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Country information - Poland The Polish state was formed over 1,000 years ago under the Piast dynasty, and reached its golden age near the end of the 16th century under the Jagiellonian dynasty, when Poland was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful countries in Europe. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. In a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite state following the second world war, but its government 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, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland was the first post-communist country to regain pre-1989 GDP levels. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Polish voters then said yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Geography Poland Location Central Europe, east of Germany Area total: 312,685 sq km Land 304,465 sq km Water 8,220 sq km Land boundaries total: 2,788 km Border countries Belarus 407 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 526 km Coastline 491 km 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: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point Rysy 2,499 m Natural resources coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land Natural hazards flooding People Poland Population 38,635,144 Nationality noun: Pole(s) Adjective Polish Ethnic groups Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census) Religions Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002) Languages Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% Government Poland 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 adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 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, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; 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 Lech Kaczynski (since 23 December 2005) Head of government Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz (since 31 October 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ludwik Dorn (since 23 November 2005) and Zyta Gilowska (since 7 January 2006) 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 last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held October 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm Legislative branch bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly Elections Senate - last held 25 September 2005 (next to be held by September 2009); Sejm elections last held September 25 2005 (next to be held by September 2009) 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) 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 Economy Poland Poland has, since its return to democracy, steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. But, much remains to be done, especially in bringing down the unemployment rate since it is currently the highest in the EU. The privatization of small and medium-sized state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland has a large agricultural sector of private farms, that could be a leading producer of food in the European Union now that Poland is a member. Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy), while recently initiated, have stalled. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on reducing losses in Polish state enterprises, restraining entitlements, and overhauling the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers, most of whom pay no tax. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via booming exports, higher food prices, and EU agricultural subsidies. There is much speculation as to just when Poland might be ready to join the Eurozone, although the best guess estimates put the entry date somewhere between 2009 and 2013. Labor force 17.1 million Labor force - by occupation agriculture 16.1%, industry 29%, services 54.9% Unemployment rate 18.3% Population below poverty line 17% Household income by percentage share lowest 10%: 3.1% Highest 10%: 26.7% Agriculture - products potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy Industries machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles Currency (code) zloty (PLN) Transportation Poland Airports 123 Airports - with paved runways total: 84 Airports - with unpaved runways total: 39 Heliports 2 Pipelines gas 13,552 km; oil 1,772 km Railways total: 23,852 km Roadways total: 364,697 km Paved 249,088 km (including 399 km of expressways) Unpaved 115,609 km Waterways 3,997 km Ports and terminals Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin

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