Background: Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation until an agreement in 1772 between Russia Prussia and Austria partitioned Poland. 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 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 currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. 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 joined NATO in 1999 and is scheduled to accede to the European Union along with nine other states on 1 May 2004.

Geographic coordinates: 52 00 N 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 312,685 km²
Water: 8,220 km²
Land: 304,465 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 2,788 km
Border countries: (6) 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

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: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
Extremes highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Natural resources: coal sulfur copper natural gas silver lead salt amber arable land

Land use
Arable land: 45.81%
Permanent crops: 1.23%
Other: 52.96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 1000 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

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

Population: 38,622,660 (July 2003 est.)
Growth rate: 0% (2003 est.)
Below poverty line: 18.4% (2000 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Pole
Adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups: Polish 97.6% German 1.3% Ukrainian 0.6% Belarusian 0.5% (1990 est.)

Languages: Polish

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 17.5% (male 3,458,844; female 3,284,995)
15-64 years: 69.8% (male 13,407,012; female 13,547,728)
65 years and over: 12.7% (male 1,879,445; female 3,044,636) (2003 est.)

Median age
Total: 36 years
Male: 34.1 years
Female: 38 years (2002)

Population growth rate: 0% (2003 est.)

Birth rate: 10.47 births/1000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate: 9.96 deaths/1000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.49 migrant(s)/1000 population (2003 est.)

Environment
Current issues: situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist 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; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to European Union code but at substantial cost to business and the government
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 8.95 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 7.8 deaths/1000 live births (2003 est.)
Male: 10.04 deaths/1000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.91 years
Male: 69.77 years
Female: 78.28 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: 100 (2001 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.8%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Poland
Conventional short form: Poland
Local short form: Polska
Local long form: Rzeczpospolita 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 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 Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995)
Elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last 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
Head of government: Prime Minister Leszek MILLER (SLD) (since 19 October 2001), Deputy Prime Ministers Marek POL (since 19 October 2001), Jerzy HAUSNER (since 11 June 2003)
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
Election results: Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president; percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzej OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%

Legislative branch
Elections: Sejm elections last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005); Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005)
Election results: Sejm - percent of vote by party - SLD-UP 41%, PO 12.7%, Samoobrona 10.2%, PiS 9.5%, PSL 9%, LPR 7.9%, AWSP 5.6% UW 3.1%, other 1%; seats by party (as of 25 April 2003) - SLD 193, PO 57, Samoobrona 39, PiS 43, PSL 39, LPR 28, UP 16, SKL 8, PLD 6, PBL 5, RKN 5, PP 3, ROP 3, German minorities 2, independents 13; note - SLD and UP ran together on electoral lists in the 2001 elections, but constitute separate parliamentary clubs in the Sejm; several other deputies have left their parties and set up other parliamentary factions; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SLD-UP 75, AWSP (an electoral alliance of some 36 parties) 15, PSL 4, Samoobrona 2, LPR 2, independents 2
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: Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Citizens Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL-RNP [Artur BALAZS]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Leszek MILLER]; Freedom Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Bloc or PBL [Wojciech MOJZESOWICZ]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI]; Samoobrona [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Marek POL]

International organization participation: ACCT (observer) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD ECE EU (applicant) FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA (observer) IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO 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 WCO WEU (associate) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI
In the us chancery: 2,640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-6,270
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-3,800 through 3,802
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher R. HILL
From the us embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw P1
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, 5,010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20,521-5,010 (pouch)
From the us telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000
From the us fax: [48] (22) 504-2,951
From the us consulates 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

Economy overview: Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so much remains to be done. The privatization of small and medium 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's 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) while recently initiated have stalled due to a lack of political will on the part of the government. 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 reduction of state employment and an overhaul of the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers most of whom pay no tax. The government's determination to enter the EU has shaped most aspects of its economic policy and new legislation; in June 2003 77% of the voters approved membership now scheduled for May 2004. Improving Poland's export competitiveness and containing the internal budget deficit are top priorities. Due to political uncertainty the zloty has recently depreciated in relation to the euro and the dollar while currencies of the other euro-zone aspirants have been appreciating. GDP per capita equals that of the 3 Baltic states.

Real gdp growth rate: 1.4% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,700 (2002 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.8%
Industry: 35%
Services: 61.2% (2000 est.)

Agriculture products: potatoes fruits vegetables wheat; poultry eggs pork

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.3% (2001)

Labor force: 17.6 million (2000 est.)
By occupation industry: 22.1%
By occupation agriculture: 27.5%
By occupation services: 50.4% (1999)

Unemployment rate: 18.1% (2002)

Population below poverty line: 18.4% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.2%
Highest 10: 24.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income gini index: 31.6 (1998)

Budget
Revenues: $49.6 billion
Expenditures: $52.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.9% (2002 est.)

Exports: $32.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 30.2% intermediate manufactured goods 25.5% miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9% food and live animals 8.5% (1999)
Partners: Germany 33% Italy 5.7% France 5% UK 4.8% Czech Republic 4.3% (2002)

Imports: $43.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38.2% intermediate manufactured goods 20.8% chemicals 14.3% miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)
Partners: Germany 29.9% Italy 8.1% Russia 7.4% France 7.2% Netherlands 5.3% (2002)

Debt external: $64 billion (2002)

Exchange rates
Note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Electricity
Production: 135 billion kWh (2001)
Production by source fossil fuel: 98.1%
Production by source hydro: 1.5%
Production by source other: 0.4% (2001)
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Consumption: 118.8 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 11.04 billion kWh (2001)
Imports: 4.306 billion kWh (2001)

Natural gas
Production: 5.471 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 13.85 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 41 million m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 8.782 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 154.4 billion m³ (37,257)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 8.07 million (1998)
Mobile cellular: 13 million (2002)

Telephone system
General assessment: underdeveloped and outmoded system in the process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile cellular telephone use
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)

Internet
Country code: .pl
Service providers isps: 19 (2000)
Users: 6.4 million (2001)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $3.5 billion (2002)
Percent of gdp: 1.71% (2002)

Airports: 150 (2002)
With paved runways total: 88
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 30
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With paved runways under 914 m: 9 (2002)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 39
With unpaved runways total: 62
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 43 (2002)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 15

Heliports: 3 (2002)

Pipelines: gas 12,901 km; oil 737 km (2003)

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)
Narrow gauge: 1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2002)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 199,186 GRT/275,476 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)

Disputes international: small boundary changes made with Slovakia in 2003

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