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	Poland
	Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Poland

Introduction

Top of Page

Background:

Poland gained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite country following the war, but one that was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, boosting hopes for acceptance to the EU. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999.

Poland

Geography

Top of Page

Location:

Central Europe, east of Germany

Geographic coordinates:

52 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references:

Europe

Area:

total: 312,685 sq km

land: 304,465 sq km

water: 8,220 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries:

total: 2,888 km

border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 428 km

Coastline:

491 km

Maritime claims:

exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate:

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Terrain:

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Natural resources:

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, arable land

Land use:

arable land: 47%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 13%

forests and woodland: 29%

other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

1,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards:

Environment - current issues:

situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by postcommunist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note:

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

Poland

People

Top of Page

Population:

38,633,912 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 18.39% (male 3,640,451; female 3,463,604)

15-64 years: 69.17% (male 13,288,471; female 13,434,753)

65 years and over: 12.44% (male 1,836,816; female 2,969,817) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate:

-0.03% (2001 est.)

Birth rate:

10.2 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate:

9.98 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate:

-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

9.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:

total population: 73.42 years

male: 69.26 years

female: 77.82 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate:

1.37 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.07% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality:

noun: Pole(s)

adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups:

Polish 97.6%, German 1.3%, Ukrainian 0.6%, Byelorussian 0.5% (1990 est.)

Religions:

Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and other 5%

Languages:

Polish

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 99%

female: 98% (1978 est.)

Poland

Government

Top of Page

Country name:

conventional long form: Republic of Poland

conventional short form: Poland

local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska

local short form: Polska

Government type:

republic

Capital:

Warsaw

Administrative divisions:

16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie

Independence:

11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Constitution:

16 October 1997; adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 23 May 1997

Legal system:

mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts although under the new constitution, the Constitutional Tribunal ruling will become final as of October 1999; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995)

head of government: Prime Minister Jerzy BUZEK - Solidarity Electoral Union - (since 31 October 1997), Deputy Prime Ministers Janusz STEINHOFF (since 12 June 2000), Longin KOMOLOWSKI (since 19 October 1999)

cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm

election results: Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president; percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzj OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe consists of the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms)

elections: Sejm elections last held 21 September 1997 (next to be held by NA September 2001); Senate - last held 21 September 1997 (next to be held by NA September 2001)

election results: Sejm - percent of vote by party - AWS 33.8%, SLD 27.1%, UW 13.4%, PSL 7.3%, ROP 5.6%, MNSO 0.4%, other 12.4%; seats by party - AWS 201, SLD 164, UW 60, PSL 27, ROP 6, MNSO 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - AWS 51, SLD 28, UW 8, ROP 5, PSL 3, independents 5; note - seats by party in the Sejm as of February 2001: AWS 175, SLD 161, UW 49, PSL 26, PP 6, KdP 7, ROP-PC 4, independents 31, one seat vacant

note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Coalition for Poland or KdP [first name unknown GRABOWSKI]; Confederation for an Independent Poland-Patriotic Camp or KPN-OP (KPN-Fatherland or KPN-O is a small group within the KPN-OP) [Michal JANISZEWSKI]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD (Social Democracy of Poland) [Leszek MILLER]; Freedom Union or UW [Bronislaw GEREMEK]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP-PC [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI]; Polish Socialist Party or PPS [Piotr IKONOWICZ]; Solidarity Electoral Action or AWS (includes RS-AWS and Solidarity) [Marian KRZAKLEWSKI]; Social Movement-Solidarity Electoral Action or RS-AWS [Jerzy BUZEK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union); Roman Catholic Church; Solidarity (trade union)

International organization participation:

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI

chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL

embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-054, Warsaw P1

mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)

telephone: [48] (22) 628-30-41

FAX: [48] (22) 628-82-98

consulate(s) general: Krakow

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Poland

Economy

Top of Page

Economy - overview:

Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalizing the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open transition economies. GDP growth has been strong and steady since 1992 - the best performance in the region. The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has allowed for the rapid development of a vibrant private sector. In contrast, Poland's large agricultural sector remains handicapped by structural problems, surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy) has begun. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger than expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on privatization of Poland's remaining state sector. The government's determination to enter the EU as soon as possible affects most aspects of its economic policies. Improving Poland's outsized current account deficit and reining in inflation are priorities. Warsaw leads the region in foreign investment and needs a continued large inflow.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $327.5 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $8,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 3.8%

industry: 36.6%

services: 59.6% (1999)

Population below poverty line:

18.4% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 26.3% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

10.2% (2000 est.)

