Information about Poland
Geography
Poland is located in the heart of central Europe and is the 9th largest country in Europe and the largest of the former communist states, with an area of approx 313,000 sq kilometers and a population of approximately 38 million. It is bordered by 7 countries. To the West, Germany, to the South the Czech republic and Slovakia, and to the East, the Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Russia.
The North-East of the Poland is characterized by beautiful beaches of the Balltic coastline, while the North is made up of picturesque, forested hills, spaced out by thousands of glacial lakes. Poland is know as the 'land of the plains' with a flat and fertile central region, which is fed by Poland's largest river, the Vistula and contributes significantly to Poland's powerful agricultural industry.
Nearing the South, the scenery changes and the folds in the land become increasingly spectacular forming the Carpathian mountains, which create a geographical barrier from the South all the way to the East, and the Sudeten Mountains situated to the West. The highest part of the Carpathians is known as the Tatras which enclose Poland's highest peak Mt Rysy at 2,499m
Demographics
| Full country name: | Republic of Poland |
|---|---|
| Area: | 312,685 sq km |
| Population: | 38.62 million |
| Capital City: | Warsaw (pop 1.75 million) |
| People: | 98% Polish, plus Ukrainian and Belarussian minorities |
| Language: | Polish (96.7%), English, German. Younger population are more likely to speak English |
| Religion: | 95% Roman Catholic, approx 75% practicing |
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, especially in bringing down unemployment. The privatization of small and medium-sized 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 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. 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 has introduced a package of social and administrative spending cuts to reduce public spending by about $17 billion through 2007, but only about half of this has been approved by the legislature and the remainder could be trumped by election-year politics in 2005. Poland joined the EU in May 2004, and surging exports to the EU contributed to Poland's strong growth in 2004, though its competitiveness could be threatened by the zloty's appreciation. GDP per capita roughly equals that of the three Baltic states. Poland stands to benefit from nearly $17 billion in EU funds, available through 2006. Farmers have already begun to reap the rewards of membership via higher food prices and EU agricultural subsidies.
Labour Force
| Number in labour force: | 17.02 million (2004 est.) |
|---|---|
| Sectors: | agriculture 16.1%, industry 29%, services 54.9% (2002) |
| Unemployment: | 19.5% (2004 est.) |
GDP Facts and Figures
| Currency: | Zloty (Zl) |
|---|---|
| GDP ($bn): | 463 |
| GDP Per Capita ($): | 12000 |
| GDP Real Growth: | 5.6% (2004 est.) |
| GDP Composition: | agriculture: 2.9% industry: 31.3% services: 65.9% (2004 est.) |
Industries and Land Use
| Industries: | machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles |
|---|---|
| Land use: | arable land: 45.91%, permanent crops: 1.12%, other: 52.97% (2001) |
| Exports: | machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003) |
Poland has one of the most ethnically homogeneous populations in the world because of the moving of people after the second world war and the moving of boarders when the Russians annexed what is now the Ukraine and Belarus.
List of the largest cities in Poland and their approximate populations.
| Warsaw: | approx 1,600,000 (2.2m = metropolitan area) |
|---|---|
| Lodz: | approx 805,000 |
| Krakow: | approx 760,000 |
| Wroclaw: | approx 650,000 |
| Poznan: | approx 580,000 |
| Szczecin: | approx 415,000 |
| Bydgoszcz: | approx 385,000 |
| Lublin: | approx 360,000 |
| Katowice: | approx 320,000 |
| Gdynia: | approx 255,000 |
| Torun: | approx 205,000 |
Climate
Poland's climate is temperate and it is typified by warm summers and cold winters. The warm summers draw people to the Baltic beach resorts and northern lakes with average temperatures ranging from 16.5°C (62°F) near the coast to 19°C (66°F) in the south (with average max temperatures of around 23°C (74°F). In the winter, it can be very cold with perishing Siberian winds and January temperatures averaging -1°C (30°F) in the north and dropping as low as - 5°C (23°F) in the southeast. The resultant snow is a major attraction in the ski resorts to the south in resorts such as Zakpane.
