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___ Poland

A virtual guide to Poland. This page aims to give you a broad overview of Poland's art, culture, people, environment, geography, history, economy and government.
Beside a country profile, the page contains links to sources which provide you with information you need to know about this Central European nation, e.g.: official web sites of Poland, addresses of Polish and foreign embassies, domestic airlines, city- and country guides with extensive travel and tourism information on accommodation, tourist attractions, events and more like weather information, maps, statistics and local newspapers from Poland.

Presidential Palace
Presidential Palace - Warsaw © MFA Poland
  

Republic of Poland | Rzeczpospolita Polska

Country Profile



Flag of Poland
Flag of Poland

Background:
Poland gained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite country following the war, but one that 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, boosting hopes for acceptance to the EU.
Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999.
(Source: CIA - The World Factbook)

border countries: Belarus, Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine
 
where in Europe is Poland

Official Name:
Rzeczpospolita Polska
short form: Polska
int'l long form: Republic of Poland
int'l short form: Poland

ISO Country Code: pl

Time:
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET)
Local Time = UTC +1h (in summer +2h)
Actual Time: Sat-Nov-7  21:17

Capital City: Warsaw (Warszawa; pop. 1.7 million)

Other Cities: Lodz (776 000), Krakow (758 000), Wroclaw (637 000), Poznan (573 000), Gdansk (460 000).


Government:
Type: Republic.
Constitution: approved by national referendum on 25 May 1997.

Geography:
Location: Central Europe, east of Germany.
Area: 312 685 sq. km. (120 727 sq. mi.)
Terrain: Flat plain, except mountains along southern border.

Climate: Temperate with both maritime and continental elements.

People:
Nationality: Noun--Pole(s). Adjective--Polish.
Population: 38 million.
Ethnic groups: Polish 98%, German, Ukrainian, Belorussian, Lithuanian.
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Eastern Orthodox, Uniate, Protestant, Judaism.
Languages: Polish.
Literacy: 99%.

Natural resources: Coal, copper, sulfur, natural gas, silver, lead, salt.

Agriculture products: Grains, hogs, dairy, potatoes, horticulture, sugar beets, oilseed.

Industries: Machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles.

Exports partners: Germany 30%, Italy 6%, France 6%, UK 5.4%, Czech Republic 4.3%, Netherlands 4.3% (2004)

Imports partners: Germany 24.4%, Italy 8%, Russia 7.2%, France 6.7%, China 4.6% (2004)

Currency: Zloty (PLN)

Note: External links will open in a new browser window.

Official Sites of Poland


President of the Republic of Poland
Poland's President.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland
Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

Poland's Parliament
Sejm
The llower chamber of the Parliament.
Senat
The upper chamber of the Parliament.


Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MOFA Poland.

Diplomatic Missions
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York
Official website of the consulate.
Polish Missions Abroad
Address list of Polish Missions Abroad.
Foreign Embassies in Poland
Address list of Foreign Embassies in Poland.


Statistics
Polska Statystyka Publiczna
The Central Statistical Office of Poland.

Weather
Instytut Meteorologii i Gospodarki Wodnej (IMGW)
Institute of Meteorology and Water Management.

Maps
profile Map of Poland
Political Map of Poland.
Map of Poland Regions
Administrative map of Poland.
Google Earth Google Earth Poland (Polska)
Zoomable satellite view of Poland.
Google Earth Google Earth Warsaw (Warszawa)
Zoomable satellite view of Warsaw.
to Map of Europe
Political Map of Europe.

Tatra Mountains
Tatra Mountains © MFA Poland

 

Poland News

Gazeta Wyborcza
National and international news (in Polish)
Warsaw Business Journal
Business and finance.
The Warsaw Voice
Polish and Central European Review.
Wprost
National and international news (in Polish).

Poland.pl
Poland portal site provides news in English.

Polska Agencja Prasowa
Polish Press Agency.

TV
TVP.PL - Telewizja Polska S.A.
Polish television (in Polish)
 

 

Arts & Culture

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Picture gallery, list of works, and bibliography of the Poland born composer.