Labor force:

17.2 million (1999 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

industry 22.1%, agriculture 27.5%, services 50.4% (1999)

Unemployment rate:

12% (1999)

Budget:

revenues: $49.6 billion

expenditures: $52.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

Industries:

machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:

4.3% (1999)

Electricity - production:

134.351 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 96.43%

hydro: 3.16%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0.41% (1999)

Electricity - consumption:

120.007 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports:

8.43 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports:

3.491 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork

Exports:

$28.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 30.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 25.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9%, food and live animals 8.5% (1999)

Exports - partners:

Germany 36.1%, Italy 6.5%, Netherlands 5.3%, France 4.8%, UK 4.0%, Czech Republic 3.8% (1999)

Imports:

$42.7 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Imports - commodities:

machinery and transport equipment 38.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 20.8%, chemicals 14.3%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)

Imports - partners:

Germany 25.2%, Italy 9.4%, France 6.8%, Russia 5.8%, UK 4.6%, Netherlands 3.7% (1999)

Debt - external:

$57 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:

$NA

Currency:

zloty (PLN)

Currency code:

PLN

Exchange rates:

zlotych per US dollar - 4.3126 (December 2000), 4.3461 (2000), 3.9671 (1999), 3.4754 (1998), 3.2793 (1997), 2.6961 (1996)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Poland

Communications

Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use:

8.07 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

1.78 million (1998)

Telephone system:

general assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system; government aimed to have 10 million telephones in service by 2000; the process of partial privatization of the state-owned telephone monopoly has begun; in 1998 there were over 2 million applicants on the waiting list for telephone service

domestic: cable, open wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital

international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

20.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

179 (plus 256 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions:

13.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

2.8 million (2000)

Poland

Transportation

Top of Page

Railways:

total: 23,420 km

broad gauge: 646 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified; 8,978 km double track)

narrow gauge: 1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (1998)

Highways:

total: 381,046 km

paved: 249,966 km (including 268 km of expressways)

unpaved: 131,080 km (1998)

Waterways:

3,812 km (navigable rivers and canals) (1996)

Pipelines:

crude oil and petroleum products 2,280 km; natural gas 17,000 km (1996)

Ports and harbors:

Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw

Merchant marine:

total: 46 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 943,540 GRT/1,532,694 DWT

ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Airports:

122 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 83

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 29

1,524 to 2,437 m: 42

914 to 1,523 m: 6

under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 39

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 21 (2000 est.)

Heliports:

3 (2000 est.)

Poland

Military

Top of Page

Military branches:

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force

Military manpower - military age:

19 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49: 10,447,931 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49: 8,139,245 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males: 344,781 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:

$3.17 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:

1.95% (FY00)

Poland

Transnational Issues

Top of Page

Disputes - international:

none

Illicit drugs:

major illicit producer of amphetamine for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe

! style="width:30%;"
''English language
in English'' !! style="width:30%;"
''Polish language
in Polish''
Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland

''Wielkopolskie''

Poznan
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kuyavian-Pomeranian

''Kujawsko-Pomorskie''

Bydgoszcz / Torun
Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland

''Malopolskie''

Krak�w
L�dz Voivodeship
L�dz

''L�dzkie''

L�dz
Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian

''Dolnoslaskie''

Wroclaw
Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin

''Lubelskie''

Lublin
Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz

WikiPedia Information About Poland

Information from the WikiPedia.Com Website for Poland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Export/Poland
/_TheTownGuide/Index_Layout_Leaders_wiki_Process.xsl

{{About
the country in Europe}} {{Pp-semi-vandalism
small=yes}} {{Infobox Country
native_name = ''Rzeczpospolita Polska''
conventional_long_name = Republic of Poland
common_name = Poland
flag_border = Flag of Poland (normative).svg
image_flag = Flag_of_Poland.svg
image_coat = Herb Polski.svg
image_map = EU-Poland.svg
map_caption = {{map_caption
location_color=dark green
region=Europe
region_color=dark grey
subregion=the European Union
subregion_color=light green
legend=Location Poland EU Europe.png}}
national_anthem = ''Mazurek Dabrowskiego''
(''Dabrowski's Mazurka'')
national_motto = ''None''¹
official_languages = Polish language
Polish²
capital = Warsaw
latd=52
latm=13
latNS=N
longd=21
longm=02
longEW=E
largest_city = Warsaw
demonym = Poles
Pole/Polish
government_type = Parliamentary republic
leader_title1 = President of the Republic of Poland
President
leader_title2 = Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Prime Minister
leader_name1 = Lech Kaczynski
leader_name2 = Donald Tusk
accessionEUdate = 1 May 2004
EUseats = 54
area_rank = 69th³
area_magnitude = 1 E11
area_km2 = 312679
area_sq_mi = 120,726
percent_water = 3ᇿ
population_estimate = 38,163,895{{cite web
url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu /tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&pcode=tps0 0001&tableSelection=1&footnotes=yes&labeling=labels&plugin=1
title=Total population � At 1 January
date=2009-01-01
work=Eurostat
accessdate=2009-05-27}}
population_estimate_rank = 34th
population_estimate_year = Jan 2010
population_census = 38,116,000
population_census_rank = 34th
population_census_year = December 2007
population_density_km2 = 122
population_density_sq_mi = 319Ǖ
population_density_rank = 83rd
GDP_PPP_year = 2008
GDP_PPP = $668뗗 billion{{cite web
url=http://www.imf. org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/02/weodata/weorept& #46aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country &ds=.&br=1&c=964&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=66&pr.y=16
title=Poland
publisher=International Monetary Fund
accessdate=2009-10-01}}
GDP_PPP_rank = 21st
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $17,536
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 50th
GDP_nominal_year = 2008
GDP_nominal = $527뜒 billion
GDP_nominal_rank = 18th
GDP_nominal_per_capita = $13,846
GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 50th
HDI_year = 2007
HDI = {{increase}} 0뜠[http://hdrstats. undp.org/en/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_POL.html].

The United Nations.

