Lithuania, the southernmost baltic republics, has a population of 3 million. After gaining independence in 1991, it has not looked back in its march to be a full-fledged member of the European Union. Throughout its traumatic history, Lithuania was annexed most of the time by its neighbours, Poland and Russia. Its incorporation into the USSR was remembered with particular bitterness, as evidenced by the displays in the awkwardly-named Genocidal Museum. Russian can still be widely heard in Vilnius. The city has managed to keep most of its old-style buildings, even though the old town is still very much alive with inhabitants and tourists alike.