Poland

Republic of PolandRzeczpospolita Polska

democratic state

Poland as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 79 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

LocationCentral Europe, between Germany and Belarus

Populationas each edition published it

38.52 million July 1993 est. · 37.78m in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.35% 1993 est. · -0.98% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 36 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

72.2 years 1993 est. · 76.7 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.97 children per woman 1993 est. · 2.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

13.8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 13 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$4,400 1992 est. · $45,100 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

2% 1992 est. · 2.9% in 2025

Geography

Central Europe, between Germany and Belarus

14 fields

Land useshare of 312,680 km2

arable land 46%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 13%forest and woodland 28%other 12%irrigated 1,000 km2 (1989 est.)

Area

312,680km2

land area: 304,510 km2comparative area: slightly smaller than New Mexico

Coastline

491km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

3,114km

total · Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 428 km

Location

Central Europe, between Germany and Belarus

Map references

Asia, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

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

38,519,486

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 0.35% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

13.59Death

9.59Net migration

-0.52

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years72.2

68.14 · 76.51

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy98%

99% · 98%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1978)

Ethnic divisions(1990 est.)

Polish 97.6%German 1.3%Ukrainian 0.6%Belarusian 0.5% (1990 est.)

Labor force

15.609million

by occupation: industry and construction 34.4%, agriculture 27.3%, trade, transport, and communications 16.1%, government and other 22.2% (1991)

Infant mortality rate

13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Pole(s)
adjective:: Polish

Religions

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

Government

Democratic state

21 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

74.7%

second round Lech WALESA 74.7%Stanislaw TYMINSKI 25.3%

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Poland
conventional short form:: Poland
local long form:: Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form:: Polska

49 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska, Bialystok, Bielsko Biala, Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa, Elblag, Gdansk, Gorzow, 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

interim "small constitution" came into effect in December 1992 replacing the Communist-imposed Constitution of 22 July 1952;
new democratic Constitution being drafted

Legal system

mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory;
changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process;
limited judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Political parties and leaders

post-Solidarity parties:: Democratic Union (UD), Tadeusz MAZOWIECKI;
Christian-National Union (ZCHN), Wieslaw CHRZANOWSKI;
Centrum (PC), Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI;
Liberal-Democratic Congress, Donald TUSK;
Peasant Alliance (PL), Gabriel JANOWSKI;
Solidarity Trade Union (NSZZ), Marian KRZAKLEWSKI;
Union of Labor (UP), Ryszard BUGAJ;
Christian-Democratic Party (PCHD), Pawel LACZKOWSKI;
Conservative Party, Alexander HALL
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:: Confederation for an Independent Poland (KPN), Leszek MOCZULSKI;
Polish Economic Program (PPG), Janusz REWINSKI;
Christian Democrats (CHD), Andrzej OWSINSKI;
German Minority (MN), Henryk KROL;
Union of Real Politics (UPR), Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE;
Democratic Party (SD), Antoni MACKIEWICZ;
Party X, Stanislaw Tyminski
Communist origin or linked:: Social Democracy (SDRP, party of Poland), Wlodzimierz Cimoszewicz; Polish Peasants' Party (PSL), Waldemar PAWLAK

Other political or pressure groups

powerful Roman Catholic Church;
Solidarity (trade union);
All Poland Trade Union Alliance (OPZZ), populist program

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

president:: first round held 25 November 1990, second round held 9 December 1990 (next to be held NA November 1995);
results - second round Lech WALESA 74.7%, Stanislaw TYMINSKI 25.3%
Senat:: last held 27 October 1991 (next to be held no later than NA October 1995); seats - (100 total)
post-Solidarity bloc:: UD 21, NSZZ 11, ZCHN 9, PC 9, Liberal-Democratic Congress 6, PL 7, PCHD 3, other local candidates 11;
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:: KPN 4, CHD 1, MN 1, local candidates 5
Communist origin or linked:: PSL 8, SLD 4
Sejm:: last held 27 October 1991 (next to be held no later than NA October 1995); seats - (460 total)
post-Solidarity bloc:: UD 62, ZCHN 49, PC 44, Liberal-Democratic Congress 37, PL 28, NSZZ 27, SP 4, PCHD 4, RDS 1, Krackow Coalition in Solidarity with the President 1, Piast Agreement 1, Bydgoszcz Peasant List 1, Solidarity 80 1
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:: KPN 46, PPPP 16, MN 7, CHD 5, Western Union 4, UPR 3, Autonomous Silesia 2, SD 1, Orthodox Election Committee 1, Committee of Women Against Hardships 1, Podhale Union 1, Wielkopolska Group 1, Wielkopolska and Lubuski Inhabitants 1, Party X 3
Communist origin or linked:: SLD 60, PSL 48