Retrieved 05 October 2009.
HDI_rank = 41st
HDI_category = high
Gini = List of countries by income equality
34Ǒ
Gini_year = 2002
sovereignty_type = Formation
established_event1 = Baptism of Poland
Christianisation⁴
established_event2 = Polish�Lithuanian Commonwealth
First Republic
established_event3 = Second Polish Republic
Second Republic
established_event4 = People's Republic of Poland
People's Republic
established_event5 = Third Republic
established_date1 = 966
established_date2 = July 1, 1569
established_date3 = November 11, 1918
established_date4 = December 31, 1944
established_date5 = January 30, 1990
currency = Polish zloty
''Zloty''
currency_code = PLN
time_zone = Central European Time
CET
utc_offset = +1
time_zone_DST = Central European Summer Time
CEST
utc_offset_DST = +2
drives_on = right
cctld = .pl
calling_code = Telephone numbers in Poland
48
footnotes = ¹ See, however, Unofficial mottos of Poland.
² Although not official languages, Belarusian language
Belarusian, Kashubian language
Kashubian, Lithuanian language
Lithuanian and German language
German are used in Bilingual communes in Poland
20 communal offices.
³ The area of Poland according to the administrative division, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is {{convert
312679
km2
sqmi
lk=out
abbr=on}} of which {{convert
311888
km2
sqmi
lk=out
abbr=on}} is land area and {{convert
791
km2
sqmi
lk=out
abbr=on}} is internal water surface area.
⁴ The adoption of Christianity in Poland is seen by many Poles, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, as one of the most significant national historical events; the new religion was used to unify the tribes in the region. }} '''Poland''' {{Audio-IPA
en-us-Poland.ogg
/'po?l?nd/}} ({{lang-pl
Polska}}), officially the '''Republic of Poland''' (''Rzeczpospolita Polska''), is a country in Central Europe http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/gegn23wp48.pdfhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/pl.html bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave
exclave, to the north.

The total area of Poland is {{convert
312679
km2
sqmi}},{{cite web
title=Concise Statistical Yearbook of Poland, 2008
publisher=Central Statistical Office (Poland)
date=28 July 2008
url=http://www.stat. gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_maly_rocznik_statystyczny_2008.pdf
format=PDF
accessdate=2008-08-12}} making it the List of countries and outlying territories by total area
69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe.

Poland has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the List of countries by population
34th most populous country in the worldNationMaster.com 2003�2007, [http://www.nationmaster.com/country/pl-poland Poland, Facts and figures] and one of the most populous Member State of the European Union
members of the European Union. The establishment of a Polish state is often identified with the adoption of Christianity by its ruler Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I, in 966, when the state covered territory similar to that of present-day Poland.

The Kingdom of Poland (1025�1385)
Kingdom of Poland was formed in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a long Polish�Lithuanian union
association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin, forming the Polish�Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The commonwealth collapsed in 1795, and Partitions of Poland
Poland's territory was partitioned among the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire, and Habsburg Monarchy
Austria.

Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic in 1918, after World War I, but was later occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II.

Poland lost over six million citizens in World War II, emerging several years later as the People's Republic of Poland within the Eastern Bloc under Soviet Union
Soviet influence. During the Revolutions of 1989, communism
communist rule was overthrown and Poland became what is constitutionally known as the "Third Polish Republic".

Poland is a unitary state, made up of sixteen Voivodeships of Poland
voivodeships ({{lang-pl
wojew�dztwo}}).

Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, United Nations, World Trade Organization, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

History

Prehistory

{{main
Prehistory of Poland (until 966)}} Historians have postulated that throughout Late Antiquity, many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now known as Poland.

The ethnic group
ethnicity and linguistics
linguistic affiliation of these groups has been hotly debated; in particular the time and route of the original settlement of Slavic peoples in these regions has been the subject of much controversy. The most famous archeological find from Prehistory and protohistory of Poland
Poland's prehistory and protohistory is the Biskupin fortified settlement (now reconstructed as a museum), dating from the Lusatian culture of the early Iron Age, around 700 BC.

Piast dynasty

{{main
History of Poland (966�1385)}} File:Zaprowadzenie chrzescijanstwa 965 Matejko.JPG
thumb
160px
left
Baptism of Poland in 966 Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty.

List of Polish monarchs
Poland's first historically documented ruler, Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I, was baptism
baptized in 966, adopting Catholicism
Catholic Christianity as the nation's new State religion
official religion, to which the Baptism of Poland
bulk of the population converted in the course of the next centuries.

In the 12th century, Poland fragmented into several smaller states.

In 1320, Wladyslaw I the Elbow-high
Wladyslaw I became the King of Kingdom of Poland (1025�1385)
a reunified Poland.

His son, Casimir III the Great
Casimir III, is remembered as one of the greatest List of Polish monarchs
Polish kings. File:Legnica.JPG
thumb
160px
Mongol invasion of Poland (late 1240�1241) culminated in the battle of Legnica. Poland was also a centre of migration of peoples.

The Jewish community began to settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see History of the Jews in Poland).

The Black Death which affected most parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351 did not reach Poland.Teeple, J.

B.

(2002).

''Timelines of World History''.

Publisher: DK Adult.

Jagiellon dynasty

{{main
History of Poland (1385�1569)}} Under the Jagiellon dynasty Poland forged a Polish�Lithuanian union
union with its neighbour, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army inflicted a decisive defeat on the Teutonic Knights, both countries' main adversary, in the battle of Grunwald.

