Lithuania is the largest and most populated of the three Baltic States, the other two being Latvia and Estonia. It is situated on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea and, roughly, comprises the basin of the Nemunas (Niemen, Memel) River and its tributaries. Recorded history of an independent Lithuanian State dates back to the Eleventh Century A.D. Following a period of expansion and gradual decline, Lithuania was deprived of its independence in 1795 through partitions between Muscovite Russia and Prussia. (Introductory remarks, fragment)