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Poland

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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. 

Location :

Central Europe, east of Germany 

Geographic Coordinates Center :

52 00 N, 20 00 E  (Latitude, Longtitude)

Geographic Coordinates Rectangle :

West 14.12
North 54.84
East 24.15
South 49.01

Area :

total 312 685 square km
land 304 255 square km
water 8 430 square km

Land boundaries :

total 3 047 km
Belarus (by) 605 km
Czech Republic (cz) 615 km
Germany (de) 456 km
Lithuania (lt) 91 km
Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km
Slovakia (sk) 420 km
Ukraine (ua) 428 km

Coastline :

440.00 km

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 2 metres
highest point 2 499 metres

Natural resources :

amber arable land
coal copper
lead natural gas
salt silver
sulfur

Land use :

arable land 40.25 %
permanent crops 1.00 %
other 58.75 %

Irrigated land :

1 000 square km

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 :

Air Pollution Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
Antarctic Seals Antarctic Treaty
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol Antarctic-Marine Living Resources
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

Population :

38 482 919 

Indicators :

Growth rate -0.05 %
Birth rate 10.04 births/1,000 population
Total fertility rate 1.28 children born/woman
Death rate 10.05 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population

Age structure :

0-14 years 15.00 %
15-64 years 71.60 %
65 years and over 13.40 %

Median age :

total 37.90 years
male 36.10 years
female 39.70 years

Sex ratio :

at birth 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.62 male(s)/female
total population 0.94 male(s)/female

Health :

Infant mortality rate 6.80 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth - total population 75.63 years
Life expectancy at birth - male 71.65 years
Life expectancy at birth - female 79.85 years
HIV-AIDS adult prevalence rate 0.10 %
HIV-AIDS people living with HIV-AIDS 20 000
HIV-AIDS deaths 200

Religions :

Roman Catholic 89.80 %
Eastern Orthodox 1.30 %
Protestant 0.30 %
other 0.30 %
unspecified 8.30 %

Languages :

Polish 97.80 %

Literacy :

total population 99.80 %
male 99.80 %
female 99.70 %

Country name :

conventional long form Republic of Poland
conventional short form Poland
local long form Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form Polska

Country Codes :

ISO 3166 PL
ISO Numeric 616
ISO3 POL
FIPS PL
ccTLD pl
English Poland

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) 

Capital :

name Warsaw
geographic coordinates 52 15 N, 21 00 E
time difference 1.00
daylight saving time 1

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 IOC
IOM IPU
ISO ITSO
ITU ITUC
Interpol MIGA
MINURCAT MINURSO
MONUC NATO
NSG OAS (observer)
OECD OIF (observer)
OPCW OSCE
PCA SECI (observer)
Schengen Convention UN
UNCTAD UNDOF
UNESCO UNHCR
UNIDO UNIFIL
UNMIL UNMIS
UNOCI UNWTO
UPU WCO
WEU (associate) WFTU
WHO WIPO
WMO WTO
ZC

Independence :

1918-11-11 

National holiday :

Constitution Day

1791-05-03

Executive branch :

President Lech KACZYNSKI Prime Minister Donald TUSK

Legislative branch :

PO 41.50 %
PiS 32.10 %
LiD 13.20 %
PSL 8.90 %
other 4.30 %

GDP - Gross Domestic product :

PPP - Purchasing Power Parity 686 200 000 000 $
Official Exchange Rate 423 000 000 000
RGR - Real Growth rate 1.10 %
PPP - per capita 17 800 $

GDP Composition by sector :

agriculture 4.60 %
industry 28.10 %
services 67.30 %

Labor force - by occupation :

agriculture 17.40 %
industry 29.20 %
services 53.40 %

Other Indicators :

Labor force 16 990 000 people
Unemployment rate 11.00 %
Population below poverty line 17.00 %
Distribution of family income - Gini index 34.90
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.40 %
Investment (gross fixed) 20.70 % of GDP
Current account balance - 3 585 000 000 $
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 67 290 000 000 $
Debt external 201 200 000 000 $
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad 23 310 000 000 $
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home 167 900 000 000 $
Market value of publicly traded shares 90 230 000 000 $
Military expenditures 1.71 % of GDP
Public debt 47.50 % of GDP

Household income or consumption by percentage share :

lowest 10% 3.00 %
highest 10% 27.20 %

Budget :

revenues 83 680 000 000 $
expenditures 93 470 000 000 $

Agriculture - products :

dairy eggs
fruits pork
potatoes poultry
vegetables wheat

Industries :

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

Energy :

Electricity Production 149 100 000 000 kWh
Electricity Consumption 129 300 000 000 kWh
Electricity Exports 9 703 000 000 kWh
Electricity Imports 8 480 000 000 kWh
Oil Production 35 560 bbl/day
Oil Consumption 544 800 bbl/day
Oil Exports 67 340 bbl/day
Oil Imports 595 400 bbl/day
Oil Proved reserves 96 380 000 bbl
Natural gas Production 5 719 000 000 cubic metres
Natural gas Consumption 16 550 000 000 cubic metres
Natural gas Exports 39 000 000 cubic metres
Natural gas Imports 11 200 000 000 cubic metres
Electricity Exports 164 800 000 000 cubic metres

Value :

134 699 999 999 $

Commodities :

food and live animals intermediate manufactured products
machinery and transportation equipment manufactured products

Value :

141 700 000 000 $

Commodities :

and related materials chemicals
fuels intermediate manufactured products
lubricants machinery and transportation equipment
minerals

Communications :

Telephons Main lines in use 10 336 000
Telephons Mobile, Cellular 44 004 000
FM Radio broadcast stations 63
Television broadcast stations 75
Internet Country code (ccTLD) pl
Internet Hosts 8 906 000
Internet Users 18 679 000

Transportation :

Airports with paved runways 84
Heliports 7
Pipelines - gas 13 631 km
Pipelines - oil 1 384 km
Pipelines - refined products 777 km
Roadways - total 423 997 km
Roadways - expressways 662 km
Roadways - paved 295 356 km
Roadways - unpaved 128 641 km
Railways 22 314 km
Waterways 3 997 km

Photos

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