After the Thirteen Years' War (1454�66)
Thirteen Years' War, the Knight's state became a Polish vassal.

The Jagiellons at one point also established dynastic control over the kingdoms of Kingdom of Bohemia
Bohemia (1471 onwards) and Kingdom of Hungary
Hungary (from 1490 onwards)."[http://www .britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/299331/Jagiellon-dynasty Jagiellon dynasty (European history)]".

Encyclop�dia Britannica. Polish culture and economy flourished under the Jagiellons, and the country produced such figures as astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and poet Jan Kochanowski.

Compared to other European nations, Poland was exceptional in its tolerance of religious dissent, allowing the country to avoid the religious turmoil that spread over Western Europe at that time.

Seventy-five Tatar invasions
Tatar raids were recorded into Poland and Lithuania between 1474�1569.Davies (2007).

''[http://books&# 46google.com/books?id=XH4hghHo1qoC&pg=PA17&dq&hl=en#v=onepage&q=&f=false Warfare, State and Society on the Black Sea Steppe,1500�1700.]''.

pሉ. Some historians estimate that Crimean Khanate
Crimean Tatar slave-raiding cost Poland one million of its population from 1494 to 1694."[http://www.econ. hit-u.ac.jp/~areastd/mediterranean/mw/pdf/18/10.pdf The Crimean Tatars and their Russian-Captive Slaves]" (PDF).

Eizo Matsuki, ''Mediterranean Studies Group at Hitotsubashi University.''

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

{{main
History of Poland (1569�1795)}} File:SiemiginowskiJerzy񰭶.JanIIISobieskiPodWiedniem.jpg
upright
thumb
''John III Sobieski at the Battle of Vienna'' File:Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1635.png
thumb
left
The greatest extent of Poland in 1635 A Polish Golden Age
golden age ensued during the sixteenth century after the Union of Lublin which gave birth to the Polish�Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The szlachta (nobility) of Poland, far more numerous than in Western European countries, took pride in Golden Liberty
their freedoms and Sejm of the Republic of Poland
parliamentary system.

During the Golden Age period, Poland expanded its borders to become the largest country in Europe, covering most of what today is Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and some parts of modern Russia. In the mid-seventeenth century, a Sweden
Swedish invasion (Deluge (history)
"The Deluge") and the Cossacks' Khmelnytsky Uprising
Chmielnicki Uprising which ravaged the country marked the end of the golden age.

Famines and epidemics followed hostilities, and the Historical demography of Poland
population dropped from roughly 11 to 7 million."[http://www.britannica.c om/EBchecked/topic/466681/Poland/28190/The-17th-century-crisis Poland � The 17th-century crisis]".

Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Russo-Polish War (1654�1667)
Numerous wars against Russia coupled with government inefficiency caused by the Liberum veto—a right which had allowed any member of the parliament to dissolve it and to veto any legislation it had passed—marked the steady deterioration of the Commonwealth from a European power into a near-anarchy controlled by its neighbours.

Despite the erosion of its power, the Commonwealth was able to deal a crushing defeat to the Ottoman Empire in 1683 at the Battle of Vienna. The reforms, particularly those of the Great Sejm, which passed the Constitution of May 3, 1791—the world's second modern constitution and the first in Europe—were thwarted with the three partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, and 1795) which culminated in Poland's being erased from the map of Europe and its territories being divided between Russia, Prussia, and Austria.

Partitions of Poland

{{main
History of Poland (1795�1918)}} Poles List of wars involving Poland
rebel several times against the partitioners, particularly near the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the nineteenth century.

One of the most famous and successful battle for Poland was at Battle of Raclawice
Raclawice where Tadeusz Kosciuszko lead peasants and some polish armies into battle against Russia, in 1794.

In 1807, Napoleon I of France recreated a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, but after the Napoleonic Wars, Poland was again divided in 1815 by the victorious Allies at the Congress of Vienna.

The eastern portion was ruled by the Russian tsar as a Congress Poland
Congress Kingdom which possessed Constitution of the Kingdom of Poland
a liberal constitution.

However, the tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms, and Russia eventually ''de facto'' annexed the country.

Later in the nineteenth century, Austrian-ruled Galicia (Central Europe)
Galicia, particularly the Free City of Krak�w, became a centre of Polish cultural life.

Reconstitution of Poland

{{main
History of Poland (1918�1939)}} File:Rzeczpospolita 1939.svg
thumb
left
Poland between 1922 and 1938 During World War I, all the Allies of World War I
Allies agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in Point 13 of his Fourteen Points.

Shortly after the Armistice with Germany (Compi�gne)
armistice with Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic (''II Rzeczpospolita Polska'').

It reaffirmed its independence after List of wars involving Poland
a series of military conflicts, the most notable being the Polish�Soviet War (1919�1921) when battle of Warsaw (1920)
Poland inflicted a crushing defeat on the Red Army. File:Polish Soldier's Grave Warsaw 1945.jpg
thumb
upright
Grave of Polish fighter killed during the Warsaw Uprising.

In the battle, which lasted 63 days, more than 200,000 people died. The 1926 May Coup of J�zef Pilsudski turned rule of the Second Polish Republic over to the Sanacja movement.

