Key Facts about Poland

About Poland:

• It is a country in central Europe. 
• Borders:
  • Poland's borders have changed many times over the centuries. Its present borders were set after World War II ended in 1945. 
  • Poland has seven neighbors: Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.
• It has a variety of striking landscapes, from the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea coast in the north and the rolling central lowlands to the snow capped peaks of the Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains in the south. 
• History:
  • In 1795, Poland was conquered and divided up among Russia, Prussia (now Germany), and Austria.
  • Poland ceased to exist as a country for 123 years.
  • In 1918, after World War I, Poland was restored as a country. But just 21 years later, Germany and the Soviet Union attacked, intent on dividing Poland between them. 
  • The aggression marked the beginning of World War II.
  • With the fall of Nazi Germany, Poland effectively lost its independence once again, becoming a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union.
  • Nearly a half century of totalitarian rule followed, though not without strong challenges on the part of Poland’s workers, who, supported by a dissident Catholic Church, called the economic failures of the Soviet system into question.
  • In the late 1970s, beginning in the shipyards of Gdańsk, those workers formed a nationwide movement called Solidarity (Solidarność).
  • In May 1989, the Polish government fell along with communist regimes throughout eastern Europe, beginning Poland’s rapid transformation into a democracy.
• Capital: Warsaw
• Official Language: Polish
• Money: Zloty
• Area: 312,685 sq. km.
• Major Mountain Ranges: Carpathians, Sudetens
• Major Rivers: Vistula, Oder
• Poland has more than 1,300 lakes throughout the country.
• Form of Government:
  • Poland is a parliamentary republic with a prime minister who is the head of government and a president who is the head of state. 
  • The government structure is centred on the council of ministers.
• It is a member of both NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union (EU).

Q1: What is the European Union (EU)?

The EU is a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. The EU was established by the Maastricht Treaty, which entered into force on November 1, 1993. The main goal of the EU is to promote cooperation and integration among its member states in order to enhance economic and political stability in Europe. The EU has its own currency, the Euro, which is used by 19 of the member states. It has a single market where goods, services, and capital can move freely.

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