2003 Edition

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.5% (male 3,458,844; female 3,284,995) 15-64 years: 69.8% (male 13,407,012; female 13,547,728) 65 years and over: 12.7% (male 1,879,445; female 3,044,636) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

150 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 7

total

88

under 914 m

9 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

62 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3

under 914 m

43 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 15

Area

land

304,465 sq km

total

312,685 sq km

water

8,220 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than New Mexico

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 state following the war, but its government 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, but Poland currently suffers low GDP growth and high unemployment. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001 parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and is scheduled to accede to the European Union along with nine other states on 1 May 2004. Geography Poland

Birth rate

10.47 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$52.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)

revenues

$49.6 billion

Capital

Warsaw

Climate

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Coastline

491 km

Constitution

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

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Poland

conventional short form

Poland

local long form

Rzeczpospolita Polska

local short form

Polska

Currency

zloty (PLN)

Currency code

PLN

Death rate

9.96 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$64 billion (2002)

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, 5010 Warsaw Place, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)

telephone

[48] (22) 504-2000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

chief of mission

Ambassador Przemyslaw GRUDZINSKI

Disputes - international

small boundary changes made with Slovakia in 2003

Distribution of family income - Gini index

31.6 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

EU structural adjustment funds

Economy - overview

Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. Even so, much remains to be done. The privatization of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms has encouraged the development of the private business sector, but legal and bureaucratic obstacles alongside persistent corruption are hampering its further development. Poland's 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), while recently initiated, have stalled due to a lack of political will on the part of the government. 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 reduction of state employment, and an overhaul of the tax code to incorporate the growing gray economy and farmers most of whom pay no tax. The government's determination to enter the EU has shaped most aspects of its economic policy and new legislation; in June 2003, 77% of the voters approved membership, now scheduled for May 2004. Improving Poland's export competitiveness and containing the internal budget deficit are top priorities. Due to political uncertainty, the zloty has recently depreciated in relation to the euro and the dollar while currencies of the other euro-zone aspirants have been appreciating. GDP per capita equals that of the 3 Baltic states.

Electricity - consumption

118.8 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

11.04 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

4.306 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

135 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

98.1%

hydro

1.5%

nuclear

0%

other

0.4% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Rysy 2,499 m

lowest point

near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

Environment - current issues

situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist 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; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to European Union code, but at substantial cost to business and the government

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

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

zlotych per US dollar - 3.99 (2002), 4.09 (2001), 4.35 (2000), 3.97 (1999), 3.48 (1998)

note

zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Executive branch

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

chief of state

President Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI (since 23 December 1995)

election results

Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI reelected president; percent of popular vote - Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI 53.9%, Andrzej OLECHOWSKI 17.3%, Marian KRZAKLEWSKI 15.6%, Lech WALESA 1%

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), Jerzy HAUSNER (since 11 June 2003)

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)

Exports - partners

Germany 33%, Italy 5.7%, France 5%, UK 4.8%, Czech Republic 4.3% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 328-6270

[48] (22) 504-2951

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

consulate(s) general

Krakow

telephone

[1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Poland

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

GDP

purchasing power parity - $373.2 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

3.8%

industry

35%

services

61.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $9,700 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.4% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

52 00 N, 20 00 E

Geography - note

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

Government type

republic

Heliports

3 (2002) Military Poland

Highways

paved

249,060 km (including 358 km of expressways)

total

364,656 km

unpaved

115,596 km (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% - note: no country specific models provided (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

24.7% (1998)

lowest 10%

3.2%

Illicit drugs

major illicit producer of amphetamine for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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)

Imports - partners

Germany 29.9%, Italy 8.1%, Russia 7.4%, France 7.2%, Netherlands 5.3% (2002)

Independence

11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)

Industrial production growth rate

0.3% (2001)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

10.04 deaths/1,000 live births

total

8.95 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.9% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

ACCT (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, 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, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Internet country code

.pl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

19 (2000)

Internet users

6.4 million (2001) Transportation Poland

Irrigated land

1,000 sq km (1998 est.)

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)

Labor force

17.6 million (2000 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 22.1%, agriculture 27.5%, services 50.4% (1999)

Land boundaries

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

total

2,788 km

Land use

arable land

45.81%

other

52.96% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

1.23%

Languages

Polish

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, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg

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)

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 (as of 25 April 2003) - SLD 193, PO 57, Samoobrona 39, PiS 43, PSL 39, LPR 28, UP 16, SKL 8, PLD 6, PBL 5, RKN 5, PP 3, ROP 3, German minorities 2, independents 13; note - SLD and UP ran together on electoral lists in the 2001 elections, but constitute separate parliamentary clubs in the Sejm; several other deputies have left their parties and set up other parliamentary factions; 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

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)

note

two seats are assigned to ethnic minority parties

Life expectancy at birth

female

78.28 years (2003 est.)

male

69.77 years

total population

73.91 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.7% (2003 est.) Government Poland

male

99.8%

total population

99.8%

Location

Central Europe, east of Germany

Map references

Europe

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

defined by international treaties

territorial sea

12 NM

Median age

female

38 years (2002)

male

34.1 years

total

36 years

Merchant marine

ships by type

bulk 9, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2002 est.)

total

14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 199,186 GRT/275,476 DWT

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$3.5 billion (2002)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.71% (2002) Transnational Issues Poland

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

10,354,978 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

8,077,706 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

19 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

343,500 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Nationality

adjective

Polish

noun

Pole(s)

Natural gas - consumption

13.85 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

41 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

8.782 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

5.471 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

154.4 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

flooding

Natural resources

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

Net migration rate

-0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

424,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

53,000 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

413,700 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

17,180 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

116.4 million bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 12,901 km; oil 737 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders

Catholic-National Movement or RKN [Antoni MACIEREWICZ]; Citizens Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Conservative Peasants Party or SKL-RNP [Artur BALAZS]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Leszek MILLER]; Freedom Union or UW [Wladyslaw FRASYNIUK]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Marek KOTLINOWSKI]; Movement for the Reconstruction of Poland or ROP [Jan OLSZEWSKI]; Peasant-Democratic Party or PLD [Roman JAGIELINSKI]; Polish Accord or PP [Jan LOPUSZANSKI]; Polish Peasant Bloc or PBL [Wojciech MOJZESOWICZ]; Polish Peasant Party or PSL [Jaroslaw KALINOWSKI]; Samoobrona [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Movement or RS [Krzysztof PIESIEWICZ]; Union of Labor or UP [Marek POL]

Political pressure groups and leaders

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Maciej MANICKI]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Jozef GLEMP]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

Population

38,622,660 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

18.4% (2000 est.)

Population growth rate

0% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

20.2 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

646 km 1.524-m gauge

narrow gauge

1,135 km various gauges including 1.000-m, 0.785-m, 0.750-m, and 0.600-m (2002)

standard gauge

21,639 km 1.435-m gauge (11,626 km electrified)

total

23,420 km

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

cable, open-wire, and microwave radio relay; 3 cellular networks; local exchanges 56.6% digital

general assessment

underdeveloped and outmoded system in the process of being overhauled; partial privatization of the state-owned telephone monopoly is underway; the long waiting list for main line telephone service has resulted in a boom in mobile cellular telephone use

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat, NA Eutelsat, 2 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions), and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)

Telephones - main lines in use

8.07 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular

13 million (2002)

Television broadcast stations

179 (plus 256 repeaters) (September 1995)

Televisions

13.05 million (1997)

Terrain

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Total fertility rate

1.37 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

18.1% (2002)

Waterways

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