World War II

{{main
History of Poland (1939�1945)}} The Sanacja movement controlled Poland until the start of World War II in 1939, when Nazi Germany Invasion of Poland (1939)
invaded on 1 September and the Soviet invasion of Poland followed by breaking the Soviet�Polish Non-Aggression Pact on 17 September.

Siege of Warsaw (1939)
Warsaw capitulated on 28 September 1939.

As agreed in the Molotov�Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was split into two zones, Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany
one occupied by Germany while the eastern provinces fell under territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union
the control of the Soviet Union. World War II casualties
Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland Occupation of Poland (1939�1945)
lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over six million perished, Holocaust in Poland
half of them History of the Jews in Poland
Polish Jews.

Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the Allies of World War II
Allied war effort, after the Soviet Union
Soviets, the United Kingdom
British and the United States
Americans.

The Polish expeditionary corps played an important role in the Italian Campaign (World War II)
Italian Campaign, particularly at the Battle of Monte Cassino.

At the war's conclusion, Poland's borders Territorial changes of Poland after World War II
were shifted westwards, pushing the Kresy
eastern border to the Curzon Line.

Meanwhile, the western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line.

The new Poland emerged 20% smaller by {{convert
77500
km2
sqmi}}.

The shift World War II evacuation and expulsion
forced the migration of millions of people, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews.

Postwar communist Poland

{{main
History of Poland (1945�1989)}} File:Curzon line en.svg
thumb
right
At the end of World War II, the gray territories were transferred from Poland to the Soviet Union, and the pink territories from Germany to Poland File:Solidarity poster 1989.jpg
thumb
upright
left
''At High Noon, June 4, 1989'' - political poster featuring Gary Cooper to encourage votes for the Solidarity party in the Contract Sejm
1989 elections.

{{quote
"The 4th of June, 1989 marked a decisive victory for democracy in Poland and, ultimately, across Eastern Europe."
Angela Merkel{{en icon}} {{cite web
author =
url = htt p://www.thelocal.de/politics/20090604-19717.html
title = Merkel honours Polish freedom struggle and Tiananmen victims
work = www.thelocal.de
publisher = AFP
pages =
page =
date =
accessdate = 2009-09-28}}}} The Soviet Union instituted a new Communist state
communist government in Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc.

Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War was also part of this change.

The People's Republic of Poland (''Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa'') Constitution of the People's Republic of Poland
was officially proclaimed in 1952.

In 1956, the r�gime of Wladyslaw Gomulka became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms.

A similar situation repeated itself in the 1970s under Edward Gierek, but most of the time persecution of Anti-communist resistance in Poland
communist opposition persisted. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" ("''Solidarnosc''"), which over time became a political force.

Despite persecution and imposition of Martial law in Poland
martial law in 1981, it eroded the dominance of the Polish United Workers' Party
Communist Party and by 1989 Contract Sejm
had triumphed in parliamentary elections.

Lech Walesa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually Polish presidential election, 1990
won the presidency in 1990.

The Solidarity movement heralded the Revolutions of 1989
collapse of communism across Eastern Europe.

Present day Poland

{{main
History of Poland (1989�present)}} A shock therapy (economics)
shock therapy programme of Leszek Balcerowicz during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into a market economy.

As with all other post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary slumps in social and economic standards, but it became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 Gross domestic product
GDP levels, which it achieved by 1995 because of its booming economy.{{cite web
url =http://transitioneconomies.blogspot.com/2006/05/real-gdp-growth-in-ceecs.html
title=Real GDP growth in CEECs
publisher=Transitioneconomies.blogspot.com
date=2006-05-28
accessdate=2009-05-06}}{{cite web
url=http://polisci.lsa.umich.edu/documents/jjackson /chapt1.pdf
title=WHY POLAND?
format=PDF
accessdate=2009-07-08}} Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in other human rights, such as the freedom of speech.

In 1991, Poland became a member of the Visegr�d Group and joined the NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Poles then voted to join the European Union in Referendums in Poland
a referendum in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on 1 May 2004.

Geography

{{main
Geography of Poland}} File:polen topo.jpg
thumb
right
Poland�s topography Poland�s territory extends across several geographical regions.

In the northwest is the Baltic seacoast, which extends from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gdansk Bay
Gulf of Gdansk.

This coast is marked by several spit (landform)
spits, coastal lakes (former bays that have been cut off from the sea), and dunes.

The largely straight coastline is indented by the Szczecin Lagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon.

The center and parts of the north lie within the North European Plain.

Rising gently above these lowlands is a geographical region comprising the four hilly districts of moraines and moraine-dammed lakes formed during and after the Pleistocene ice age.

These lake districts are the Pomeranian Lake District, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District, and the Masurian Lake District.

The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers much of northeastern Poland.

The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.

South of the Northern European Lowlands lie the regions of Silesia and Masovia, which are marked by broad ice-age river valleys.

Farther south lies the Polish mountain region, including the Sudetes, the Cracow-Czestochowa Upland, the Swietokrzyskie Mountains, and the Carpathian Mountains, including the Beskids.

The highest part of the Carpathians is the Tatra Mountains, along Poland�s southern border.

Geology

File:Slaskie Kamienie - D�vci Kameny.JPG
thumb
right
Granite outcrops at ''Silesian Stones Mountain'' in southwestern Poland The geological structure of Poland has been shaped by the continental collision of Europe and Africa over the past 60 million years, on the one hand, and the Quaternary glacier
glaciations of northern Europe, on the other.

Both processes shaped the Sudetes and the Carpathian Mountains.

The moraine landscape of northern Poland contains soils made up mostly of sand or loam, while the ice age river valleys of the south often contain loess.

The Polish Jura Chain
Cracow-Czestochowa Upland, the Pieniny, and the Western Tatras consist of limestone, while the High Tatras, the Beskids, and the Karkonosze are made up mainly of granite and basalts.

The Polish Jura Chain is one of the oldest mountain ranges on earth.

Rivers

File:Modlin spichlerz.jpg
thumb
left
Vistula River in Modlin (Nowy Dw�r Mazowiecki)
Modlin {{main
Rivers of Poland}} The longest rivers are the Vistula River
Vistula ({{lang-pl
Wisla}}), {{convert
1047
km
mi}} long; the Oder River
Oder ({{lang-pl
Odra}}) which forms part of Poland�s western border, {{convert
854
km
mi}} long; its tributary, the Warta, {{convert
808
km
mi}} long; and the Western Bug
Bug, a tributary of the Vistula, {{convert
772
km
mi}} long.

The Vistula and the Oder flow into the Baltic Sea, as do numerous smaller rivers in Pomerania.

The Lyna River
Lyna and the Angrapa River
Angrapa flow by way of the Pregolya to the Baltic, and the Czarna Hancza flows into the Baltic through the Neman River
Neman.

While the great majority of Poland�s rivers drain into the Baltic Sea, Poland�s Beskids are the source of some of the upper tributaries of the Orava River
Orava, which flows via the V�h and the Danube to the Black Sea.

The eastern Beskids are also the source of some streams that drain through the Dniester to the Black Sea. Poland�s rivers have been used since early times for navigation.

The Vikings, for example, traveled up the Vistula and the Oder in their longships.

In the Middle Ages and in early modern times, when the Polish�Lithuanian Commonwealth was the breadbasket of Europe; the shipment of grain and other agricultural products down the Vistula toward Gdansk and onward to Western Europe took on great importance.

Lakes

File:Kurtkowiec i czerwone.jpg
thumb
right
''Kurtkowiec'', oligotrophic lake in southeastern Poland With almost ten thousand closed bodies of water covering more than {{convert
1
ha
acre
2}} each, Poland has one of the highest number of lakes in the world.

In Europe, only Finland has a greater density of lakes.

The largest lakes, covering more than {{convert
100
km2
sqmi
0}}, are Sniardwy
Lake Sniardwy and Lake Mamry in Masuria, and Lebsko Lake
Lake Lebsko and Drawsko Lake
Lake Drawsko in Pomerania. In addition to the lake districts in the north (in Masuria, Pomerania, Kashubians
Kashubia, Lubuskie, and Greater Poland), there is also a large number of mountain lakes in the Tatras, of which the Morskie Oko is the largest in area.

The lake with the greatest depth�of more than {{convert
100
m
ft
0}}�is Hancza
Lake Hancza in the Wigry Lake District, east of Masuria in Podlaskie Voivodeship. File:J.

goldap.jpg
thumb
left
Lake in Goldap Among the first lakes whose shores were settled are those in the Greater Polish Lake District.

The stilt house settlement of Biskupin, occupied by more than one thousand residents, was founded before the seventh century BC by people of the Lusatian culture.

The ancestors of today�s Poles, the Polans (western)
Polanie, built their first fortresses on islands in these lakes.

The legendary Prince Popiel is supposed to have ruled from Kruszwica on Goplo
Lake Goplo.

The first historically documented ruler of Poland, Duke Mieszko I of Poland
Mieszko I, had his palace on an island in the Warta River in Poznan. For the most important lakes of Poland, see the :Category:Lakes of Poland.

Mountains

File:Tatry Hala Gasienicowa.jpg
thumb
''Hala Gasienicowa'' in the High Tatras Poland has 21 mountains over 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in elevation, all in the High Tatras.

The Polish Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, is the highest mountain group of Poland and of the entire Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian range.

In the High Tatras lies Poland�s highest point, the northwestern peak of Rysy, {{convert
2499
m
ft
0}} in elevation.

At its foot lies the mountain lake Morskie Oko.

The second highest mountain group in Poland is the Beskids, whose highest peak is Babia G�ra, at {{convert
1725
m
ft
0}}.

The next highest mountain group is the Karkonosze, whose highest point is Sne�ka, at {{convert
1602
m
ft
0}}.

Among the most beautiful mountains of Poland are the Bieszczady Mountains in the far southeast of Poland, whose highest point in Poland is Tarnica, with an elevation of {{convert
1346
m
ft
0}}.

Tourists also frequent the Gorce Mountains in Gorce National Park, with elevations around {{convert
1300
m
ft
0}}, and the Pieniny in Pieniny National Park (Poland)
Pieniny National Park, with elevations around {{convert
1000
m
ft
0}}.

The lowest point in Poland�at {{convert
2
m
ft
1}} below sea level�is at Raczki Elblaskie, near Elblag in the Vistula Delta.

For a list of the most important mountain ranges of Poland, see the :Category:Mountain ranges of Poland.

Coast

File:Zatoka Pucka - Bay of Puck (8).jpg
thumb
left
Bay of Puck ''(Zatoka Pucka)'' in Poland The Polish Baltic coast is approximately {{convert
528
km
mi
0}} long and extends from Swinoujscie on the islands of Usedom and Wolin in the west to Krynica Morska on the Vistula Spit in the east.

