its tenure as a Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuania's administrative divisions consisted of 44 regions, 12 cities, 80 towns, 19 settlements, and 426 rural districts.[1] The reform of this system was an immediate concern for the new government.[2] The Constitution of Lithuania, ratified in 1992, delegated the power of establishing future administrative units to the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas). Accordingly, the Seimas passed two fundamental laws: a 1993 law on government representation and a 1994 law specifying the territorial-administrative units and their boundaries.[2] The current system of a set of municipalities under 10 counties was codified by 1995.[2] Several changes were made in 2000, resulting in 60 municipalities.[3] Ordinary municipal councilors are elected every four years from electoral lists using proportional representation. The mayor, who is a member of the council, is elected directly by the residents in a majority vote.[4] Before 2015, the mayors were elected by the municipal councils.

The largest municipality by population in Lithuania is Vilnius City Municipality with 542,626 residents, home to one fifth (18.6%) of the country's population. The smallest municipality by population is Neringa Municipality with 2,879 residents. The largest municipality by land area is Varėna District Municipality, which spans 2,216 km² (856 sq mi), while the smallest is Alytus City Municipality at 40 km² (15 sq mi).

Powers and functions

The processes of integration into international organizations - like the EU and NATO - are considered to be important external factors influencing the development of municipal powers in the country. Lithuania, which has become a member of these organizations, has been assigned completely new responsibilities, some of which, naturally, also belonged to municipalities. In the case of EU integration, municipalities have been assigned the necessary information supply to the European Commission, and in the case of integration into NATO, municipalities have had new functions related to security issues.[5]

1 – Vilnius City Municipality 2 – Kaunas City Municipality 3 – Klaipėda City Municipality	4 – Panevėžys City Municipality 5 – Šiauliai City Municipality 6 – Alytus City Municipality	7 – Birštonas Municipality 8 – Palanga City Municipality 9 – Visaginas Municipality 10 – Neringa Municipality

