Overview
The Lithuanian Wikipedia is the edition of Wikipedia written in the Lithuanian language. Launched in 2003, it is part of the family of Wikimedia projects hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. It provides free, collaboratively written articles in Lithuanian on a wide range of subjects, from local history and culture to global science and current events.
Characteristics
Articles use standard Lithuanian orthography and often include proper diacritics, native terminology and transliterations where appropriate. The site is maintained by a community of volunteers who create and edit content, manage policies and curate sources. Automated tools and bots assist with routine maintenance such as vandalism reversion, interlanguage links and formatting.
History and development
Since its start in 2003 the Lithuanian Wikipedia has grown steadily. It passed significant article-count milestones as contributors expanded coverage of Lithuanian subjects and general encyclopedia topics. By the mid-2010s it was ranked among the larger language editions; today it contains more than 128,000 articles and continues to evolve as new contributors join.
Uses and importance
The project serves multiple roles: a reference resource for Lithuanian speakers, an educational tool in schools and universities, and a digital repository supporting the visibility and use of the Lithuanian language online. Local cultural and historical topics that receive less attention in other languages often find broader coverage here.
Community and notable features
- Volunteer editors and administrators enforce community-created guidelines and quality standards.
- Specialized lists, templates and article categories help organize content and improve navigation.
- Collaboration with other Wikimedia projects and interlanguage links connect Lithuanian articles to related coverage in other editions via the Lithuanian-language portal and global Wikimedia resources.
The Lithuanian Wikipedia remains an active, community-driven encyclopedia that reflects both global knowledge and topics of particular relevance to Lithuanian speakers.