Poland

democratic state

Poland as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalWarsaw

Area312,680 km2

Populationas each edition published it

37.78 million July 1990 · 38.75m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.35% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 36 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 72.2 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2.1 children per woman 1990 · 1.33 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

13 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 4.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $4,400 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 2% in 1993

Geography

11 fields

Land useshare of 312,680 km2

arable land 46%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 13%forest and woodland 28%other 12%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

312,680km2

land area: 304,510 km2Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Mexico

Coastline

491km

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

2,980km total

Czechoslovakia 1,309 km, GDR 456 km, USSR 1,215 km

Climate

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Terrain

mostly flat plain, mountains along southern border

Natural resources

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt

Environment

plain crossed by a few north-flowing, meandering streams; severe air and water pollution in south

Note

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

People

14 fields

Population

37,776,725

(July 1990), growth rate NEGL (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

14Death

Ethnic divisions

Polish 98.7%Ukrainian 0.6%Byelorussian 0.5%less than 0.05% Jewish

Labor force

17,128,000

(1988); 36.5% industry and construction; 28.5% agriculture; 14.7% trade, transport, and communications; 20.3% government and other

Literacy

98%

Religion

95% Roman Catholic (about 75% practicing), 5% Russian Orthodox, Protestant, and other

Government

Democratic state

17 fields

Senate, 100 seats, elected 4 and 18 June 1989one dot, one seat

Solidarity 99independent 1

49 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular--wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska, Bialystok, Bielsko-Biala, Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa, Elblag, Gdansk, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin, Koszalin, Krakow, Krosno, Legnica, Leszno, Lodz, Lomza, Lublin, Nowy Sacz, Olsztyn, Opole, Ostroleka, Pila, Piotrkow, Plock, Poznan, Przemysl, Radom, Rzeszow, Siedlce, Sieradz, Skierniewice, Slupsk, Suwalki, Szczecin, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow, Torun, Walbrzych, Warszawa, Wloclawek, Wroclaw, Zamosc, Zielona Gora

Independence

11 November 1918, independent republic proclaimed

Constitution

the Communist-imposed Constitution of 22 July 1952 will be replaced by a democratic Constitution before May 1991

Legal system

mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and Communist legal theory;
no judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

National Liberation Day, 22 July (1952) will probably be replaced by Constitution Day, 3 May (1794)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Sejm)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court Chief of State--President Gen. Wojciech JARUZELSKI (since 19 July 1989, Chairman of Council of State since 6 November 1985); Head of Government--Premier Tadeusz MAZOWIECKI (since 24 August 1989) Center-right agrarian parties--Polish Peasant Party (PSL, known unofficially as PSL-Wilanowska), Gen.

Franciszek Kaminski, chairman; Polish Peasant Party-Solidarity, Josef Slisz, chairman; Polish Peasant Party-Rebirth (formerly the United Peasant Party), Kazimirrz Olrsiak, chairman; Other center-right parties--National Party, Bronislaw Ekert, chairman; Christian National Union, Urrslaw Chnzanowski, chairman;

Christian Democratic Labor Party, Wladyslaw Sila Nowicki, chairman; Democratic Party, Jerzy Jozwiak, chairman; Center-left parties--Polish Socialist Party, Jan Jozef Lipski, chairman; Left-wing parties--Polish Socialist Party-Democratic Revolution; Other--Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (formerly the Communist Party or Polish United Workers' Party/PZPR), Aleksander Kwasnuewski, chairman; Union of the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland (breakaway faction of the PZPR), Tadrusz Fiszbach, chairman

Suffrage

universal at age 18 Senate--last held 4 and 18 June 1989 (next to be held June 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(100 total) Solidarity 99, independent 1;
National Assembly--last held 4 and 18 June 1989 (next to be held June 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(460 total) Communists 173, Solidarity 161, Polish Peasant Party 76, Democratic Party 27, Christian National Union 23;
note--rules governing the election limited Solidarity's share of the vote to 35% of the seats;
future elections are to be freely contested

Communists

70,000 members in the Communist successor party (1990)

Other political or pressure groups

powerful Roman Catholic Church;
Confederation for an Independent Poland (KPN), a nationalist group;
Solidarity (trade union);
All Poland Trade Union Alliance (OPZZ), populist program;
Clubs of Catholic Intellectuals (KIKs);
Freedom and Peace (WiP), a pacifist group;
Independent Student Union (NZS)

Member of

CCC, CEMA, Council of Europe, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICES, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, Warsaw Pact, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Jan KINAST;
Chancery at 2640 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009;
telephone (202) 234-3800 through 3802;
there are Polish Consulates General in Chicago and New York;
US--Ambassador-designate Thomas SIMONS, Jr.;
Embassy at Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw (mailing address is APO New York 09213);
telephone [48] 283041 through 283049;
there is a US Consulate General in Krakow and a Consulate in Poznan

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red--a crowned eagle is to be added; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Economy

The economy, except for the agricultural sector, had followed the Soviet model of state ownership and control of the country's productive assets.

16 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

640%

(1989 est.)

