Background: Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near 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. 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 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 joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. With its transformation to a democratic market-oriented country largely completed Poland is an increasingly active member of Euro-Atlantic organizations.

Geographic coordinates: 52 00 N 20 00 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 312,679 km²
Land: 304,459 km²
Water: 8,220 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than New Mexico

Land boundaries
Total: 3,047 km
Border countries: (6) Belarus 605 km; , Czech Republic 615 km; , Germany 456 km; , Lithuania 91 km; , Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km; , Slovakia 420 km; , Ukraine 428 km

Coastline: 440 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

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: 40.25%
Permanent crops: 1%
Other: 58.75% (2005)

Irrigated land: 1000 km² (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 63.1 km³ (2005)

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: 38,500,696 (July 2008 est.)
Growth rate: -0.045% (2008 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Pole
Adjective: Polish

Ethnic groups: Polish 96.7% German 0.4% Belarusian 0.1% Ukrainian 0.1% other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Languages: Polish 97.8% other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing) Eastern Orthodox 1.3% Protestant 0.3% other 0.3% unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.2% (male 3,013,109/female 2,849,977)
15-64 years: 71.4% (male 13,681,481/female 13,808,412)
65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,964,477/female 3,183,240) (2008 est.)

Median age
Total: 37.6 years
Male: 35.8 years
Female: 39.5 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.045% (2008 est.)

Birth rate: 10.01 births/1000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate: 9.99 deaths/1000 population (2008 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.46 migrant(s)/1000 population (2008 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 EU 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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.06 male/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male/female
Total population: 0.94 male/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6.93 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 7.66 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 6.17 deaths/1000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.41 years
Male: 71.42 years
Female: 79.65 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.27 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 14,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 100 (2001 est.)

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
Vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis
Note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds

Education expenditures: 5.5% of GDP (2005)

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 15 years
Male: 15 years
Female: 16 years (2006)

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
Name: Warsaw
Geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (wojewodztwa singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia) Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania) Lodzkie Lubelskie (Lublin) Lubuskie (Lubusz) Malopolskie (Lesser Poland) Mazowieckie (Masovia) Opolskie Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia) Podlaskie Pomorskie (Pomerania) Slaskie (Silesia) Swietokrzyskie Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria) Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland) Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)

Independence: 11 November 1918 (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: based on a 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005)
Head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November 2007) and Grzegorz SCHETYNA (since 16 November 2007)
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 (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm
Election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%

Legislative branch
Elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1; note - seats by party as of February 2008 - PO 209, PiS 159, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 7
Note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only

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: Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Democratic Party or PD [Janusz ONYSZKIEWICZ]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Sylwester CHRUSZCZ]; Left and Democrats or LiD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK] (a coalition formed by the SLD PD SDPL and UP); Polish People's Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Bartosz DOMINIK acting]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI]

International organization participation: Arctic Council (observer) Australia Group BIS BSEC (observer) CBSS CE CEI CERN EAPC EBRD EIB ESA (cooperating state) EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICCt ICRM IDA IEA IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC MIGA MINURCAT MINURSO MONUC NAM (guest) NATO NSG OAS (observer) OECD OIF (observer) OPCW OSCE PCA Schengen Convention SECI (observer) UN UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNIFIL UNMIL UNMIS UNOCI UNOMIG UNWTO UPU WCL WCO WEU (associate) WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI
In the us chancery: 2,640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 234-3,800 through 3,802
In the us fax: [1] (202) 328-6,271
In the us consulates general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE
From the us embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw
From the us mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20,521-5,010 (pouch)
From the us telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000
From the us fax: [48] (22) 504-2,688
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 pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. In 2007 GDP grew an estimated 6.5% based on rising private consumption a jump in corporate investment and EU funds inflows. GDP per capita is still much below the EU average but is similar to that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004 EU membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly though at roughly 12.8% in 2007 it remains well above the EU average. Tightening labor markets and rising global energy and food prices pose a risk to consumer price stability. In December 2007 inflation reached 4.1% on a year-over-year basis or higher than the upper limit of the National Bank of Poland's target range. Poland's economic performance could improve further if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its business environment. An inefficient commercial court system a rigid labor code bureaucratic red tape and persistent low-level corruption keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential. Rising demands to fund health care education and the state pension system present a challenge to the Polish government's effort to hold the consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP a target which was achieved in 2007. The PO/PSL coalition government which came to power in November 2007 plans to further reduce the budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the euro. The new government has also announced its intention to enact business-friendly reforms reduce public sector spending growth lower taxes and accelerate privatization. However the government does not have the necessary three-fifths majority needed to override a presidential veto and thus may have to water down initiatives in order to garner enough support to pass its pro-business policies.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $623.1 billion (2007 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 6.6% (2007 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $16,200 (2007 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 4.1%
Industry: 31.6%
Services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.9% (2007 est.)

Labor force: 16.86 million (2007 est.)
By occupation agriculture: 16.1%
By occupation industry: 29%
By occupation services: 54.9% (2002)

Unemployment rate: 12.8% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.1%
Highest 10: 27% (2002)

Distribution of family income gini index: 36 (2005)

Budget
Revenues: $85.39 billion
Expenditures: $91.16 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt: 43.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.5% (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate: 5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 5.48% (31 December 2006)

Stock of domestic credit: $223.2 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares: $149.1 billion (2006)

Current account balance: -$15.91 billion (2007 est.)

Exports: $144.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 37.8% intermediate manufactured goods 23.7% miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1% food and live animals 7.6% (2003)
Partners: Germany 25.9% Italy 6.6% France 6.1% UK 5.9% Czech Republic 5.5% Russia 4.6% (2007)

Imports: $160.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment 38% intermediate manufactured goods 21% chemicals 14.8% minerals fuels lubricants and related materials 9.1% (2003)
Partners: Germany 29% Russia 8.7% Italy 6.6% Netherlands 5.7% France 5.1% China 4.2% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $65.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt external: $169.8 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $143 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $19.69 billion (2007 est.)

Exchange rates
Note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Electricity
Production: 149.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption: 126.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Exports: 13.11 billion kWh (2007)
Imports: 7.761 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 6.025 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Consumption: 16.38 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Exports: 45 million m³ (2007 est.)
Imports: 10.12 billion m³ (2007 est.)
Proven reserves: 164.8 billion m³ (1 January 2008 est.)

Telephones
Main lines in use: 10.336 million (2007)
Mobile cellular: 41.389 million (2007)

Telephone system
General assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony
Domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas
International: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2007)

Internet
Country code: .pl
Hosts: 7.808 million (2008)
Users: 16 million (2007)

Military expenditures: 1.71% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation: 17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008 plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004 women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2006)

Airports: 123 (2007)
With paved runways total: 83
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 30
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 39
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7
With paved runways under 914 m: 3 (2007)
With unpaved runways total: 40
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports: 7 (2007)

Pipelines: gas 13,552 km; oil 1384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)

Railways
Total: 23,072 km
Broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge
Standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways
Total: 423,997 km
Paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)

Waterways: 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)

Merchant marine
Total: 15
By type: cargo 8, chemical tanker 4, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1
Foreign owned: 2 (Cyprus 1, Nigeria 1)
Registered in other countries: 98 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas 17, Cyprus 18, Liberia 13, Malta 24, Norway 3, Panama 11, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Slovakia 2, Vanuatu 7) (2008)

Ports and terminals: Gdansk Gdynia Swinoujscie Szczecin

Disputes international: as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine

Illicit drugs: despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international information sharing on cross-border crimes a major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe