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

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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,