Participants of nationalist organizations hold the national flag during a rally in Vilnius on March 11, 2009. Lithuania marked its Independence Restoration day on Wednesday. Lithuania, which emerged as a state in the 13th century, was the largest country in Europe in the 14th century. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania covered present day Ukraine and Belarus, as well as parts of Russia and Poland. Lithuania's Independance Act, declared on February 16, 1918 came as a result of World War One, which saw Russia yield to Germany after the Bolshevik Revolution. AFP PHOTO PETRAS MALUKAS (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)