Municipalities

Municipality	County	Administrative center[6]	Area[7]	Pop. (2015)[7]	Density (2015)[7]
Akmenė District Municipality	Šiauliai	Naujoji Akmenė	844 km^2 (208,556.94 acres; 325.87 sq mi)	21,332	25.3
Alytus City Municipality	Alytus	Alytus	40 km^2 (9,884.22 acres; 15.44 sq mi)	55,614	1,390.4
Alytus District Municipality	Alytus	Alytus[nb 1]	1,403 km^2 (346,688.85 acres; 541.70 sq mi)	27,126	19.3
Anykščiai District Municipality	Utena	Anykščiai	1,764 km^2 (435,893.89 acres; 681.08 sq mi)	26,393	15.0
Birštonas Municipality	Kaunas	Birštonas	122 km^2 (30,146.86 acres; 47.10 sq mi)	4,371	35.8
Biržai District Municipality	Panevėžys	Biržai	1,476 km^2 (364,727.54 acres; 569.89 sq mi)	25,937	17.6
Druskininkai Municipality	Alytus	Druskininkai	453 km^2 (111,938.74 acres; 174.90 sq mi)	20,728	45.8
Elektrėnai Municipality	Vilnius	Elektrėnai	509 km^2 (125,776.64 acres; 196.53 sq mi)	24,164	47.5
Ignalina District Municipality	Utena	Ignalina	1,441 km^2 (356,078.85 acres; 556.37 sq mi)	16,806	11.7
Jonava District Municipality	Kaunas	Jonava	943 km^2 (233,020.37 acres; 364.09 sq mi)	43,875	46.5
Joniškis District Municipality	Šiauliai	Joniškis	1,151 km^2 (284,418.29 acres; 444.40 sq mi)	23,807	20.7
Jurbarkas District Municipality	Tauragė	Jurbarkas	1,506 km^2 (372,140.70 acres; 581.47 sq mi)	28,162	18.7
Kaišiadorys District Municipality	Kaunas	Kaišiadorys	1,087 km^2 (268,603.55 acres; 419.69 sq mi)	31,915	29.4
Kalvarija Municipality	Marijampolė	Kalvarija	440 km^2 (108,726.37 acres; 169.88 sq mi)	11,486	26.1
Kaunas City Municipality	Kaunas	Kaunas	157 km^2 (38,795.54 acres; 60.62 sq mi)	301,357	1919.5
Kaunas District Municipality	Kaunas	Kaunas[nb 1]	1,495 km^2 (369,422.55 acres; 577.22 sq mi)	88,396	59.1
Kazlų Rūda Municipality	Marijampolė	Kazlų Rūda	555 km^2 (137,143.49 acres; 214.29 sq mi)	12,494	22.5
Kėdainiai District Municipality	Kaunas	Kėdainiai	1,677 km^2 (414,395.72 acres; 647.49 sq mi)	49,939	29.8
Kelmė District Municipality	Šiauliai	Kelmė	1,705 km^2 (421,314.68 acres; 658.30 sq mi)	29,559	17.3
Klaipėda City Municipality	Klaipėda	Klaipėda	99 km^2 (24,463.43 acres; 38.22 sq mi)	156,141	1,577.2
Klaipėda District Municipality	Klaipėda	Gargždai	1,340 km^2 (331,121.21 acres; 517.38 sq mi)	52,831	39.4
Kretinga District Municipality	Klaipėda	Kretinga	989 km^2 (244,387.22 acres; 381.86 sq mi)	39,758	40.2
Kupiškis District Municipality	Panevėžys	Kupiškis	1,080 km^2 (266,873.81 acres; 416.99 sq mi)	18,678	17.3
Lazdijai District Municipality	Alytus	Lazdijai	1,306 km^2 (322,719.63 acres; 504.25 sq mi)	20,813	15.9
Marijampolė Municipality	Marijampolė	Marijampolė	755 km^2 (186,564.56 acres; 291.51 sq mi)	58,027	76.9
Mažeikiai District Municipality	Telšiai	Mažeikiai	1,219 km^2 (301,221.46 acres; 470.66 sq mi)	55,441	45.5
Molėtai District Municipality	Utena	Molėtai	1,367 km^2 (337,793.06 acres; 527.80 sq mi)	19,233	14.1
Neringa Municipality	Klaipėda	Nida	90 km^2 (22,239.48 acres; 34.75 sq mi)	2,879	32.0
Pagėgiai Municipality	Tauragė	Pagėgiai	536 km^2 (132,448.48 acres; 206.95 sq mi)	8,711	16.3
Pakruojis District Municipality	Šiauliai	Pakruojis	1,315 km^2 (324,943.58 acres; 507.72 sq mi)	21,555	16.4
Palanga City Municipality	Klaipėda	Palanga	79 km^2 (19,521.33 acres; 30.50 sq mi)	15,379	194.7
Panevėžys City Municipality	Panevėžys	Panevėžys	50 km^2 (12,355.27 acres; 19.31 sq mi)	95,202	1,904.0
Panevėžys District Municipality	Panevėžys	Panevėžys[nb 1]	2,177 km^2 (537,948.42 acres; 840.54 sq mi)	37,173	17.1
Pasvalys District Municipality	Panevėžys	Pasvalys	1,289 km^2 (318,518.84 acres; 497.69 sq mi)	26,213	20.3
Plungė District Municipality	Telšiai	Plungė	1,105 km^2 (273,051.45 acres; 426.64 sq mi)	36,052	32.6
Prienai District Municipality	Kaunas	Prienai	1,032 km^2 (255,012.75 acres; 398.46 sq mi)	28,181	27.3
Radviliškis District Municipality	Šiauliai	Radviliškis	1,634 km^2 (403,770.19 acres; 630.89 sq mi)	39,043	23.9
Raseiniai District Municipality	Kaunas	Raseiniai	1,573 km^2 (388,696.77 acres; 607.34 sq mi)	35,013	22.3
Rietavas Municipality	Telšiai	Rietavas	586 km^2 (144,803.75 acres; 226.26 sq mi)	8,096	13.8
Rokiškis District Municipality	Panevėžys	Rokiškis	1,806 km^2 (446,272.32 acres; 697.30 sq mi)	32,191	17.8
Skuodas District Municipality	Klaipėda	Skuodas	911 km^2 (225,113.00 acres; 351.74 sq mi)	18,498	20.3
Šakiai District Municipality	Marijampolė	Šakiai	1,454 km^2 (359,291.22 acres; 561.39 sq mi)	30,321	20.9
Šalčininkai District Municipality	Vilnius	Šalčininkai	1,493 km^2 (368,928.33 acres; 576.45 sq mi)	32,705	21.9
Šiauliai City Municipality	Šiauliai	Šiauliai	81 km^2 (20,015.54 acres; 31.27 sq mi)	104,569	1,291.0
Šiauliai District Municipality	Šiauliai	Šiauliai[nb 1]	1,807 km^2 (446,519.42 acres; 697.69 sq mi)	41,767	23.1
Šilalė District Municipality	Tauragė	Šilalė	1,188 km^2 (293,561.19 acres; 458.69 sq mi)	24,869	20.9
Šilutė District Municipality	Klaipėda	Šilutė	1,714 km^2 (423,538.62 acres; 661.78 sq mi)	41,814	24.4
Širvintos District Municipality	Vilnius	Širvintos	906 km^2 (223,877.48 acres; 349.81 sq mi)	16,333	18.0
Švenčionys District Municipality	Vilnius	Švenčionys	1,691 km^2 (417,855.20 acres; 652.90 sq mi)	25,719	15.2
Tauragė District Municipality	Tauragė	Tauragė	1,179 km^2 (291,337.24 acres; 455.21 sq mi)	41,341	35.1
Telšiai District Municipality	Telšiai	Telšiai	1,439 km^2 (355,584.64 acres; 555.60 sq mi)	43,922	30.5
Trakai District Municipality	Vilnius	Trakai	1,207 km^2 (298,256.20 acres; 466.03 sq mi)	33,437	27.7
Ukmergė District Municipality	Vilnius	Ukmergė	1,395 km^2 (344,712.01 acres; 538.61 sq mi)	36,919	26.5
Utena District Municipality	Utena	Utena	1,230 km^2 (303,939.62 acres; 474.91 sq mi)	40,454	32.9
Varėna District Municipality	Alytus	Varėna	2,216 km^2 (547,585.53 acres; 855.60 sq mi)	23,528	10.6
Vilkaviškis District Municipality	Marijampolė	Vilkaviškis	1,262 km^2 (311,846.99 acres; 487.26 sq mi)	39,465	31.3
Vilnius City Municipality	Vilnius	Vilnius	400 km^2 (98,842.15 acres; 154.44 sq mi)	542,626	1,356.6
Vilnius District Municipality	Vilnius	Vilnius[nb 1]	2,129 km^2 (526,087.36 acres; 822.01 sq mi)	95,620	44.9
Visaginas Municipality	Utena	Visaginas	58 km^2 (14,332.11 acres; 22.39 sq mi)	20,249	349.1
Zarasai District Municipality	Utena	Zarasai	1,331 km^2 (328,897.26 acres; 513.90 sq mi)	17,035	12.8

