About Poland

General information about Poland

• The population of Poland is approximately 38.5 million people.
• The total area of Poland is approximately 312,683 sq. kilometers
• The Capital of Poland is Warsaw
• The state of Poland has existed since 966
• In 1795 Poland was partitioned by Prussia, Russia and Austria and completely erased from the map, only regaining its independence in 1918 at the end of the First World War
• World War II first started in Poland with the invasion of Nazi Germany on the 1st of September 1939.
• Poland was the first eastern european country throw off communist dictatorship.

Geography of Poland

• Two mountain chains exist in southern Poland: The Sudetes and the Carpathian Mountains
• Large rivers that cross Poland include: The Vistula, The Oder and the Warta rivers.
• Over 9,300 lakes exist in Poland, particularly in the Mazurian Lake district in
• Poland’s climate is largely temperate with cool to cold winters and warm summers. 
• The Baltic Sea Borders the whole of Northern Poland
• Approximately 29% of Poland is made up of forest or woodland.
• Poland is the largest coal producing country in Europe 

Major Cities in Poland

• Warsaw- Capital of Poland. Population: approximately 1,700,000
• Łódż- Second largest city in Poland. Population: 767,628
• Kraków- Historic Capital of Poland. Population 756,629
• Wrocław- Former German city of Breslau. Population 635,932
• Poznań- Population: 567,882
• Gdańsk- Former Free City of Danzig. Major Baltic seaport and birthplace of Solidarity. Population: 458,053
• Toruń- Birthplace of Nicholas Copernicus and a beautiful UNESCO world heritage site. Population: 208,007 

Polish Culture

• Polish culture has a varied and rich history dating back 1000 years
• Polish national culture developed with a mixture of Latin and eastern orthodox
• Famous polish artists include Jan Matejko, Stanisław Witkiewicz
• Famous polish novelists and poets include: Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Słowacki and nobel prize winners Henryk Sienkiewicz, Czesłow Miłosz, and Wisława Szymborska
• Poland is the birthplace of the famous romantic composer Frederic Chopin
• The famous Łódż Film School boasts and array of storied graduates including Oscar Winner Roman Polański (Knife in the Water, Frantic, The Pianist)
• Poland is one of Europe’s most religious countries with approximately 75% of the population claiming to be practising Roman Catholics (compared to roughly 12% in France)
• Polish cuisine is both distinctive and rich, with famous dishes including pierogi
• Poland is the birthplace of Nicholas Copernicus
• Polish-born Nobel peace prizewinner Lech Wałęsa began his Solidarity movement in the northern Polish city of Gdańsk.
• Poland is the birthplace of the late John Paul II

Polish alphabet

• The Polish alphabet is made up of 32 letters including: a, ą, b, c, ć, d, e, ę, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, ł, m, n, ń, o, ó, p, r, s, ś, t, u, w, y, z,