Republic of Poland

National name: Rzeczpospolita Polska

President: Lech Kaczynski (2005)

Prime Minister: Jaroslaw Kaczynski (2006)

Land area: 117,554 sq mi (304,465 sq km); total area: 120,728 sq mi (312,685 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 38,536,869 (growth rate: –0.1%); birth rate: 9.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 7.2/1000; life expectancy: 75.0; density per sq mi: 328

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Warsaw, 2,201,900 (metro. area), 1,607,600 (city proper)

Other large cities: Lodz, 778,200; Krakow, 733,100; Wroclaw, 632,200; Poznan, 581,200; Gdansk, 456,700; Szczecin, 415,700

Monetary unit: Zloty

Language: Polish 98% (2002)

Ethnicity/race: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belorussian 0.1% Ukrainian 0.1%, other 2.7% (2002)

Religions: Roman Catholic 90% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1%, Protestant and other (2002)

Literacy rate: 100% (2003 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $489.8 billion; per capita $12,700. Real growth rate: 3.5%. Inflation: 2.1%. Unemployment: 18.3%. Arable land: 40%. Agriculture: potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy. Labor force: 17.1 million; agriculture 16.1%, industry 29%, services 54.9% (2002). Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles. Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land. Exports: $92.72 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003). Imports: $95.67 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003). Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, France, UK, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Russia, China (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 8.07 million (1998); mobile cellular: 13 million (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 20.2 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 179 (plus 256 repeaters) (Sept. 1995). Televisions: 13.05 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000). Internet users: 6.4 million (2001).

Transportation: Railways: total: 23,420 km (2002). Highways: total: 364,656 km; paved: 249,060 km (including 358 km of expressways); unpaved: 115,596 km (2000). Waterways: 3,812 km navigable rivers and canals (1996). Ports and harbors: Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw. Airports: 150 (2002).

International disputes: small boundary changes made with Slovakia in 2003.

 

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