See also

• ISO 3166-2:LT

• Administrative divisions of Lithuania
• Counties (Lithuanian: singular – apskritis, plural – apskritys)
• Elderships (or wards) (Lithuanian: plural – seniūnijos, singular – seniūnija).
• Seniūnaitija (sub-eldership)
• Cities (Lithuanian: plural – miestai, singular – miestas)
• Towns (Lithuanian: plural – miesteliai, singular – miestelis)

Notes and references

Notes

1. The administrative centers in these municipalities are located outside of the municipality proper.

General

• "Law on the Territorial Administrative Units and Their Boundaries". Lietuvos Respublikos Seimas. 30 March 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2011.

Specific

1. Conference on Local and Regional Authority Co-operation in the Baltic Sea Area: proceedings, Kaunas, Lithuania, 21-23, April 1999. Council of Europe. January 2000. p. 9. ISBN 978-92-871-4538-3. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
2. Jolanta Vaičiūnienė (2008-11-14). "The Administrative–Territorial Reform in Lithuania: History and Today" (PDF). Council of Europe. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
3. Local Economic and Employment Development (Program); Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (April 2007). Baltic partnerships: integration, growth and local governance in the Baltic Sea Region. OECD Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-92-64-02928-6. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
4. "Law on elections to municipal councils". The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
5. Burbulytė-Tsiskarishvili, G., Dvorak,J., Žernytė, A. (2018). Savivaldybių funkcijų ir galių kaita 1994 - 2016 metais. Viešoji politika ir administravimas, t.17, No.3 Access through Internet: https://www.mruni.eu/upload/iblock/db3/5_Burbulyt%C4%97-Tsiskarishvili_Dvorak_%C5%BDernyt%C4%97.pdf
6. Municipality administrative centers and coats of arms are given by Statistics Lithuania in subpages under the Portrait of the Regions of Lithuania; e.g. Alytus town municipality Archived 2011-05-26 at the Wayback Machine.
7. "Area (land) at the beginning of the year, Population density at the beginning of the year, Resident population at the beginning of the year". Statistics Lithuania. Retrieved 4 February 2016.