External debt

$40billion

(1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$23 billionExpenditures

$24 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $3.5 billion (1988)

Overview

The economy, except for the agricultural sector, had followed the Soviet model of state ownership and control of the country's productive assets. About 75% of agricultural production had come from the private sector and the rest from state farms. The economy has presented a picture of moderate but slowing growth against a background of underlying weaknesses in technology and worker motivation.

GNP increased between 3% and 6% annually during the period 1983-1986, but grew only 2.5% and 2.1% in 1987 and 1988, respectively. Output dropped by 1.5% in 1989. The inflation rate, after falling sharply from the 1982 peak of 100% to 22% in 1986, rose to a galloping rate of 640% in 1989.

Shortages of consumer goods and some food items worsened in 1988-89. Agricultural products and coal have remained the biggest hard currency earners, but manufactures are increasing in importance. Poland, with its hard currency debt of approximately $40 billion, is severely limited in its ability to import much-needed hard currency goods.

The sweeping political changes of 1989 disrupted normal economic channels and exacerbated shortages. In January 1990, the new Solidarity-led government adopted a cold turkey program for transforming Poland to a market economy. The government moved to eliminate subsidies, end artificially low prices, make the zloty convertible, and, in general, halt the hyperinflation.

These financial measures are accompanied by plans to privatize the economy in stages. Substantial outside aid will be needed if Poland is to make a successful transition in the 1990s.

GNP

$172.4 billion, per capita $4,565; real growth rate - 1.6% (1989 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%; 215,000 (official number, mid-March 1990)

Exports

$24.7 billion (f.o.b., 1987 est.);
commodities--machinery and equipment 63%;
fuels, minerals, and metals 14%;
manufactured consumer goods 14%;
agricultural and forestry products 5% (1987 est.);
partners--USSR 25%, FRG 12%, Czechoslovakia 6% (1988)

Imports

$22.8 billion (f.o.b., 1987 est.);
commodities--machinery and equipment 36%;
fuels, minerals, and metals 35%;
manufactured consumer goods 9%;
agricultural and forestry products 12%;
partners--USSR 23%, FRG 13%, Czechoslovakia 6% (1988)

Industrial production

growth rate - 2.0% (1988)

Electricity

31,390,000 kW capacity; 125,000 million kWh produced, 3,260 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

machine building, iron and steel, extractive industries, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Agriculture

accounts for 15% of GNP and 28% of labor force;
75% of output from private farms, 25% from state farms;
productivity remains low by European standards;
leading European producer of rye, rapeseed, and potatoes;
wide variety of other crops and livestock;
major exporter of pork products;
normally self-sufficient in food

Aid

donor--bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries, $2.1 billion (1954-88)

Currency

zloty (plural--zlotych); 1 zloty (Zl) = 100 groszy

Exchange rates

zlotych (Zl) per US$1--9,500.00 (January 1990), 1,439.18 (1989), 430.55 (1988), 265.08 (1987), 175.29 (1986), 147.14 (1985)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

9 fields

Merchant marine, 234 ships by type

short-sea passenger 5cargo 93refrigerated cargo 3roll-on/roll-off cargo 12container 9petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker 3chemical tanker 4bulk 105234 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,957,534 GRT/4,164,665 DWT

Airports, 160 total, 160 usable

permanent-surface runways

85runway over 3,659 m

1runways 2,440-3,659 m

35runways 1,220-2,439 m

Networkskm

Highways

299,887 (1985)Railroads

27,245 (1986)Pipelines

4,500 (1987)

Highways: ; 130,000 km improved hard surface (concrete, asphalt, stone block); 24,000 km unimproved hard surface (crushed stone, gravel); 100,000 km earth; 45,887 km other urban roads · Railroads: ; 24,333 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 397 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 2,515 km narrow gauge; 8,986 km double track; 10,000 km electrified; government owned · Pipelines: ; 1,986 km for crude oil; 360 km for refined products

Railroads

27,245 km total;
24,333 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 397 km 1.524-meter broad gauge, 2,515 km narrow gauge;
8,986 km double track;
10,000 km electrified;
government owned (1986)

Highways

299,887 km total;
130,000 km improved hard surface (concrete, asphalt, stone block);
24,000 km unimproved hard surface (crushed stone, gravel);
100,000 km earth;
45,887 km other urban roads (1985)

Inland waterways

3,997 km navigable rivers and canals (1988)

Pipelines

4,500 km for natural gas;
1,986 km for crude oil;
360 km for refined products (1987)

Ports

Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Swinoujscie; principal inland ports are Gliwice on Kanal Gliwice, Wroclaw on the Oder, and Warsaw on the Vistula

Civil air

42 major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

stations--30 AM, 28 FM, 41 TV;
4 Soviet TV relays;
9,691,075 TV sets;
9,290,000 radio receivers;
at least 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Ground Forces, National Air Defense Forces, Air Force Command, Navy

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

9,501,088fit for military service

7,503,477reach military age (19) annually

292,769

Defense expenditures

954billion zlotych

NA% of total budget (1989); note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results

Branches