Editing Lithuania Minor (section)

==Terminology==
[[File:Lithuanian language in the 16th century.png|thumb|upright=1.2|Territory where the [[Lithuanian language]] was dominant in the 16th century]]
The term "Lithuania Minor" refers to the northernmost part of the former province of East Prussia (about {{convert|31500|km2|abbr=on|disp=or}}). It was first mentioned as {{lang|de|Kleinlittaw}} in [[Simon Grunau]]'s Prussian Chronicle of the early 16th century (between 1517 and 1526) and was later repeated by another Prussian chronicler, [[Lucas David]]. The term Lithuania Minor was first applied during the 19th century and used more widely during the 20th century, mostly among historians and ethnographers.

The northeastern limit of the area of Prussia inhabited by Lithuanians was the state border between Lithuania and Prussia, and the northern border was along the [[Neman|Nemunas River]], but the southwestern limit was not clear. Thus, the territory of Lithuania Minor has been understood differently by different parties; it could be:

* either the area limited in the south by [[Max Toeppen]] – [[Adalbert Bezzenberger]]'s line (about {{convert|11400|km2|abbr=on|disp=or}}) what is roughly the area of the former administrative Lithuania Province (about {{convert|10000|km2|abbr=on|disp=or|sigfig=1}}), where the population was almost entirely Lithuanian until 1709–1711,
* or the area of the former region with actual Lithuanian majority or of considerable percentage (about 17–18,000&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> or 6,500–7,000 sq mi).<!-- manually rounded, as |round=500 isn't accepted by [[Template:Convert]] -->

The administrative terms "Lithuanian province" ({{lang|de|Provinz Litthauen}}), "Lithuanian districts" ({{lang|de|Littauische Ämter}}), "Lithuanian county" ({{lang|de|Littauischer Kreis}}) or simply "Prussian Lithuania" ({{lang|de|Preußisch Litauen}}), "Lithuania" ({{lang|de|Litauen}}) were used to refer to the Lithuanian inhabited administrative units ([[Nadruvia]] and [[Scalovia]]) in the legal documentation of Prussian state since 1618. The Lithuanian Province was named {{lang|de|Klein Litau}}, {{lang|de|Klein Litauen}}, {{lang|de|Preussisch Litthauen}}, ''Little Lithuania'', ''Litvania'' in the maps of Prussia since 1738. The official use of the concepts Prussian Lithuania etc. decreased considerably from the administrative reform of 1815–1818.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite book |author=A. Matulevičius |title=Mažoji Lietuva XVIII amžiuje (Lietuvių tautinė padėtis) |trans-title=Lithuania Minor in the 18th century (the national situation of Lithuanians)] |location=Vilnius |year=1989 }}</ref>{{Page needed|date=November 2018}}