For the most part, Poland has a smooth coastline, which has been shaped by the continual movement of sand by currents and winds from west to east.

This continual erosion and deposition (geology)
deposition has formed cliffs, dunes, and spits, many of which have migrated landwards to close off former lagoons, such as Lebsko Lake in Slowinski National Park.

The largest spits are Hel Peninsula and the Vistula Spit.

The largest Polish Baltic island is Wolin.

The largest port cities are Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin, and Swinoujscie.

The main coastal resorts are Sopot, Miedzyzdroje, Kolobrzeg, Leba, Wladyslawowo, and the Hel Peninsula.

Desert

File:2 SPN 01.jpg
thumb
right
Dunes in Slowinski National Park Bled�w Desert is a desert located in southern Poland in the Silesian Voivodeship and stretches over the Zaglebie Dabrowskie region.

It has a total area of {{convert
32
km2
sqmi
0}}.

It is the only desert located in Poland.

It is one of only five natural deserts in Europe.

It is the warmest desert that appears at this latitude.

It was created thousands of years ago by a melting glacier.

The specific geological structure has been of big importance.

The average thickness of the sand layer is about {{convert
40
m
ft
0}}, with a maximum of {{convert
70
m
ft
0}}, which made the fast and deep drainage very easy. The sea�s activity in Slowinski National Park created sand dunes which in the course of time separated the bay from the Baltic Sea.

As waves and wind carry sand inland the dunes slowly move, at a speed of {{convert
3
to
10
m
ft
1}} meters per year.

Some dunes are quite high - up to {{convert
30
m
ft
0}}.

The highest peak of the park — Rowokol ({{convert
115
m
ft
0
disp=s}} Above mean sea level
above sea level) — is also an excellent observation point.

Land use

File:Gora Cisowa 03.jpg
thumb
left
The patchwork landscape of Masuria :Category:Forests of Poland
Forests cover 28ǔ% of Poland�s land area.

More than half of the land is devoted to agriculture.

While the total area under cultivation is declining, the remaining farmland is more intensively cultivated. More than 1% of Poland�s territory, {{convert
3145
km2
sqmi}}, is protected within 23 national parks.

In this respect, Poland ranks first in Europe.

Three more national parks are projected for Masuria, the Polish Jura Chain
Cracow-Czestochowa Upland, and the eastern Beskids.

Most List of national parks of Poland
Polish national parks are located in the southern part of the country.

In addition, wetlands along lakes and rivers in central Poland are legally protected, as are coastal areas in the north.

There are over 120 areas designated as Landscape Park (Poland)
landscape parks, along with numerous nature reserves and other Protected areas of Poland
protected areas.

Flora and fauna

File:Wisent.jpg
thumb
right
A wisent in the Bialowieza Forest Phytogeography
Phytogeographically, Poland belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Boreal Kingdom.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the territory of Poland can be subdivided into three ecoregions: the Baltic mixed forests, Central European mixed forests and Carpathian montane conifer forests. Many animals that have since died out in other parts of Europe still survive in Poland, such as the wisent in the ancient woodland of the Bialowieza Forest and in Podlachia.

Other such species include the brown bear in Bialowieza, in the Tatras, and in the Beskids, the gray wolf and the Eurasian Lynx in various forests, the moose in northern Poland, and the beaver in Masuria, Pomerania, and Podlachia. File:WhiteStorkFamily.jpg
thumb
left
Family of White Stork, a national bird in Poland {{cite web
url=http://storks.poland.pl/about_stork/index.htm
title=Poland.pl - White Stork - About White Stork
publisher=Storks.poland.pl
date=
accessdate=2009-05-06}} In the forests, one also encounters game animals, such as Red Deer, Roe Deer and Wild Boars.

In eastern Poland there are a number of ancient woodlands, like Bialowieza, that have never been cleared by people.

There are also large forested areas in the mountains, Masuria, Pomerania, Lubusz Land and Lower Silesia. Poland is the most important breeding ground for European migratory birds.

Out of all of the migratory birds who come to Europe for the summer, one quarter breed in Poland, particularly in the lake districts and the wetlands along the Biebrza, the Narew, and the Warta, which are part of nature reserves or national parks.

Climate

File:Plaza w Pucku - kitesurfers - beach in Puck (4).jpg
thumb
right
The average daytime summer temperature at sea level along the south coast is {{convert
22
�C
�F
1}}{{pl icon}} {{cite web
author =
url = http://zalewszczecinski.net/akweny/wybrzeze-morza-baltyckiego
title = Wybrzeze Morza Baltyckiego
work = www.zalewszczecinski.net
publisher =
pages =
page =
date =
accessdate = 2009-11-16}} The climate is mostly temperateness
temperate throughout the country.

The climate is oceanic climate
oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental climate
continental towards the south and east.

Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between {{convert
20
�C
�F}} and {{convert
27
�C
�F
1}}.

Winters are cold, with average temperatures around {{convert
3
�C
�F
1}} in the northwest and {{convert
-8
�C
�F}} in the northeast.

Precipitation (meteorology)
Precipitation falls throughout the year, although, especially in the east; winter is drier than summer.

