No region, except for
Samogitia, has ever been a political or an administrative entity. Throughout most of Lithuanian history the cultural regions of
Aukštaitija,
Suvalkija and
Dzūkija were together known as the historical land of
Lithuania Proper which was the core of the Lithuanian state during the
Grand Duchy era. However, some work was done recently to delineate their boundaries more clearly, as there is a project to change the system of
counties in Lithuania into ethnographic regions, which would be called lands (
žemės). This project is also supported by the view that with the limited functions of counties, 10 of them are not needed for Lithuania. Another supporting argument is that in other countries historical territories are being revived, while in Lithuania artificially made counties exist. The project was supported by the former president
Rolandas Paksas, yet now it is not clear when or if the project will be completed at all. However,
Dzūkija quite recently adopted the coat of arms and emblem which would be used if the reform were to be implemented.
Alytus County, which lies almost entirely within Dzūkija, adopted soon afterwards a coat of arms that is based on the Dzūkija coat of arms.
Samogitia has a flag and a coat of arms dating from the time of the
Duchy of Samogitia; these symbols are considerably older than the
flag of Lithuania.
Lithuania Minor has a flag used since the 17th century, and an anthem originating from the 19th century. However, if the reform were to be implemented, most likely there would be just four lands, not five, because most of Lithuania minor is located within the modern borders of Russia (in the
Kaliningrad Oblast) and many Lithuanians were expelled from there. The relatively small remaining part is also populated mostly by relative newcomers, as much of the local population died in the
Second World War or was expelled. Therefore, Lithuania minor would probably be attached to
Samogitia. Even though the regions are not political/administrative entities, most regions have their "capitals" (cities which are commonly considered to be capitals). These cities are not necessarily the largest in the region. ==List of regions ==