Central Europe.
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).
312,685 sq km (120,728 sq miles).
38.63 million (official estimate 2005).
122.3 per sq km.
Warsaw. Population: 1.65 million (official estimate 2004).
Poland shares borders to the east with the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania, to the south with the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic and to the west with Germany. To the north lies the Baltic Sea. The Baltic coast provides over 500km (300 miles) of sandy beaches, bays, steep cliffs and dunes. Northern Poland is dominated by lakes, islands and wooded hills joined by many rivers and canals. The Mazurian Lake District to the northeast is particularly beautiful. Lake Hancza, the deepest lake in Poland, is located in this district. The River Vistula has cut a wide valley from Gdansk on the Baltic coast to Warsaw in the heart of the country. The rest of the country rises slowly to the Sudety Mountains, which run along the border with the Czech Republic, and the Tatra mountains, which separate Poland from the Slovak Republic. To the west, the River Oder, with Szczecin at its mouth, forms the northwest border with Germany.
Under the new constitution, which came into force in October 1997, legislative power in Poland is vested in a bicameral national assembly. The 460-seat lower house is the Sejm, while a new 100-seat Upper Chamber has been created with the power of veto over all legislation put forward by the Sejm. Elections are by proportional representation.
Republic since 1918. Head of State: President Lech Kaczynski since 2005. Head of Government: Jaroslaw Kaczynski since July 2006. Recent history: President Lech Kaczynski, from the traditionalist Law and Justice party, won a run-off vote in October 2005. Mr Kaczynski, who was Warsaw's mayor at the time of his election, co-founded Law and Justice with his identical twin brother, Jaroslaw, who heads the party. Under the Polish constitution, the president has fewer powers than the prime minister, but he has a significant say in foreign policy. Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz initially became prime minister, as Jaroslaw Kaczynski did not believe the brothers should hold the top positions of power. However, following a dispute over economic policy, Marcinkiewicz resigned in July 2006, paving the way for Jaroslaw Kaczynski to take over the job of prime minister. Marcinkiewicz is now expected to run for mayor of Warsaw.
Polish is the official language. There is a small German-speaking community. English and Russian are also spoken.
More than 95 per cent Roman Catholic; other religions include Polish Autocephalous Orthodox, Russian and Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim.
Poles are friendly, industrious people and foreigners are usually made very welcome. There are vast contrasts between urban and rural life and the Polish peasantry is very religious and conservative, maintaining a traditional lifestyle. Roman Catholicism plays an important role in daily life and criticism or jokes about religion are not appreciated, despite the general good humour of the people. Music and art are also important aspects of Polish culture. Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Normal courtesies are observed when visiting private homes and it is customary to bring flowers. Fairly conservative casual wear is the most suitable attire, but dress should be formal when specified for entertaining in the evening or in a smart restaurant. Smoking is restricted in some public buildings. Photography: Military installations such as bridges, ports, airports, border points etc should not be photographed.
220 volts AC, 50Hz; continental sockets.
