Straipsnyje tiriamas gyvenviečių skaičiaus erdvinis kitimas. Diskutuojama dėl kaimo ir kaimiškumo sampratos, glaustai aptariama Lietuvos kaimų raidos istorija. Analizuojamas kaimų skaičius, jų teritorinio pasiskirstymo, tankumo ypatumai, pateikiama kaimų dydžių klasifikacija. Nustatomas kaimų artimiausios kaimynystės indeksas, nuotolis nuo pagrindinių aptarnavimo centrų, jo įtaka infrastruktūros vystymui apskrityse ir rajonuose, bandoma aptarti dabartinę kaimų vietą gyvenviečių sistemoje, jų vystymąsi ateityje.

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ABSTRACT. The mutual dependence of human resources and the development of the state has been one of the most important geopolitical questions discussed from the times of Ancient Greece. The article analyses the growth of the population and human resources of Lithuania, their change and influence on the state's development, the possible consequences of the decline of the population on international policies and the state's geopolitical situation. Reflecting the changes in the number of inhabitants and their structure five possible scenarios of the state's development in the future are constructed: 1) a small, but economically strong national state; 2) more pensioners than grandchildren; 3) a multinational and multicultural state; 4) the end of the national state (?); 5) a strong economic and cultural state. KEY WORDS:Lithuania, human resources, scenarios of a state's development, population, population structure. INTRODUCTIONThe inhabitants and labour resources make up the basis of the existence of any state or nation, its possibilities and identity. The question of national awareness and identity is especially important for countries with small populations. Such small states in the European Union include: Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark. Malta, Iceland and others. Even before membership in the European Union one of the most outstanding political figures of Lithuania Vytautas Landsbergis raised the question of the survival of small nations in this union since the large nations and states (Germany, France, Spain, The United Kingdom, Poland and others) can overwhelm them. we can see that almost 54% of the total EU population lived in these four states. Less than half of the population lived in the remaining 23 states. The population of the smallest states -Malta and Luxembourg -does not exceed half a million. The population of Lithuania (3.4 million) comprises only 0.7% of the population of the 27 EU states. Thus, as we can see, the population of various EU states is very different, and this in turn influences the economic, social and political peculiarities of the development of the whole EU. Thus, human capital has its weight and its own levers from both internal and international aspects.There is no doubt that the EU treaty guarantees de jure the equal rights of all the states and nations as well as the free opportunities for the multifaceted development of each state. However, when these possibilities are being analyzed de facto all this can be discussed. Facts such as the level of economic development and its change, the geographical distribution of the centres of political potential and political influence, the different political diplomatic direction of some individual states, which do not always correspond with the interests of all EU member-states provide the basis for this. Moreover, the number of EU Council members is also based on the population of the states. Therefore, this fact also confirms that the economy and political policies can be influenced and often directly or indirectly determined by m...