POLAND The voice of the people is pure harmony, sword – unity and compatibility,

purpose – truth.

Poland - General Information

The Republic of Poland is one of the largest countries in Central Europe, bordering Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Germany. Its northern frontier on the Baltic Sea gives it easy access to Scandinavian and North Sea ports. Poland's shape is roughly square, measuring 400-440 miles across. The capital, Warsaw, is situated in the centre of the country. Poland's surface area of 120,727 sq. miles ranks eighth in Europe.

Poland - terrain

The country lies almost entirely on the North European Plain and is a land of gentle relief, rarely rising above 350 feet except along the southern border with the Sudety and Carpathian mountain ranges. Rysy is the highest mountain peak, 8200 feet above sea level. The longest rivers which cross the country north-ward are the Vistula (667 miles in length) in the centre, and the Odra (530 miles) which flows along Poland's western border.

Poland - population

The population of Poland, currently 38.6 million people. The cities are mostly small or medium sized. Some 43 cities have populations of more than 100,000 inhabitants. Warsaw, the capital and Poland's largest metropolitan area, has a population of 1.7 million people. The five other largest cities are: Łódź, Kraków, Wrocław, Poznań and Gdańsk. The population of Polish communities abroad is estimated at 12 million, with the largest living in the USA (5.6 mn.), CIS (2.5 mn.), France (1 mn.), Germany (800,000), Canada (790,000), Brazil (200,000), Australia (150,000), and the UK (140,000).

Poland - Natural Resources

Poland has substantial mineral and agricultural resources. It has the world's fifth largest proven reserves of hard and brown coal in addition to deposits of copper, sulfur, zinc, lead, and silver, as well as magnesium and rock salt. All of these contribute significantly to Poland's exports. There are also commercially viable deposits of chalk, kaolin, clays, potash, and natural gas. The main agricultural crops are wheat and other grains, potatoes, sugar-beets, and fodder crops. The livestock sector comprises 8 million beef and dairy cattle and 19 million pigs. Total arable land is 18.7 million hectares (47 mn. acres). In addition 8.9 million hectares (22 mn. acres) are forested, making timber an important resource.

Poland - national symbols

White – red FLAG

White eagle with a golden crown -

EMBLEM

Polish ANTHEM

Thank you for your attention

Prepared: Kinga Zapała

Oliwia Szafarczyk Wiktoria Stępniewska