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Background Note: Poland
PROFILE
OFFICIAL NAME:
Republic of Poland
Geography
Area: 312,683 sq. km. (120,725 sq. mi.); about the size of New
Mexico.
Cities (2004): Capital--Warsaw (pop. 1,690,821).
Other cities--Lodz (776,297), Krakow (757,957), Wroclaw
(636,854), Poznan (573,003), Gdansk (460,524).
Terrain: Flat plain, except mountains along southern border.
Climate: Temperate continental.
People
Nationality: Noun--Pole(s). Adjective--Polish.
Population (December 2005): 38.6 million.
Annual growth rate: Unchanging.
Ethnic groups: Polish 98%, German, Ukrainian, Belorussian,
Lithuanian.
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Eastern Orthodox, Uniate,
Protestant, Judaism.
Language: Polish.
Education: Literacy--98%.
Health (2004): Infant mortality rate--7.4/1,000. Life
expectancy--males 70 yrs., females 79 yrs.
Work force: 17.0 million. Industry and construction--25.3%;
agriculture--28.7%; trade and business--28.0%;
government and other--18.0%.
Government
Type: Republic.
Constitution: The constitution now in effect was approved by a
national referendum on May 25, 1997. The constitution codifies
Poland's democratic norms and establishes checks and balances
among the president, prime minister, and parliament. It also
enhances several key elements of democracy, including judicial
review and the legislative process, while continuing to
guarantee the wide range of civil rights, such as the right to
free speech, press, and assembly, which Poles have enjoyed since
1989.
Branches: Executive--head of state (president), head of
government (prime minister). Legislative--bicameral
National Assembly (lower house--Sejm, upper house--Senat).
Judicial--Supreme Court, provincial and local courts,
constitutional tribunal.
Administrative subdivisions: 16 provinces (voivodships).
Political parties (in parliament): Law and Justice (PiS), Civic
Platform (PO), Self-Defense (SO), Democratic Left Alliance (SLD),
League of Polish Families (LPR), and the Polish Peasant Party (PSL).
Suffrage: Universal at 18.
Economy
GDP (2005): $246.2 billion.
Real GDP growth (2005): 3.2%.
Per capita GDP (2005): $13,000.
Rate of inflation (2005): 2.1%.
Natural resources: Coal, copper, sulfur, natural gas, silver,
lead, salt.
Agriculture: Products--grains, hogs, dairy, potatoes,
horticulture, sugarbeets, oilseed.
Industry: Types--machine building, iron and steel,
mining, shipbuilding, automobiles, furniture, textiles and
apparel, chemicals, food processing, glass, beverages.
Trade (2005): Exports--$92.72 billion: furniture, cars,
ships, coal, apparel. Imports--$95.67 billion: crude
oil, passenger cars, pharmaceuticals, car parts, computers.
PEOPLE
Poland today is ethnically almost homogeneous (98% Polish), in
contrast with the World War II period, when there were
significant ethnic minorities--4.5 million Ukrainians, 3 million
Jews, 1 million Belorussians, and 800,000 Germans. The majority
of the Jews were murdered during the German occupation in World
War II, and many others emigrated in the succeeding years.
Most Germans left Poland at the end of the
war, while many Ukrainians and Belorussians lived in territories
incorporated into the then-U.S.S.R. Small Ukrainian, Belorussian,
Slovakian, and Lithuanian minorities reside along the borders,
and a German minority is concentrated near the southwest city of
Opole.
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