Poland's history as a state begins near the middle of the 10th century. By the mid-16th century, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth ruled a vast tract of land in central and eastern Europe. During the 18th century, internal disorders weakened the nation, and in a series of agreements between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland among 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 with over ten million members. Free elections in 1989 and 1990 won Solidarity control of the parliament and the presidency, bringing the Communist era to a close. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. 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.

Central Europe, east of Germany

slightly smaller than New Mexico

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

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

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

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

Polish (official) 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Roman Catholic 89.8% [about 75% practicing], Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

38,415,284 (July 2012 est.)

9.96 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

10.24 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

WARSAW (capital) 1.71 million; Krakow 756,000 (2009)

5 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.31 children born/woman (2012 est.)

2.144 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

6.62 beds/1,000 population (2008)

urban: 96% of population

rural: 80% of population

total: 90% of population

urban: 4% of population

rural: 20% of population

total: 10% of population

0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2009 est.)

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)

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)

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: A.D. 966 (adoption of Christianity, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created)

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997

civil law system; changes gradually being introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

bicameral legislature consists of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly

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)

Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK, chairman; Rafal GRUPINSKI, parliamentary caucus leader]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Leszek MILLER, chairman, parliamentary caucus leader]; Democratic Party or PD [Brygida KUZNIAK, chairwoman]; Democratic Party or SD [Pawel PISKORSKI, chairman]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Ryszard GALLA, representative]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI, chairman; Mariusz BLASZCZAK, parliamentary caucus leader]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Witold BALAZAK, chairman]; Palikot's Movement or RP [Janusz PALIKOT, chairman]; Poland Comes First or PJN [Pawel KOWAL, chairperson]; Polish People's Party or PSL [Janusz PIECHOCINSKI, chairman; Jan BURY, parliamentary caucus leader]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Wojciech FILEMONOWICZ, chairman]; Union of Labor or UP [Waldemar WITKOWSKI, chairman]; United Poland or SP (political grouping of former PiS members, not officially registered) [Arkadiusz MULARCZYK, chairperson; Patrick HOW, parliamentary caucus leader]

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop Jozef MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Piotr DUDA]

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; colors derive from the Polish emblem - a white eagle on a red field

Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990 and Poland's economy was the only country in the European Union to avoid a recession through the 2008-09 economic downturn. Although EU membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the economy since 2004, GDP per capita remains significantly below the EU everage while unemployment continues to exceed the EU average. The government of Prime Minister Donald TUSK steered the Polish economy through the economic downturn by skillfully managing public finances without stifling economic growth and adopted controversial pension and tax reforms to further shore up public finances. Poland's economic performance could improve over the longer term if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its road and rail infrastructure and its business environment. An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor code, bureaucratic red tape, burdensome tax system, and persistent low-level corruption keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential.

$802 billion (2012 est.)

$783.6 billion (2011 est.)

$751.1 billion (2010 est.)

$470.4 billion (2012 est.)

17.92 million (2012 est.)

20.3% of GDP (2012 est.)

19% of GDP (2012 est.)

-2.1% of GDP (2012 est.)

53.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

53.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

4% (31 December 2010 est.)

3.5% (31 December 2009 est.)

8.6% (31 December 2012 est.)

8.47% (31 December 2011 est.)

$152.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$137 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$293.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$252.8 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$335.4 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$295.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$138.2 billion (31 December 2011)

$190.2 billion (31 December 2010)

$135.3 billion (31 December 2009)

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy

-$18.29 billion (2012 est.)

-$22.25 billion (2011 est.)

$192.3 billion (2012 est.)

$193.9 billion (2011 est.)

machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6%

Germany 26.8%, UK 6.6%, Czech Republic 6.4%, France 6.3%, Italy 5.5%, Netherlands 4.5%, Russia 4.2% (2011)

$206.5 billion (2012 est.)

$208.1 billion (2011 est.)

machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 15%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9%

Germany 28.7%, Russia 10.3%, Netherlands 5.9%, Italy 5.3%, China 5.3%, France 4.4%, Czech Republic 4.3% (2011)

$99.93 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$97.86 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$310.2 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$318.3 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$194.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$190.9 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$44.89 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$44.39 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

zlotych (PLN) per US dollar -

147.5 billion kWh (2010 est.)

127.2 billion kWh (2009 est.)

7.664 billion kWh (2010)

6.31 billion kWh (2010 est.)

33.03 million kW (2009 est.)

90.4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

2.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

2.5% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

19,730 bbl/day (2011 est.)

4,520 bbl/day (2009 est.)

402,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

155 million bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

462,600 bbl/day (2009 est.)

576,600 bbl/day (2011 est.)

45,860 bbl/day (2009 est.)

129,800 bbl/day (2009 est.)

6.247 billion cu m (2011 est.)

17.17 billion cu m (2011 est.)

29 million cu m (2011 est.)

11.79 billion cu m (2011 est.)

95 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

303.7 million Mt (2010 est.)

6.853 million (2011)

50.16 million (2011)

state-run public TV operates 2 national channels supplemented by 16 regional channels and several niche channels; privately-owned entities operate several national TV networks and a number of special interest channels; many privately-owned channels broadcasting locally; roughly half of all households are linked to either satellite or cable TV systems providing access to foreign television networks; state-run public radio operates 5 national networks and 17 regional radio stations; 2 privately-owned national radio networks, several commercial stations broadcasting to multiple cities, and many privately-owned local radio stations (2007)

13.265 million (2012)

22.452 million (2009)

gas 13,860 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km; unknown 35 km (2010)

3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2009)

Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin

Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Aviation Forces, Special Forces (2010)

18-28 years of age for male voluntary or compulsory military service; conscription suspended in 2009; reserve obligation to age 50 (2009)

1.9% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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