The Republic of Poland is situated in the heart of Europe, between the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic Sea. It borders Sweden (sea border) and the Kaliningrad District of the Russian Federation to the north; Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine to the east; Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south; and Germany to the west. A point near Warsaw is the geometrical centre of Europe. The capital of Poland is Warsaw. The official language is Polish. Poland’s currency is the zloty (PLN).

Poland is a young parliamentary democracy. It rejoined the international community as a full and independent partner following political changes in 1989. It acceded to NATO in 1999 and to the European Union in 2004, and has become a committed member of other international organisations.

In accordance with a three-tier administrative system introduced, the territory of the Republic of Poland is subdivided into 16 voivodships, 379 counties and 2,478 communes.

Geography

Poland (Polska) covers an area of 312,685 sq km. Despite the fact that Poland is a lowland country, with areas under 300 m above sea level covering 91.3% of its total area, the distinctive feature of the country is its varied landscape. It has beautiful and dangerous mountains, extensive lake lands, primeval forests, mysterious caves, mighty rivers, a sea and the only desert in Europe (Błędów Desert, 32 sq km).

Time zone

GMT + 2 (summer time), GMT + 1 (winter time: between the last Sunday in October and the last Saturday in March).

Climate

Poland has a moderate climate, in between marine and continental climates. Six seasons of the year are distinguished in Poland: autumn, early winter, winter, early spring, spring and summer. The average temperature in summer usually ranges from +16.5°C to +24°C, but may also reach +30°C. The average temperature in winter ranges from -6°to 0°C. The warmest month is July and the coolest month is January.

Population

In terms of population size, Poland is the largest of the countries which joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. With its 38,135,000 million inhabitants (2009), Poland ranks 6th in Europe and 29th in the world in terms of population size. Polish society is the youngest one in Europe, with 50% of Poles under 35 years of age and 35% under 25 years of age. In terms of nationalities, contemporary Poland is a very homogenous society; national minorities account for 3.26% of the total population (as compared to 35% in 1931), the largest ones being Germans, Belarusians and Ukrainians.

Religion

Poland is a predominantly Catholic country, about 90% of its population are baptised into the Roman Catholic faith. The Greek Catholic Church has slightly more than 100,000 members. Among other well-established Christian denominations in Poland, the largest ones are the Orthodox faith with at least 700,000 followers, and Protestantism which is divided into more than a dozen confessions, bringing together almost a quarter of a million followers. Jehovah’s Witnesses have over 100,000 members. Followers of Judaism, a large group before World War II, are a small community of several thousand members today. At present, there are 138 officially registered churches and denominational associations in Poland.

Political system

The governing principles of the Polish State are laid down in the Constitution of 2 April 1997. It guarantees all citizens the respect and protection of political rights and civil liberties by public authorities. Poland is a precursor of European constitutionalism. In 1791 the Sejm of the Republic of the Two Nations (Poland and Lithuania Commonwealth) adopted the organic law, later on called “the May 3rd Constitution”, which was the first one in the Old Continent and the second one, next to the US Constitution, in the world.

The Republic of Poland has a parliamentary system of government. In accordance with the Constitution, power is divided between the legislature (Parliament), the executive (President, Prime Minister and Council of Ministers) and the judiciary (independent judicature: common courts of law, administrative courts). The Council of Ministers is represented in the territory of the Republic of Poland by voivods (wojewoda) who are the heads of government administration within 16 voivodships.

The Parliament in Poland is composed of two legislative bodies, the Sejm, the lower house (460 deputies), and the Senate, the upper house (100 senators), which are elected by universal suffrage for a four-year term.

Economy

After 1989 Poland began to transform its inefficient and indebted, centrally steered economy into a free market economy. Changes were initiated by a plan of systemic reforms aiming to achieve two strategic objectives: to combat hyperinflation and to build a market-based economic system. Privatisation and the development of capital market were the main pillars of structural changes. In April 1991, after a break of 50 years, Warsaw reopened its Stock Exchange. All those changes resulted in the emergence of new sectors (business and management consultancy, insurance, investment funds) and services (advertising, accounting, book-keeping and auditing, broking, and private notary services) on the market. With private enterprise allowed to operate freely and citizens investing their own resources, the sector of small and medium-sized enterprises was growing rapidly.

Poland’s economic growth accelerated sharply following its accession to the European Union (1 May 2004). Poland’s attractiveness to foreign investors stems from a number of factors, including its competitive labour costs, well educated and hard working labour force, geographical position, flexible and large market, diversified industry, and opportunities for the development of new business entities.

At present, long-term objectives include the accession of Poland to the Euro-zone and further economic growth. The basis for the modernisation of Polish economy is provided by national strategic programmes 2007-2013; chances of success in the process are boosted by 60 billion euro which have been allocated to Poland for this period under the EU Structural Funds.

Customs and life style

Polish customs and lifestyle have developed as a result of the intermingling of cultures of many nationalities living in the Polish territories for several centuries, and under the influence of the Western and Eastern worlds. This is illustrated, for example, by popular dishes in Polish cuisine: Ukrainian beetroot soup or borscht, beans à la Bretagne (stewed with meat in tomato sauce), Jewish-style jellied carp or Russian dumplings.

Poles cherish tradition and maintain close relations with their immediate and more distant relatives. Since Poles are also very hospitable and open to new acquaintances, you should not be surprised when your Polish colleagues invite you to their place for a family dinner or supper. Once you have come, you should, however, be prepared to see a table laden with food and drinks in accordance with the traditional Polish motto “Whatever we’ve got, you are welcome to it” (Czym chata bogata, tym rada) or “What’s ours is yours” (Gość w dom, Bóg w dom). At the table, your Polish companions will often make toasts, and the first one will usually be “to the guests” (Za zdrowie gości). During various social events, you may be put to a linguistic test: foreigners are usually asked to articulate a few Polish sentences, in which the sequence of sounds is by no means easy to pronounce even to a Pole.

Poles greet each other by saying “Dzień dobry” (“Good morning” or “Good afternoon”, the same Polish phrase for both) or “Dobry wieczór” (“Good evening”) in a formal way or by “Cześć” (Hello) in an informal way, and shaking hands. Often when greeting each other and always when giving their best wishes, those who are on familiar terms kiss each other on the cheek (usually 3 times). When on familiar terms, Poles address each other by their first names. Otherwise, they address each other by „Pan” (Mr) or „Pani” (Mrs/Ms) followed by the surname or, in a less formal way, by the first name. A women may be kissed by a man on the hand as part of a greeting ritual, though this tradition is gradually disappearing, in particular among younger people. However, it is still customary for men to step back to let women go through the door first.

Poles are attached to their traditions and celebrate ceremonially various holidays, in particular Christmas, Easter, the Corpus Christi Day and the All Saints’ Day. Christmas is a special occasion for every Pole. Traditionally, Poles spend these days at home with their closest family. A decorated Christmas tree, gifts, 12 fasting dishes (each to be sampled), the table set for all expected guests plus one unknown lost wanderer, and singing carols jointly – are all indispensable elements of a cherished tradition. Among public holidays, the most important ones are the Independence Day and the 3rd of May Constitution Day, when official celebrations and concerts are organised. Poles love celebrating various occasions; thus, you will find dates such as the Mother’s Day (26 May), the Women’s Day (8 March) or the Children’s Day (1 June) marked in the calendar. Moreover, Poles celebrate their name days, and birthdays are usually celebrated as a popular occasion until young people turn 18 and enter adulthood.

Useful links