Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska Flag Coat of arms Anthem: Mazurek Dąbrowskiego
Poland Is Not Yet Lost Menu0:00 Location of Poland (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green) — [Legend]
Capital
and largest city Warsaw
52°13′N 21°02′E Official language/s Polish[1] Regional language/s Kashubian Ethnic groups (2011[2]) Demonym Government Parliamentary republic - President Bronisław Komorowski - Prime Minister Donald Tusk Legislature National Assembly - Upper house Senate - Lower house Sejm Formation - Christianisation[b] 14 April 966 - Kingdom of Poland 18 April 1025 - Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth 1 July 1569 - Partition of Poland 24 October 1795 - Duchy of Warsaw 22 July 1807 - Congress Poland 9 June 1815 - Reconstitution of Poland 11 November 1918 - Invasion of Poland, World War II 1 September 1939 - Communist Poland 8 April 1945 - Republic of Poland 13 September 1989 Area - Total 312,679 km2[a] (70th)
120,696.41 sq mi - Water (%) 3.07 Population - 2010 estimate 38,186,860[3] (34th) - 2012 census 38,544,513 - Density 120/km2 (83rd)
319.9/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate - Total US $800.934 billion[4] - Per capita US $21,000[4] GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate - Total US$513.821 billion[4] - Per capita US$13,540[4] Gini (2011) 31.1[5]
medium HDI (2011) 0.813[6]
very high · 39th Currency Złoty (PLN) Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Drives on the right Calling code 48 ISO 3166 code PL Internet TLD .pl a. ^a The area of Poland, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is 312,679 km2 (120,726 sq mi), of which 311,888 km2 (120,421 sq mi) is land and 791 km2 (305 sq mi) is internal water surface area.[7] b. ^b 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 events in their country's history, as it was used to unify the tribes in the region.[8] Poland i/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi),[7] making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people,[7] Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world,[9] the sixth most populous member of the European Union, and its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships.
Many historians trace the establishment of a Polish state to 966, when Mieszko I ruler of ,[10] a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin, forming the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth ceased to exist in 1795, when the Polish territory was partitioned among the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire, and Old Austria. Poland regained independence (as the Second Polish Republic) at the end of World War II, in 1918.
Two decades later, in September 1939, World War II started with the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union invasions of Poland (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). More than six million Polish citizens died in the war. Poland became a client state of the Soviet Union in 1944 and was accordingly renamed the People's Republic of Poland in 1952. During the Revolutions of 1989, Poland's communist government was overthrown and Poland adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy and renaming itself the "Third Polish Republic".
Despite the vast destruction the country experienced during World War II, Poland managed to preserve much of its cultural wealth. There are currently 14 heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in Poland[11] and 54 Historical Monuments. Since the end of the communist period, Poland has achieved a "very high" ranking in terms of human development.[12]
Poland Is Not Yet Lost Menu0:00 Location of Poland (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green) — [Legend]
Capital
and largest city Warsaw
52°13′N 21°02′E Official language/s Polish[1] Regional language/s Kashubian Ethnic groups (2011[2]) Demonym Government Parliamentary republic - President Bronisław Komorowski - Prime Minister Donald Tusk Legislature National Assembly - Upper house Senate - Lower house Sejm Formation - Christianisation[b] 14 April 966 - Kingdom of Poland 18 April 1025 - Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth 1 July 1569 - Partition of Poland 24 October 1795 - Duchy of Warsaw 22 July 1807 - Congress Poland 9 June 1815 - Reconstitution of Poland 11 November 1918 - Invasion of Poland, World War II 1 September 1939 - Communist Poland 8 April 1945 - Republic of Poland 13 September 1989 Area - Total 312,679 km2[a] (70th)
120,696.41 sq mi - Water (%) 3.07 Population - 2010 estimate 38,186,860[3] (34th) - 2012 census 38,544,513 - Density 120/km2 (83rd)
319.9/sq mi GDP (PPP) 2012 estimate - Total US $800.934 billion[4] - Per capita US $21,000[4] GDP (nominal) 2011 estimate - Total US$513.821 billion[4] - Per capita US$13,540[4] Gini (2011) 31.1[5]
medium HDI (2011) 0.813[6]
very high · 39th Currency Złoty (PLN) Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) Drives on the right Calling code 48 ISO 3166 code PL Internet TLD .pl a. ^a The area of Poland, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is 312,679 km2 (120,726 sq mi), of which 311,888 km2 (120,421 sq mi) is land and 791 km2 (305 sq mi) is internal water surface area.[7] b. ^b 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 events in their country's history, as it was used to unify the tribes in the region.[8] Poland i/ˈpoʊlənd/ (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska; Kashubian: Pòlskô Repùblika), is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast (a Russian exclave) and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi),[7] making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people,[7] Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world,[9] the sixth most populous member of the European Union, and its most populous post-communist member. Poland is a unitary state made up of 16 voivodeships.
Many historians trace the establishment of a Polish state to 966, when Mieszko I ruler of ,[10] a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin, forming the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth ceased to exist in 1795, when the Polish territory was partitioned among the Kingdom of Prussia, the Russian Empire, and Old Austria. Poland regained independence (as the Second Polish Republic) at the end of World War II, in 1918.
Two decades later, in September 1939, World War II started with the Nazi Germany and Soviet Union invasions of Poland (Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact). More than six million Polish citizens died in the war. Poland became a client state of the Soviet Union in 1944 and was accordingly renamed the People's Republic of Poland in 1952. During the Revolutions of 1989, Poland's communist government was overthrown and Poland adopted a new constitution establishing itself as a democracy and renaming itself the "Third Polish Republic".
Despite the vast destruction the country experienced during World War II, Poland managed to preserve much of its cultural wealth. There are currently 14 heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in Poland[11] and 54 Historical Monuments. Since the end of the communist period, Poland has achieved a "very high" ranking in terms of human development.[12]