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or Diet (Sejm)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Lech WALESA (since 22 December 1990)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister Hanna SUCHOCKA (since 10 July 1992)

Member of

BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNDOF, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Kazimierz DZIEWANOWSKI
chancery:: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009
telephone:: (202) 234-3800 through 3802
FAX:: (202) 328-6271
consulates general:: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Thomas W. SIMONS, Jr. embassy:: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw
mailing address:: American Embassy Warsaw, Box 5010, Unit 25402, or APO AE 09213-5010
telephone:: [48] (2) 628-3041
FAX:: [48] (2) 628-8298
consulates general:: Krakow, Poznan

Flag

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Economy

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$4,400

(1992 est.)

Real growth rate

(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 3.5% (1992)

Inflation, consumer prices

44%

(1992)

Unemployment rate

13.6%

(December 1992)

Budget

Revenues

$17.5 billionExpenditures

$22.0 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1992 est.)

Overview

Poland is undergoing a difficult transition from a Soviet-style economy - with state ownership and control of productive assets - to a market economy. On January 1, 1990, the new Solidarity-led government implemented shock therapy by slashing subsidies, decontrolling prices, tightening the money supply, stabilizing the foreign exchange rate, lowering import barriers, and restraining state sector wages.

As a result, consumer goods shortages and lines disappeared, and inflation fell from 640% in 1989 to 44% in 1992. Western governments, which hold two-thirds of Poland's $48 billion external debt, pledged in 1991 to forgive half of Poland's official debt by 1994. The private sector accounted for 29% of industrial production and nearly half of nonagricultural output in 1992.

Production fell in state enterprises, however, and the unemployment rate climbed steadily from virtually nothing in 1989 to 13.6% in December 1992. Poland fell out of compliance with its IMF program by mid-1991, and talks with commercial creditors stalled. The increase in unemployment and the decline in living standards led to strikes in the coal, auto, copper, and railway sectors in 1992.

Large state enterprises in the coal, steel, and defense sectors plan to halve employment over the next decade, and the government expects unemployment to reach 3 million (16%) in 1993. A shortfall in tax revenues caused the budget deficit to reach 6% of GDP in 1992, but industrial production began a slow, uneven upturn.

In 1993, the government will struggle to win legislative approval for faster privatization and to keep the budget deficit within IMF-approved limits.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $167.6 billion (1992 est.)

Exports

$12.8 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities:: machinery 22%, metals 16%, chemicals 12%, fuels and power 11%, food 10% (1991)
partners:: Germany 28.0%, former USSR 11.7%, UK 8.8%, Switzerland 5.5% (1991)

Imports

$12.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities:: machinery 38%, fuels and power 20%, chemicals 13%, food 10%, light industry 6% (1991)
partners:: Germany 17.4%, former USSR 25.6%, Italy 5.3%, Austria 5.2% (1991)

External debt

$48.5 billion (January 1992); note - Poland's Western government creditors promised in 1991 to forgive 30% of Warsaw's official debt - currently $33 billion - immediately and to forgive another 20% in 1994, if Poland adheres to its IMF program

Electricity

31,530,000 kW capacity; 137,000 million kWh produced, 3,570 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 15% of GDP and 27% 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

Illicit drugs

illicit producers of opium for domestic consumption and amphetamines for the international market;
emerging as a transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid

donor - bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries, $2.2 billion (1954-89);
the G-24 has pledged $8 billion in grants and credit guarantees to Poland

Currency

1 zloty (Zl) = 100 groszy

Exchange rates

zlotych (Zl) per US$1 - 15,879 (January 1993), 13,626 (1992), 10,576 (1991), 9,500 (1990), 1,439.18 (1989), 430.55 (1988)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Merchant marine, 209 ships by type

short-sea passenger 5cargo 76refrigerated cargo 1roll-on/roll-off cargo 11container 9oil tanker 1chemical tanker 4bulk 101passenger; Poland owns 1 ship of 6,333 DWT operating under Liberian registry 1209 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,747,631 GRT/3,992,053 DWT

Railroads

26,250 km total;
23,857 km 1.435-meter gauge, 397 km 1.520-meter gauge, 1,996 km narrow gauge;
8,987 km double track;
11,510 km electrified;
government owned (1991)

Highways

360,629 km total (excluding farm, factory and forest roads);
220 km limited access expressways, 45,257 km main highways, 128,775 km regional roads, 186,377 urban or village roads (local traffic);
220,000 km are paved (including all main and regional highways) (1988)