Krzysztof Kieslowski
Dedicated to the Polish Filmmaker.

Remembering Krzysztof
Photographic exhibition by Piotr Jaxa.

Konrad Korzeniowski - Joseph Conrad
Short biography of the novelist Joseph Conrad.
Joseph Conrad
More information on Joseph Conrad by BBC.

INTERIA.PL
Poland portal site (in Polish)

Poznan National Museum
European and Polish art.
 
Palace Izrael Poznanski
Palace Izrael Poznanski © MFA Poland
 

Business & Economy

Narodowy Bank Polski
National Bank of Poland
Warsaw Stock Exchange

Transportation
Airlines
LOT
Polish Airlines.

Airport
Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport
Poland's busiest airport.

Rail
Polskie Koleje Panstwowe
PKP Polish Railroad (Polish)
Polrail Service
The rail travel guide takes you through the basics of taking a train trip in Poland.
 
 

Destination Poland - Travel and Tour Guides

Discover Poland: accommodation, hotels, attractions, festivals, events, tourist boards, biking, hiking, climbing, cruising, diving, tours and much more.

Polish Tourist Organization
Website of the countrywide system of Internet tourist information and Poland's promotion, presented and managed by the Polish Tourist Organization.

Polish National Tourist Office (North America)
Official Polish site promoting travel to Poland.

Polska
Informative Poland portal site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Cities
Warszawa
Official site of Poland's capital city.
Gdansk(Danzig)
The city of Gdansk the Polish maritime capital.
Krakow
The city of Krakow.
Poznan
Poznan is one of the richest cities in historical monuments in Poland.
Wroclaw (Breslau)
Official website of the multicultural municipality, the former capital of Silesia.

Hotels
 NEW  Hotels in Poland
Find a Hotel in Poland.
 
 Books about Travel in Poland

US books 

Travel Guides Poland
   Travel Guides Poland
   Guide de tourisme et voyages en Pologne (in French)
UK books  Poland Travel Guides
fr books  Guide de tourisme et voyages en Pologne
German books  German Books: Reiseführer Polen

Bristol Hotel Warsaw
Bristol Hotel Warsaw © MFA Poland

Education

University of Gdansk
Largest institute of higher education in the Pomeranian region.
Uniwersytet Lodzki
University of Lodz
Uniwersytet Wroclawski
University of Wroc?aw, largest city in the West of Poland.
Uniwersytet Warszawski
Warsaw University, founded in 1816 is the biggest and most respected university in Poland.
 
 

Environment & Nature

Ministry of the Environment
Website of the ministry.
National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management
Official website of the fund.

Polish Nature
Comprehensive site about Polish nature - its main values and the problems it is facing.

The Board of Polish National Parks
A guide to the Polish National Parks.

Polish Society for the Protection of Birds
Website of the society (in Polish)
Polish Society of Wildlife Friends "pro Natura"
Information about the activities of the society (in Polish)

 
 

History

State Archives Poland
Poland's National Archives.

Polish History on the Internet
Annotated links to information about Poland's history.
The History of Poland
Poland's history from the origins to Post War Poland.
WWW-Virtual Library - Polish History Index
Index of sites related to Polish art and culture history.
 
Museum of Mazovian Countryside
Museum of Mazovian Countryside © MFA

Search

Inside Poland
NewPoland
Polish American Internet Central.
Poland EU
Poland information, an index of polish related sites.
Polish World
Index - Internet Guide to Poland and Polonia.
Wirtualna Polska
Poland Portal (Polish)

Newsgroup of Poland
soc.culture.polish

Additional Information on Poland

BBC News Country Profile: Poland
Background Notes: Poland
Governments on the WWW: Poland
Open Directory Project: Poland
REENIC: Poland
Russian and East European Network Information Center on Poland.
Wikipedia: Poland
The World Factbook -- Poland





 
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The Poland page was last modified on: Friday, 24-Jul-2009 19:06:29 CEST


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