The warmest region in Poland is Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland located in southern Poland where temperatures in the summer average between {{convert
23
�C
�F
1}} and {{convert
30
�C
�F}} but can go as high as {{convert
32
�C
�F
1}} to {{convert
38
�C
�F
1}} on some days in the warmest month of July.

The warmest city in Poland is Tarn�w.

The city is located in Lesser Poland.

The average temperatures being {{convert
30
�C
�F}} in the summer and {{convert
4
�C
�F
1}} in the winter.

Tarn�w also has the longest summer in Poland spreading from mid May to mid-September.

It also has the shortest winter in Poland which often lasts from January to March, less than the regular three-month winter.

The coldest region of Poland is in the northeast in the Podlaskie Voivodeship near the border of Belarus.

The climate is affected by cold fronts which come from Scandinavia and Siberia.

The average temperature in the winter in Podlachian ranges from {{convert
-15
�C
�F}} to {{convert
-4
�C
�F}}.

Government

{{main
Politics of Poland
Foreign relations of Poland
Military of Poland}} File:Lech Kaczynski.jpg
thumb
left
110px
President of the Republic of Poland
President of Poland Lech Kaczynski File:Sejm RP.jpg
thumb
right
The Sejm building in Warsaw Poland is a democracy, with a president of the Republic of Poland
president as a head of state, whose current constitution of the Republic of Poland
constitution dates from 1997.

The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Poland
Council of Ministers, led by a prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
prime minister.

The president appoints the cabinet (government)
cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the Sejm of the Republic of Poland
Sejm.

The president is elected by popular vote every five years.

The current president is Lech Kaczynski, the current prime minister is Donald Tusk. Polish voters elect a bicameralism
bicameral parliament consisting of a 460-member lower house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate (Senate of the Republic of Poland
Senat).

The Sejm is elected under proportional representation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems.

The Senat, on the other hand, is elected under a rare plurality (voting)
plurality Plurality-at-large voting
bloc voting method where several candidates with the highest support are elected from each constituency.

With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of List of political parties in Poland
political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the Sejm.

When sitting in joint session, members of the Sejm and Senat form the National Assembly of the Republic of Poland
National Assembly (the ''Zgromadzenie Narodowe'').

The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: when a new President takes the oath of office; when an indictment against the President of the Republic is brought to the State Tribunal of the Republic of Poland
State Tribunal (''Trybunal Stanu''); and when a president's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties because of the state of his health is declared.

To date only the first instance has occurred. The judiciary
judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making.

Its major institutions include the Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland (''Sad Najwyzszy''); the Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Poland (''Naczelny Sad Administracyjny''); the Constitutional Tribunal of the Republic of Poland (''Trybunal Konstytucyjny''); and the State Tribunal of the Republic of Poland (''Trybunal Stanu'').

On the approval of the Senat, the Sejm also appoints the Polish Ombudsman
ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (''Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich'') for a five-year term.

The ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of Polish citizenship
citizens and residency (domicile)
residents, of the law and of principles of community life and social justice.

Administrative divisions

{{main
Administrative division of Poland}} Poland's current Voivodeships of Poland
voivodeships (provinces) are largely based on the country's historic regions, whereas those of the past two decades (to 1998) had been centred on and named for individual cities.

The new units range in area from less than {{convert
10000
km2
sqmi}} for Opole Voivodeship to more than {{convert
35000
km2
sqmi}} for Masovian Voivodeship.

Administrative authority at voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed voivode (governor), an elected regional assembly (''Voivodeship sejmik
sejmik'') and an executive elected by that assembly. The voivodeships are subdivided into ''powiats'' (often referred to in English as counties), and these are further divided into ''gminas'' (also known as communes or municipalities).

Major cities normally have the status of both ''gmina'' and ''powiat''.

Poland currently has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with ''powiat'' status), and 2,478 ''gminas''. {
style="width:98%; background:none;"
-

File:POL location map.svg
460px {{Image label
x=35
y=85
text=West Pomeranian Voivodeship
West Pomeranian}} {{Image label
x=155
y=50
text=Pomeranian Voivodeship
Pomeranian}} {{Image label
x=265
y=70
text=Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Warmian-Masurian}} {{Image label
x=365
y=115
text=Podlaskie Voivodeship
Podlaskie}} {{Image label
x=40
y=195
text=Lubusz Voivodeship
Lubusz}} {{Image label
x=110
y=185
text=Greater Poland Voivodeship
Greater Poland}} {{Image label
x=153
y=130
text=Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship
Kuyavian-Pomeranian}} {{Image label
x=70
y=270
text=Lower Silesian Voivodeship
Lower Silesian}} {{Image label
x=158
y=300
text=Opole Voivodeship
Opole}} {{Image label
x=210
y=320
text=Silesian Voivodeship
Silesian}} {{Image label
x=275
y=300
text=Swietokrzyskie Voivodeship
Swietokrzyskie}} {{Image label
x=228
y=237
text=L�dz Voivodeship
L�dz}} {{Image label
x=297
y=180
text=Masovian Voivodeship
Masovian}} {{Image label
x=379
y=255
text=Lublin Voivodeship
Lublin}} {{Image label
x=250
y=360
text=Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Lesser Poland}} {{Image label
x=337
y=357
text=Subcarpathian Voivodeship
Subcarpathian}}

{
class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:85%;"
- !colspan="2"
Voivodeship !!rowspan="2"
List of cities and towns in Poland
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