Poland

Republic of PolandRzeczpospolita Polska

republic

Poland as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 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
Position52 00 N, 20 00 E
Area312,685 sq km
LocationCentral Europe, east of Germany
2002

Every edition of Poland

Populationas each edition published it
38.63 million July 2002 est. · 37.78m in 1990
Population growth% a year
-0.02% 2002 est. · 0.35% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 36 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
73.66 years 2002 est. · 72.2 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
1.37 children per woman 2002 est. · 2.1 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
9.17 deaths per 1,000 live births 2002 est. · 13 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$9,500 2002 est. · $4,400 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
1.2% 2002 est. · 2% in 1993

Introduction

1 field

Background

Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived around the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and internal disorders weakened the nation, until an agreement in 1772 between Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned Poland. Poland regained its independence in 1918 only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II. It became a Soviet satellite country following the war, but one that was comparatively tolerant and progressive.

Labor turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy" program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, boosting hopes for acceptance to the EU. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999.

Geography

Central Europe, east of Germany

18 fields

Land useshare of 312,685 sq km

arable land 45.81%permanent crops 1.23%other 52.96% (1998 est.)irrigated 1,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Area
312,685sq km
water: 8,220 sq kmland: 304,465 sq kmslightly smaller than New Mexico
Coastline
491km
exclusive economic zone: defined by international treatiesterritorial sea: 12 NM
Highest point
2,499m
Rysylowest point: Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
Land boundaries
2,788km
border countries: Belarus 407 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 526 km

Location

Central Europe, east of Germany

Geographic coordinates

52 00 N, 20 00 E

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, arable land

Environment - current issues

  • situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by postcommunist governments;
  • air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage;
  • water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes

Environment - international agreements

party to:
Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note

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

People

18 fields
Population
38,625,478
(July 2002 est.)growth rate: -0.02% (2002 est.)

Per 1,000 population(2002 est.)

Birth
10.29Death
9.97Net migration
-0.49

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (2002 est.)73.66
69.52 · 78.05
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1978 est.)99%
99% · 98%
MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 15 and over can read and write

Ethnic groups(1990 est.)

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

Age structure

0-14 years:
17.9% (male 3,535,701; female 3,361,515)
15-64 years:
69.5% (male 13,358,128; female 13,500,443)
65 years and over:
12.6% (male 1,860,274; female 3,009,417) (2002 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.62 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate

9.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Pole(s)
adjective:
Polish

Religions

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

Languages

Polish

Government

Republic; President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995); Prime Minister Leszek MILLER (SLD) (since 19 October 2001), Deputy Prime Ministers Marek POL (since 19 October 2001), Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI (since 19 October 2001), Grzegorz KOLODKO (since 8 July 2002)

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

41%
SLD-UP 41%PO 12.7%Samoobrona 10.2%PiS 9.5%PSL 9%LPR 7.9%AWSP UW 3.1% 5.6%other 1%Sejm elections last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005); Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005)

Sejm, 100 seatsone dot, one seat

SLD-UP 75AWSP (an electoral alliance of some 36 parties) 15PSL 4Samoobrona 2LPR 2independents 2

Percent of vote

SLD-UP 41%PO 12.7%Samoobrona 10.2%PiS 9.5%PSL 9%LPR 7.9%AWSP UW 3.1% 5.6%other 1%

Country name

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

Capital

Warsaw

Administrative divisions

  • 16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo);
  • Dolnoslaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Lubuskie, Malopolskie, Mazowieckie, Opolskie, Podkarpackie, Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie, Wielkopolskie, Zachodniopomorskie

Independence

11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Constitution

  • 16 October 1997;
  • adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997;
  • passed by national referendum 23 May 1997

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995)
elections:
  • president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
  • election last held 8 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005);
  • prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm
head of government:
Prime Minister Leszek MILLER (SLD) (since 19 October 2001), Deputy Prime Ministers Marek POL (since 19 October 2001), Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI (since 19 October 2001), Grzegorz KOLODKO (since 8 July 2002)
cabinet:
  • Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm;
  • the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers
election results:
  • Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president;
  • percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzj OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%

Legislative branch

bicameral National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe consists of the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms)

elections:
Sejm elections last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005); Senate - last held 23 September 2001 (next to be held by September 2005)
election results:
  • Sejm - percent of vote by party - SLD-UP 41%, PO 12.7%, Samoobrona 10.2%, PiS 9.5%, PSL 9%, LPR 7.9%, AWSP 5.6% UW 3.1%, other 1%;
  • seats by party - SLD-UP 216, PO 65, Samoobrona 53, PiS 44, PSL 42, LPR 38, German minorities 2;
  • note - SLD-UP has split: SLD has 200 deputies and UP has 16;
  • Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%;
  • seats by party - SLD-UP 75, AWSP (an electoral alliance of some 36 parties) 15, PSL 4, Samoobrona 2, LPR 2, independents 2

note: two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties

Judicial branch

  • Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period);
  • Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders

  • Citizens Platform or PO [Maciej PLAZYNSKI];
  • Democratic Left Alliance or SLD (Social Democracy of Poland) [Leszek MILLER];
  • Freedom Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK];
  • German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL];
  • Law and Justice or PiS [Lech KACZYNSKI];
  • League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI];
  • Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI];
  • Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI];
  • Samoobrona [Andrzej LEPPER];
  • Solidarity Electoral Action of the Right or AWSP [Marian KRZAKLEWSKI];
  • Social Movement-Solidarity Electoral Action or RS-AWS [Jerzy BUZEK];
  • Union of Labor or UP [Marek POL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

  • All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union);
  • Roman Catholic Church;
  • Solidarity (trade union)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI
chancery:
2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
FAX:
[1] (202) 328-6271
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
telephone:
[1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Christopher R. HILL
embassy:
Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw P1
mailing address:
American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)
telephone:
[48] (22) 628-30-41
FAX:
[48] (22) 628-82-98
consulate(s) general:
Krakow

Flag description

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

Economy

Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalizing the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open transition economies.

33 fields
Real growth rate
1.2%
(2002 est.)industrial production growth: 4.3% (1999)
Unemployment rate
17%
(2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(2000 est.)

agriculture 4%industry 35%services 61% (2000 est.)

Trading partnersexports left, imports right

34.3%
Germany
23.9%
Russia
8.8%
5.4%
Italy
8.2%
5.4%
France
6.8%
5.0%
UK
Exports $32.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)Imports $43.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)(2001)

Budget

Revenues
$49.6 billionExpenditures
$52.3 billion (1999)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Electricity

fossil fuel 98%hydro 2%other 0% · nuclear 0%
Electricity production
135.16 billion (2000)Electricity consumption
119.33 billion (2000)Electricity exports
9.663 billion (2000)Electricity imports
3.29 billion (2000)

Economy - overview

Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalizing the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open transition economies. GDP growth had been strong and steady in 1993-2000 but fell back in 2001-02 with slowdowns in domestic investment and consumption and the persistent weakness in the European economy.

The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed for the vibrant development of a private business sector. In contrast, Poland's large agricultural sector remains handicapped by structural problems, surplus labor, inefficient small farms, and lack of investment.

Restructuring and privatization of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railroads, and energy) have begun. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger than expected fiscal pressures. Further progress in public finance depends mainly on privatization of Poland's remaining state sector.

The government's determination to enter the EU as soon as possible affects most aspects of its economic policies. Improving Poland's outsized foreign trade deficit and containing the internal budget deficit are top priorities. Warsaw leads the region in foreign investment and needs a continued large inflow.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $368.1 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $9,500 (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%:
3%
highest 10%:
25% (1998)

Labor force

17.6 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 22%, agriculture 28%, services 50% (1999)

Industries

machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

Agriculture - products

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork

Exports

$32.4 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 30.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 25.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9%, food and live animals 8.5% (1999)

Imports

$43.4 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment 38.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 20.8%, chemicals 14.3%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999)

Debt - external

$64 billion (2000)

Currency

zloty (PLN)

Exchange rates

zlotych per US dollar - 4.0144 (December 2001), 4.0939 (2001), 4.3461 (2000), 3.9671 (1999), 3.4754 (1998), 3.2793 (1997) note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

10 fields
Mobile cellular
1.78 million
(1998)
Fixed lines
8.07 million
(1998) · country code .pl

Telephone system

general assessment:
  • underdeveloped and outmoded system;
  • government aimed to have 10 million telephones in service by 2000;
  • the process of partial privatization of the state-owned telephone monopoly has begun;
  • in 1998 there were over 2 million applicants on the waiting list for telephone service
domestic:
  • cable, open wire, and microwave radio relay;
  • 3 cellular networks;
  • local exchanges 56.6% digital
international:
satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

20.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations

179 (plus 256 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions

13.05 million (1997)

Internet users

6.4 million (2001)

Transportation

10 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right

3
over 3,047 m
29
2,438 to 3,047 m
1
6
914 to 1,523 m
13
3
under 914 m
21
42
1,524 to 2,437 m
4
Paved 83Unpaved 39

Networkskm

Highways
381,046Railways
23,420Waterways
3,812 (1996)
Highways: paved: 249,966 km (including 268 km of expressways) · unpaved: 131,080 km (1998) · Railways: broad gauge: 646 km 1.524-m gauge · standard gauge: 21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified; 8,978 km double-tracked) · narrow gauge: 1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2001) · Waterways: (navigable rivers and canals)

Railways

total:
23,420 km
broad gauge:
646 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge:
21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified; 8,978 km double-tracked)
narrow gauge:
1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2001)

Highways

total:
381,046 km
paved:
249,966 km (including 268 km of expressways)
unpaved:
131,080 km (1998)

Waterways

3,812 km (navigable rivers and canals) (1996)

Pipelines

crude oil and petroleum products 2,280 km; natural gas 17,000 km (1996)

Ports and harbors

Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw

Merchant marine

total:
19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 382,518 GRT/641,657 DWT
ships by type:
bulk 14, cargo 3, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)

Airports

122 (2001)

Heliports

3 (2002)

Military

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force

7 fields

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force

Military manpower - military age

19 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 10,415,598 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 8,120,098 (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues

2 fields

Illicit drugs

major illicit producer of amphetamine for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe

Central Intelligence Agency. “Poland.” The World Factbook 2002. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/poland/2002.

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