Marijampolė is an industrial town and the capital of the Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The population of Marijampolė is 48,700 (2003). It is the Lithuanian center of the Sudovia region. The city is named after the Blessed Virgin Mary (Marijam-); the suffix -polė means "city" and is cognate with the common ending -polis, which is of Greek origin.
While under Soviet occupation during the period from 1956 to 1989, the town was officially named Kapsukas, after Vincas Kapsukas, founder of the Lithuanian Communist Party. The former name was restored shortly before Lithuania regained its independence.
Marijampolė, is the seventh largest city in Lithuania, and has been its regional center since 1994. The city covers an area equal to 205.07 square kilometres. The Šešupė river divides the city into two parts which are connected by six bridges.
Marijampolė is easily accessible to the rest of Lithuania. There is a railway, Kaunas-Šestokai-Alytus, passing through Marijampolė. Vilnius (the capital of Lithuania) is 139 km distant, while Klaipėda (the seaport city) is 231 km, and the border of Poland is just 38 km away. Marijampolė is fortunate to be located at the crossroads of two very important highways. The Via Baltica (when completed) will connect Helsinki with Central and Southern Europe. The other highway links the city of Königsberg (Kaliningrad) with Minsk. (...)
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