Poland{{portal}} {{otheruses}} The '''Republic of Poland''', a democratic country with a population of 38,626,349 and area of 312,685 km², is located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) to the north. A Polish state existed already 1,000 years ago, the current republic was established in 1990. In the 16th century, under the Jagiellon|Jagiellonian dynasty, Poland was one of the richest and most powerful countries in Europe. On May 3, 1791 the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth|Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania ratified the May Constitution of Poland, being the first written constitution of Europe. Soon after Poland ceased to exist for 123 years, upon being partitions of Poland|partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria and Prussia. Poland regained independence in 1918, in the aftermath of the First World War, as the Second Polish Republic. After the Second World War it became a Communism|communist satellite state of the Soviet Union, known as the People's Republic of Poland. In 1989 the first partially free elections in Poland's post World War II history concluded the Solidarity movement's struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat of Poland's communist rulers. In 1999 Poland became part of NATO and in 2004 it joined the European Union.  {{Infobox_Country| native_name = Rzeczpospolita Polska | common_name = Polska | image_flag = Flag of Poland 320px border1.png | image_coat = Herb Polski.png | image_map = LocationPoland.png | national_motto = none1| national_anthem = Mazurek Dabrowskiego|Mazurek Dąbrowskiego | official_languages = Polish language|Polish2 | capital = Warsaw | latd=52|latm=13|latNS=N|longd=21|longm=02|longEW=E| largest_city = Warsaw | government_type= Republic | leader_titles = President of Poland|President Prime minister of Poland|Prime minister | leader_names = Aleksander Kwasniewski|Aleksander Kwaśniewski Marek Belka | area_rank = 68th | area_magnitude = 1 E11 | area=312,685 | percent_water = 2.6% | population_estimate = 38,635,144 | population_estimate_year = 2005 | population_estimate_rank = 32nd | population_census= | population_census_year=2002 | population_density = 123.5 | population_density_rank = 64th| GDP_PPP_year=2005 | GDP_PPP = $512.9 billion | GDP_PPP_rank = 23rd | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $13,275 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 49th | sovereignty_type = Independence | established_events = - Declared - Partitions of Poland|Redeclared | established_dates = 9th century November 11, 1918 | currency = Zloty|Złoty | currency_code = PLN | time_zone= Central European Time|CET | utc_offset= +1 | time_zone_DST= Central European Summer Time|CEST | utc_offset_DST= +2 | cctld= pl | calling_code = 48 | footnotes = 1 See also unofficial national mottos of Poland. 2 Belarusian language|Belarusian, Cassubian language|Cassubian, German language|German and Ukrainian language|Ukrainian are used in five gmina|communal offices. They are, however, not considered to be official languages at state level. }}  == Name == Poland's official name in Polish language | Polish is ''Rzeczpospolita Polska''. The names of the country, ''Polska'', and of the nationality, the Poles, are of Slavs|Slavic origin. A common opinion holds that the name ''Polska'' comes from the Slavic ''Polanie'' tribe who established the Polish state in the 10th century (Greater Poland). Their name may derive from the Slavic word ''pole'' (field), or it may come from the tribal name ''Goplanie'' - people living around Lake Goplo|Gopło - the cradle of Poland mentioned as ''Goplanie'' having 400 strongholds ''circa'' 845 (Bavarian Geographer). Conventional etymology of the ethnic name of the Poles relates it more widely to the Polish ''Polans|Polanie'', "dwellers of the field"; ''pol'', "field", analogous to Russian ''polyî'', "open land", from Indo-European ''pelè-'', "flat" + ''-anie'', "inhabitants", analogous to Latin ''-anus'', "originating from". In old Latin chronicles the terms ''terra Poloniae'' (land of Poland) or ''Regnum Poloniae'' (kingdom of Poland) appear. Parallel to this terminology, another one, '''Lechia''', came into use, thought to derive from the tribe name ''Lędzianie''. It gave rise to an alternative name for "Pole": ''Lęch'', ''Lęchowie'' in Old Church Slavonic, ''Lechia'', ''Lechites'' in Latin, ''Lach'' in Ruthenian language|Ruthenian, ''Lyakh'' in Russian language|Russian, as well as to old German language|German ''Lechien'', Hungarian language|Hungarian ''Lengyelorszag'', ''Lengyel'', Lithuanian language|Lithuanian ''Lenkija'', ''lenkas'' and Turkish ''Lechistan'' (from Persian ''Lehestan''.) ''See:'' wikt:Poland|The name 'Poland' translated into other languages (in Wiktionary) == History == ''Main articles: History of Poland, History of Poland (1989-present)'' The Polish nation started to form into a recognisable unitary territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty. In 12th century Poland was fragmented into several smaller states, which were later ravaged by the Mongol armies of Golden Horde in 1241. Under the Jagiellon dynasty Poland forged an alliance with its neighbor Lithuania. A Polish Golden Age|golden age