Poland is located in Central Europe in an area known as the "Shatter Belt" which experiences influences from both eastern and western countries. It is slightly smaller than the US state of New Mexico and shares a land border with seven other countries: Belarus, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, and the Kaliningrad Oblast of Russia.
Poland's climate can best be summarized as cold and cloudy with rains that may result in flooding. Poland is a mostly flat country with mountains lining the southern border. Its flat plains and lack of natural barriers has often caused it to be an area of conflict as other nations have invaded it due to its central location during wars. However, the flat terrain has also allowed the people to use almost half of the land for agriculture purposes. About a third of the remaining land is covered in forests.
With a population of almost 38.5 million, about 97 percent of Poland's inhabitants declare their main ethnicity as Polish. The remaining three percent is made up of Silesian, German, Ukrainian, and unspecified. Just over 98 percent of the population speaks Polish at home. Polish is part of the Proto-Slavic family and is considered a West Slavic language. There is an ongoing debate of whether Silesian speech should be considered a dialect of Polish or a separate language. Despite this, The World Factbook has listed Silesian as its own language, where 1.4 percent of the population speaks it.
Fun Fact: Loyalty to the Polish language is commonly considered a patriotic duty due to the numerous invasions Poland has experienced.
Fun Fact: Loyalty to the Polish language is commonly considered a patriotic duty due to the numerous invasions Poland has experienced.
A majority of the people of Poland are Roman Catholic (almost 87 percent), live in an urban setting (60.5 percent), and are literate (99.8 percent of the population over the age of 15). Most of the largest cities in Poland can be found along the Vistula river including the capital of the country, Warsaw.
If one wishes to gain citizenship in Poland, both parents must already be citizens and the applicant must live there for at least five years. Poland does not recognize dual citizenship.
|
The Polish government includes a President, Prime Minister, and Council of Ministers. The President can be in office for five years at a time and can hold office for up to two terms. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and approved by the Sejm while the Council of Ministers are proposed by the Prime Minister, appointed by the President, and approved by the Sejm.
Among many other organizations, Poland is part of the EU, NATO, UNESCO, and the UN. Poland has the sixth largest economy in the European Union and was the only country in the EU to avoid the affects of the 2008-9 recession.
The Polish flag represents a white eagle on a red field. The flag is also similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco where the colors are inverted. To the Polish people, Poland is known as Polska.
|
Morgan Pedersen, Winter 2018