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Poland

Republic of Poland
Rzeczpospolita Polska  (Polish)
Anthem: "Mazurek Dąbrowskiego"[a]
("Poland Is Not Yet Lost")
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 languagePolish[1]
Ethnic groups
(2021)[2]
  • 98.84% Polish[b]
    • 96.28% only Polish
    • 2.56% Polish and others
  • 1.13% only non-Polish
  • 0.03% unknown
Religion
(2021[3])
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Andrzej Duda
Donald Tusk
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
Sejm
Formation
c. 960
966
18 April 1025
1 July 1569
24 October 1795
11 November 1918
17 September 1939
22 July 1944
31 December 1989[5]
Area
• Total
312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi)[6][7] (69th)
• Water (%)
1.48 (2015)[8]
Population
• 2024 census
Neutral increase 36,620,970 [9][10] (38th)
• Density
122/km2 (316.0/sq mi) (75th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $1.801 trillion[11] (20th)
• Per capita
Increase $49,060[11] (39th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $844.623 billion[11] (21st)
• Per capita
Increase $23,014[11] (45th)
Gini (2022)Positive decrease 26.3[12]
low
HDI (2022)Increase 0.881[13]
very high · 36th
CurrencyZłoty (PLN)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy (CE)
Driving sideright
Calling code+48
ISO 3166 codePL
Internet TLD.pl [a]
  1. Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.

Poland is a country in the eastern region of Central Europe.[14] 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 km2[15] (120,728 mi2), slightly larger than Oman. This makes Poland the 77th largest country[15] 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.
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  1. ↑ Constitution of the Republic of Poland, Article 27.
  2. ↑ "National Population and Housing Census 2021 Population. Size and demographic-social structure in the light of the 2021 Census results".
  3. ↑ "Final results of the National Population and Housing Census 2021". Statistics Poland.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Poland". Encyclopedia Britannica. 2023. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  5. ↑ "The Act of December 29, 1989 amending the Constitution of the Polish People's Republic". Internetowy System Aktów Prawnych. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 18 October 2020. (in Polish)
  6. ↑ GUS. "Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2023 roku". Archived from the original on 22 September 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Poland country profile". BBC News. 12 November 2023. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
  8. ↑ "Surface water and surface water change". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  9. ↑ GUS. "Resident population projection for Poland 2023-2060". stat.gov.pl. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  10. ↑ Ptak, Alicja (2024-07-12). "Poland records EU's largest population decline". Notes From Poland. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024 Edition. (Poland)". International Monetary Fund. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  12. ↑ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey". ec.europa.eu. Eurostat. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Human Development Report 2023/2024". United Nations Development Programme. 19 March 2024. Archived from the original on 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Poland". The World Factbook (2024 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.

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