occurred in the 16th century during its union (Lublin Union) with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The citizens of Poland took pride in their ancient freedoms and Sejm|parliamentary system, though the ''Szlachta'' monopolised the benefits thereof. Since that time Poles have regarded freedom as their most important value. Poles often call themselves the ''Nation of the free people''. Image:Rzeczpospolita.png|thumb|left|200px|The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at its greatest extent In mid-17th century a Chmielnicki Uprising|rebellion of Cossacks led by Bohdan Chmielnicki ushered in the turbulent time known as The Deluge|"The Deluge" (''potop''). Numerous wars against Ottoman Empire, Russia, Sweden, Transylvania and Brandenburg-Prussia ultimately came to an end in 1699. During the following 80 years, the waning of the central government and deadlock of the institutions weakened the nation, leading to dependency on Russia. The The Enlightenment|Enlightenment in Poland fostered a growing national movement to repair the state, resulting in the first written constitution in Europe, in 1791 (May Constitution of Poland). The process of reforms ceased with the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, 1793 and 1795; these ultimately completely dissolved Poland. Poles resented their shrinking freedoms and several times rebelled against their oppressors ( see List of Polish Uprisings). After the Napoleonic wars a reconstituted Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, List of Polish rulers|ruled by the Russian tsar as a Congress Kingdom, possessed a liberal constitution. However, the Russian tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually ''de facto'' annexed the country. Later in the 19th century, Austrian-ruled Galicia (Central Europe)|Galicia became the oasis of Polish freedom. During World War I all the Allies agreed on the restitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic. A new threat, Soviet Union|Soviet aggression, arose in the 1919 (Polish-Soviet War), but Poland succeeded in defending its independence. Image:Rzeczpospolita 1920.png|thumb|left|Poland between 1921 and 1939 {{Template:Polish statehood}} The Second Polish Republic lasted until the start of World War II when Germany and the Soviet Union Polish September Campaign|invaded and split the Polish territory between them from (September 28 1939). Poland suffered greatly in this period (see General Government). Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished, half of them Polish Jews. Poland's borders shifted westwards; pushing the eastern border to the Curzon line and the western border to the Oder-Neisse line. After the shift Poland emerged smaller by 76 000 km² or by 20% of its pre-war size. The shifting of borders also involved the migration of millions of people – Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Jews. Eventually, Poland became, for the first time in history, an ethnically unified country. The Soviet Union occupation brought a new Communism | communist government to Poland, analogously to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. In 1948 a turn towards Stalinism brought in the beginning of the next period of totalitarian rule. The People's Republic of Poland was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956 the régime became more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union, "Solidarity", which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of the Polish United Workers' Party | Communist Party; by 1989 it had triumphed in parliamentary elections, and Lech Walesa|Lech Wałęsa a Solidarity candidate eventually won the presidency. A shock therapy (economics)|shock therapy program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Despite the regression in levels of social and economic human rights standards, numerous improvements in other human rights standards occurred (free speech, functioning democracy and the like). Poland was the first among post-communist countries to regain pre-1989 Gross domestic product|GDP levels. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999. Following a massive advertising campaign by the government in favour of joining the European Union, Polish voters voted ''yes'' to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. == Politics == ''Main articles: Politics of Poland, Foreign relations of Poland, Military of Poland'' Poland is a democratic republic. Its current Constitution of Poland|constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a Prime Ministers 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 bicameral legislature's lower house (the ''Sejm''). The Presidents of Poland|president, elected by popular vote every 5 years, serves as the head of state. The current president is Aleksander Kwasniewski. Poland voters elect a two house parliament (National Assembly, Polish language|Polish ''Zgromadzenie Narodowe''), consisting of a 460 member lower house Sejm and a 100 member Senate (''Senate of Poland|Senat''). Sejm is elected under a proportional representation electoral system similar to that used in other parliamentary political systems while the Senate is elected under a comparatively rare first past the post bloc voting. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only Political parties in Poland|political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter Sejm. The judiciary|judicial branch plays a minor role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (''Sąd Najwyższy'') (judges appointed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period), and the Constitutional Tribunal (''Trybunał Konstytucyjny'') (judges chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms). The Sejm (on approval of the Polish Senate) appoints the 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 the human being and of the citizen, the law and principles of community life and social justice. == Voivodships == Image:EC map of Poland.gif|Map of Poland|thumb|367px|right|Administrative map of Poland ''Main article: Voivodships of Poland'' Poland is sub-divided for administrative purposes into 16 administrative regions known as voivodships (''województwa'', singular - ''województwo''): * Greater Poland Voivodship (Wielkopolskie) * Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) * Lesser Poland Voivodship (Małopolskie) * Lodz Voivodship (Łódzkie) * Lower Silesian Voivodship (Dolnośląskie) * Lublin Voivodship (Lubelskie) * Lubusz Voivodship (Lubuskie) * Masovian Voivodship (Mazowieckie) * Opole Voivodship (Opolskie) * Podlasie Voivodship (Podlaskie) * Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie) * Silesian Voivodship (Śląskie) * Subcarpathian Voivodship (Podkarpackie) * Swietokrzyskie Voivodship (Świętokrzyskie) * Warmian-Masurian Voivodship (Warmińsko-Mazurskie) * West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie) == Geography == ''Main article: Geography of Poland'' The Polish landscape consists almost entirely of the lowlands of the North European Plain, at an average height of 173 metres, though the Sudetes (including the Karkonosze) and the Carpathian Mountains (including the Tatra mountains, where one also finds Poland's highest point, Rysy, at 2,499 m.) form the southern border. Several large rivers cross the plains, for instance the Vistula (''Wisła''), Oder River|Oder (''Odra''), Warta the (Western) Bug (Rivers)|Bug. Poland also contains over 9,300 lakes, predominantly in the north of the country. Masuria (''Mazury'') forms the largest and most-visited lake district in Poland. Remains of the ancient forests survive: see list of forests in Poland. Poland enjoys a temperate climate|temperate climate, with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent slopdropping and mild summers with frequent showers and thunder showers. ==Economy== ''Main article: Economy of Poland'' Since its return to democracy, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of neoliberalism|liberalising the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open examples of the transition from communism to a market economy. Image:100zl r.jpg|thumb|right|Zloty|Złoty, the nation's currency. The privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed for the rapid development of an aggressive private sector, but without any development of consumer rights organisations. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy) has begun. The biggest privatisations so far were a sale of Telekomunikacja Polska, a national telecom to France Telecom (2000) and an issue of 30% shares of the biggest Polish bank, PKO BP, on the Polish stockmarket (2004). Poland has a large agriculture|agricultural sector of private farms, that can be leading producer of food in the European Union. Challenges remain, especially under-investment. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads the region of Central Europe in foreign investment and allegedly needs a continued large inflow. Gross Domestic Product|GDP growth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only a short slowdown from 2001 to 2002. The prospect of closer integration with the European Union has put the economy back on track, with growth of 3.7% annually (as of 2003), a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002. In 2004 GDP growth is expected to exceed 5% (Q1, 2004 - 6.9%). Annual growth rates for following quarters: *Q1 2003 - 2.2% *Q2 2003 - 3.8% *Q3 2003 - 3.9% *Q4 2003 - 4.7% *Q1 2004 - 6.9% *Q2 2004 - 6.1% *Q3 2004 - 4.8% *Q4 2004 - 3.9% Although the Polish economy is currently undergoing an economic boom there are many challenges ahead. The most notable task on the horizon is the preparation of the economy (through continuing deep structural reforms) to allow the Poland to meet the strict economic criteria for entry into the Euro|European Single Currency. 