Poland

Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska  (Polish)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego" Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"
Location of  Poland  (dark green) – on the European continent  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green)  —  [Legend]
Capital and largest city	Warsaw 52°13′N 21°02′E / 52.217°N 21.033°E / 52.217; 21.033
Official languages	Polish
Spoken languages	Polish Lithuanian Kashubian Czech German Romani Ukrainian Hungarian Slovak Belarusian Russian Romanian Yiddish Rusyn
Ethnic groups (2011[1])	94.61% Polish 0.28% German 0.12% Ukrainian 0.12% Belarusian 0.04% Kashubian 0.03% Romani 0.02% Lemko 4.99% other
Religion (2011)	87.6% Roman Catholicism 7.1% No Answer 3.1% Other Faith 2.2% None
Demonym(s)	Polish people Pole
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• President	Andrzej Duda
• Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Legislature	National Assembly
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	Sejm
Formation
• Baptism of Poland[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
• Second Polish Republic	11 November 1918
• Invasion of Poland, World War II	1 September 1939
• Communist Poland	8 April 1945
• Third Polish Republic	13 September 1989
• Accession to the European Union	1 May 2004
Area
• Total	312,678 km2 (120,726 sq mi)[a] (69th)
• Water (%)	3.07
Population
• 2018 estimate	38,420,687[2] (34th)
• Density	123/km2 (318.6/sq mi) (83rd)
GDP (PPP)	2017 estimate
• Total	$1,110 trillion[3] (21st)
• Per capita	$29,250
GDP (nominal)	2017 estimate
• Total	$509.955 billion[3] (23rd)
• Per capita	$13,429
Gini (2014)	32.08[4] medium
HDI (2015)	0.855[5] very high · 36th
Currency	Polish złoty (PLN)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+48
ISO 3166 code	PL
Internet TLD	.pl
Website poland.pl
^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.[6] ^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.[7]

Poland is a country in the eastern region of Central Europe.^[8] Its official name is Republic of Poland. It is on the east of Germany (along Oder and Lusatian Neisse). The Czech Republic and Slovakia are to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and the Russian exclave Kaliningrad to the north. The total land area of Poland is about 312,679 km^2[9] (120,728 mi²), slightly larger than Oman. This makes Poland the 77th largest country^[9] in the world with over 38.5 million people. Most Polish people live in large cities, including the capital, Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa), Łódź, Cracow (Polish: Kraków), the second capital of Poland (first was Gniezno), Szczecin, Gdańsk, Wrocław and Poznań.

The word "Poland" was written officially for the first time in 966. In 1569, Poland formed a strong union with Lithuania called the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. At some point in its history, it was the largest state in Europe and became very influential. Eventually, after a slow decline, the Commonwealth collapsed in 1795. Poland regained its independence in 1918 after World War I. In 1921, Poland defeated Soviet Russia in the Polish-Soviet War that started in 1919.

However, Poland lost independence again not long after the beginning of World War II, after suffering a defeat by both the USSR and Nazi Germany. Although the government collapsed, the Polish people fought on by forming the largest and most effective resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Europe. It is most notable for disrupting German supply lines to the Eastern Front of WWII, providing military intelligence to the British, and for saving more Jewish lives in the Holocaust than any other Allied organization or government. After the war, Poland regained "independence" and became a communist country within the Eastern Bloc. The new government was appointed by Joseph Stalin and was under the control of the Soviet Union.

In 1989, Poland ceased being a communist country and became a liberal democracy. Its change of government was the first in a series of events that led to the states of Eastern and Central Europe regaining their independence and the fall of the USSR in 1991. After the democratic consolidation, Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Poland is also a member of NATO, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization.

1. ↑ "Wyniki Narodowego Spisu Powszechnego Ludności i Mieszkań 2011" [Results of the National Census of Population and Housing 2011] (PDF). Central Statistical Office (in Polish). March 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2013.
2. ↑ "Poland Demographics Profile". Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "5. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
4. ↑ "GINI Index for Poland". 17 October 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
5. ↑ "2015 Human Development Report" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 May 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
6. ↑ Cite error: The named reference CSO_2008 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).
7. ↑ Smith, Christian (1996). Disruptive Religion: The Force of Faith in Social-movement Activism. Psychology Press. ISBN 9780415914055. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
8. ↑ UN Statistics Division (1 April 2010). "Standard Country and Area Codes Classifications (M49)". United Nations Organization. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "Poland". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.