Editing Geography of Lithuania (section)

== Natural resources ==
[[File:ORLEN Lietuva.jpg|thumb|[[Orlen Lietuva|Oil refinery]] in [[Mažeikiai]]]]
[[File:Heilquelle.JPG|thumb|150px|Mineral water spring in [[resort town|resort city]] [[Birštonas]]]]
Lithuania has an abundance of [[limestone]], [[clay]], [[quartz sand]], [[gypsum]] sand, and [[Dolomite (mineral)|dolomite]], which are suitable for making high-quality [[cement]], [[glass]], and [[ceramics]].<ref name=":0" /> There also is an ample supply of [[mineral water]], but energy sources and industrial materials are all in short supply.<ref name=":0" /> Oil was discovered in Lithuania in the 1950s, but only a few wells operate, and all that do are located in the western part of the country.<ref name=":0" /> It is estimated that the Baltic Sea shelf and the western region of Lithuania hold commercially viable amounts of oil, but if exploited this oil would satisfy only about 20 percent of Lithuania's annual need for [[petroleum]] products for the next twenty years.<ref name=":0" /> Lithuania has a large amount of [[thermal energy]] along the Baltic Sea coast which could be used to heat hundreds of thousands of homes, as is done in [[Iceland]].<ref name=":0" /> In addition, [[iron ore]] deposits have been found in the southern region of Lithuania.<ref name=":0" /> But commercial exploitation of these deposits probably would require strip mining, which is environmentally unsound.<ref name=":0" /> Moreover, exploitation of these resources will depend on Lithuania's ability to attract capital and technology from abroad.<ref name=":0" />

Lithuania and [[Denmark]] are the only countries in [[Europe]], which are fully equipped with fresh groundwater. The Lithuanians consume about 0.5 million cubic metres of water per day, which is only 12–14 percent of all explored fresh groundwater resources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gėlo vandens ištekliais Lietuva išsiskiria iš kitų Europos šalių|url=http://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/137832/gelo-vandens-istekliais-lietuva-issiskiria-is-kitu-europos-saliu|website=LRT|date=25 May 2016|access-date=25 May 2016|language=lt|archive-date=30 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430202622/https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/lietuvoje/2/137832/gelo-vandens-istekliais-lietuva-issiskiria-is-kitu-europos-saliu|url-status=live}}</ref> Water quality in the country is very high and is determined by the fact that drinking water comes from deep layers that are protected from pollution on the surface of the earth. Drilling depth usually reaches 30–50 metres, but in [[Klaipėda Region]] it even reaches 250 metres. Consequently, Lithuania is one of very few European countries where groundwater is used for centralized water supply. With a large underground fresh water reserves, Lithuania exports mineral-rich water to other countries. Approved mineral water quantity is about 2.7 million cubic metres per year, while production is only 4–5 percent of all mineral water resources.<ref>{{cite web|title=Gėlas vanduo – milžiniškas turtas Lietuvos gelmėse|url=http://alkas.lt/2012/03/15/gelas-vanduo-milziniskas-turtas-lietuvos-gelmese/|website=alkas.lt|date=15 March 2012|access-date=15 March 2012|language=lt-LT|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627213604/https://alkas.lt/2012/03/15/gelas-vanduo-milziniskas-turtas-lietuvos-gelmese/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lithuania's capital [[Vilnius]] is the only [[Baltic states|Baltic]] capital city that uses centralized water supplying from deep water springs, which are protected from pollution and has no [[nitrates]] or [[nitrites]] that are harmful to the human body. Water is cleaned without chemicals in Lithuania. About 20% of the consumed water in the state is a non-filtered very high quality water.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Raudonis|first1=Jokūbas|title=Vilniaus turtas – švarus vanduo iš giluminių šaltinių|url=https://verslas.lrytas.lt/rinkos-pulsas/2013/05/08/news/vilniaus-turtas---svarus-vanduo-is-giluminiu-saltiniu-5024475/|website=lrytas.lt|date=8 May 2013|access-date=8 May 2013|language=lt-LT|archive-date=8 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308021218/https://verslas.lrytas.lt/rinkos-pulsas/2013/05/08/news/vilniaus-turtas---svarus-vanduo-is-giluminiu-saltiniu-5024475/}}</ref>

''Natural resources:''
peat, arable land, amber.

'''Land use:'''

* ''arable land:'' 33.48%
* ''permanent crops:'' 0.47%
* ''other:'' 66.05% (2011)

'''Irrigated land:'''
13.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (2011)

'''Total renewable water resources:'''
24.9&nbsp;km<sup>3</sup> (2011)