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. These years, Poland is undergoing preparation to make the Euro its official currency (as other countries of the European Union), and Złoty will eventually be abolished from the modern Polish economy. == Transportation == ''Main articles: Roads and Expressways in Poland, Transportation in Poland, Communications in Poland'' By Western European standards, Poland has a relatively poorly developed infrastructure of roads, expressways, highways, waterways, and railroads. Total length of Railways in Poland is 23,420 km. The total length of Highways/Expressways in Poland is 364,657 km. There are a total of 9,283,000 registered passenger automobiles in Poland, as well as 1,762,000 registered trucks and busses (2000). Poland has 8 major airports, a total of 122 airports and airfields, as well as 3 heliports. The total length of navigable rivers and canals is 3,812 km. The merchant marine of Poland consists of 114 ships, with additional 100 ships being registered outside the country. Poland's principal ports and harbours are Gdansk|Gdańsk, Gdynia, Kolobrzeg|Kołobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie|Świnoujście, Ustka, Warsaw, and Wroclaw|Wrocław. == Telecommunication and IT == ''Sub-articles: Software development in Poland'' In Poland, the share of telecom sector in GDP generation is 4.4% (end of 2000 figure), when compared to 2.5% in 1996. Nevertheless, despite high expenditures for telecom infrastructure (the coverage increased from 78 users per 1000 inhabitants in 1989 to 282 in 2000) the infrastructure is still underdeveloped. Density of stationary network in Poland vary from region to region, with rural areas lagging behind. == Tourism and holidays == * Tourism in Poland * Holidays in Poland * [http://wikitravel.org/en/Poland Poland on Wikitravel] == Demographics == ''Main article: Demographics of Poland'' Poland formerly played host to many languages, cultures and religions. However, the outcome of World War II and the following shift westwards to the area between the Curzon line and the Oder-Neisse line gave Poland an appearance of homogeneity. 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of today's population considers itself Polish (Census 2002), 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality. 774,900 people (2.03%) didn't declare any nationality. The officially recognized ethnic minorities include: ethnic German|Germans, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Jews and Belarusians. The Polish language, a member of the West Slavic branch of the Slavic languages, functions as the official language of Poland. Most Poles adhere to the Roman Catholic faith, though only 75% count as practising Catholics. The rest of the population consists mainly of Eastern Orthodox and Protestant religious minorities. == Culture == ''Main article: Culture of Poland'' === International rankings === * Human Development Index 2004: Rank 37th out of 177 countries. * Reporters Without Borders world-wide press freedom index 2004: Rank 32nd out of 167 countries. == See also == * Extreme points of Poland * List of castles of Poland * List of cities in Poland * List of Poland-related topics * List of Poles * Wikipedia:Wikiportal/Poland|Polish Wikiportal * Unofficial national mottos of Poland * Wojsko - The Polish Military ==External links== {{Commonscat|Poland}} ===Governmental websites=== * [http://www.poland.gov.pl/?command=languages/do_choose&language_id=en The Official Poland's portal] * [http://www.poland-tourism.pl/ Tourist information portal] * [http://www.kprm.gov.pl/english/index.html KPRM] - Official prime ministerial site * [http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=479 Prezydent] - Official presidential site * [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/english.html Sejm] - Official site of the Sejm * [http://www.senat.gov.pl/indexe.htm Senat] - Official site of the Senate * [http://www.sn.pl/english/index.html Sąd Najwyższy] - Official site of the Supreme Court * [http://www.trybunal.gov.pl/eng/index.htm Trybunał Konstytucyjny] - Official site of the Constitutional Tribunal * [http://www.sejm.gov.pl/prawo/konst/angielski/kon1.htm Constitution of Poland] ===English-language websites on Poland=== * [http://www.poland.pl/ poland.pl] * [http://www.poland.com/ poland.com] * [http://www.pilot.pl/ eMap of Poland] * [http://webcam.deili.info/en,1,1 Polish Webcams] * [http://www.willgoto.com/categories.aspx?Destination=353&Langue=1 Willgoto Poland], Travel guide and directory * [http://www.poczta-polska.pl/mw/index.html Lots of nice pics] ===The most popular Polish web-portals=== * [http://www.onet.pl/ Onet.pl] * [http://www.wp.pl/ Wirtualna Polska] * [http://interia.pl/ Interia.pl] * [http://www.gazeta.pl/ gazeta.pl] * [http://www.nieslyszacy.pl/ Deaf Poland] * [http://o2.pl/ o2.pl] * [http://www.polska.pl Polska.pl] / [http://www.poland.pl/ Poland.pl] {{EU countries}} {{NATO}} {{Europe}} Category:Poland| Category:European Union member states af:Pole ang:Polaland ar:بولندا bg:Полша be:Польшча bs:Poljska ca:Polònia cv:Польша cs:Polsko cy:Gwlad Pwyl da:Polen de:Polen et:Poola el:Πολωνία es:Polonia eo:Pollando eu:Polonia fo:Pólland fr:Pologne fy:Poalen gd:A' Phòlainn gl:Polonia - Polska ko:폴란드 hi:पोलैंड hr:Poljska io:Polonia id:Polandia ia:Polonia is:Pólland it:Polonia he:פולין csb:Pòlskô la:Polonia lv:Polija lt:Lenkija li:Pole hu:Lengyelország mt:Polonja ms:Poland zh-min-nan:Polska na:Poland nl:Polen nds:Polen ja:ポーランド no:Polen pl:Polska pt:Polónia ro:Polonia ru:Польша se:Polen scn:Pulonia simple:Poland sk:Poľsko sl:Poljska sr:Пољска fi:Puola sv:Polen tr:Polonya uk:Польща yi:פױלן zh:波兰 First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

This article on Poland is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Poland".

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