administrative centre of a rayon (sector), Lithuania. Marijampolė lies along both banks of the Šešupė River. The settlement developed as a monastic centre in the 18th century, when it was known as Starapolė, and achieved urban status in 1758. After World War II it developed as an industrial city, specializing in equipment for the food industry, automotive parts, furniture, building materials, textiles, and foodstuffs. There is a teacher-training school, a museum, and a theatre. Pop. (1999 est.) 52,020.