In the early 20th century, the concept of "ethnographic Lithuania" became a central element of the Lithuanian national movement and its territorial claims. This concept was heavily influenced by the rising prominence of ethnography and anthropogeography as scientific disciplines, which were often utilized to justify political and territorial ambitions in Eastern Europe. The geographical scope of
ethnographic Lithuania was noted in 1905, the year of
Great Seimas of Vilnius, when
Russian prime minister Sergei Witte received the following memorial: "Lithuanians, knowing that territory inhabited by them since the historical times consists of the Lithuanian
gubernyas of the
Northwestern Krai:
Vilna Governorate,
Kovno Governorate and
Grodno Governorate, part of
Courland and
Suwałki Governorate (incorporated into the
Kingdom of Poland), consider them in the ethnographic perspective Lithuanian, and their inhabitants living there alongside the Lithuanians as either newcomers - such as Poles,
Jews and
Russians - or slavicized Lithuanians, such as Belarusians." In 1920, Lithuanian politician
Mykolas Biržiška wrote about
nationality: "One cannot define it according to the opinion of every individual. Belonging or not to a given nationality is not something everybody can decide for themselves, it is not something that can be solved according to political liberalism, even if hidden under the cloak of democratic slogans. It is too complex, too tied with ancient history, too related with the history of a given nation, for the will or passivity of any individual to challenge it. [...] Ethnographic Lithuania does not end where the locals no longer speak Lithuanian, it spreads further, to the regions which do not speak - but used to - Lithuanian, since it is composed of one Lithuanian nation, regardless of whether it speaks Lithuanian, has forgotten the language or even holds it in contempt." According to the interpretations of Polish historian, demands of this early program would only slightly be modified in the coming decades (some would also include part of the
Minsk Governorate around
Naugardukas and the
Lithuanian Minor territory around
Memel). In essence, Lithuanian elites demanded the creation of a Lithuanian country with , from the
Baltic Sea in the West,
Daugava River in the north, to
Bug River and
Polesie marshes in the south. That territory was inhabited in the early 20th century by 5,850,000 people; out of those, according to the official
Russian Empire statistics, linguistic Lithuanians formed 1,659,000 - i.e. less than 30%. Out of the regions mentioned in the 1905 declaration, only the Kovno Governorate and the northern part of Suwałki Governorate had a clear Lithuanian-speaking majority. The concept of ethnographic Lithuania
conflicted with the
newly established Polish state, which sought to create a national
Polish state on the territory of
the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Vilnius region, claimed by both nations, became a major point of contention. While Polish cartographers like
Eugeniusz Romer and
Kazimierz Nitsch emphasized the Polish character of the region based on language and religion, Lithuanian cartographers argued for its inclusion in "ethnographic Lithuania" based on historical and "racial" arguments, often portraying the local Slavic-speaking populations as "polonized" or "slavicized" Lithuanians. Currently, the
Republic of Lithuania has no territorial claims. == Cartographic representation ==