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• The area of Poland, as given by the Central Statistical Office, is 312,679 km 2 (120,726 sq mi), of which 311,888 km 2 (120,421 sq mi) is land and 791 km 2 (305 sq mi) is internal water surface area. • The adoption of Christianity in Poland is seen by many Poles, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack thereof, as one of the most significant events in their country's history, as it was used to unify the tribes in the region. Poland (: Polska ( )), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Polska, ()), is a in. It is a divided into 16, covering an area of 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi) with a mostly temperate climate.

With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the sixth most populous. Poland's capital and largest is.

Other cities include,,, and. Sigma As 227 Program Telewizyjny. The establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966, when, ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to. The was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented with the by signing the. This union formed the, one of the largest (about 1 million km²) and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, with a political system which adopted Europe's first written national constitution, the. Following the at the end of the 18th century, Poland in 1918 with the. In September 1939, started with the by, followed by the invading Poland in accordance with the.

More than six million Poles died in the war., the was established as a under. In the aftermath of the, most notably through the emergence of the, Poland established itself as a republic. Poland is a as well as a possible.

It has the eighth largest and one of the most dynamic, simultaneously achieving a very high rank on the. Additionally, the is the largest and most important in. Poland is a and country, which maintains a along with very high standards of,, safety, education and. According to the, Poland has a leading school in Europe. The country provides free, state-funded and a system for all citizens. Situated between Eastern and Western European cultures and coined by a changing history, Poland developed a, including numerous and 15 It is visited by approximately 17.5 million tourists every year (2016), making it the 16th most visited country in the world. Poland is a member state of the, the, the,, and the.

Reconstruction of a, settlement in, c. 700 BC Historians have postulated that throughout, many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now Poland. The ethnicity and linguistic affiliation of these groups have been hotly debated; the time and route of the original settlement of in these regions lacks written records and can only be defined as fragmented. The most famous archaeological find from is the fortified settlement (now reconstructed as an open-air museum), dating from the of the early, around 700 BC. The Slavic groups who would form Poland migrated to these areas in the second half of the 5th century AD. Up until the creation of state and his subsequent conversion to Christianity in 966 AD, the main religion of Slavic tribes that inhabited the geographical area of present-day Poland was. With the the Polish rulers accepted Christianity and the religious authority of the.

However, the transition from paganism was not a smooth and instantaneous process for the rest of the population as evident from the. Piast dynasty. Is the only Polish king to receive the title of Great. He built extensively during his reign, and reformed the Polish army along with the country's civil and criminal laws, 1333–70. The of the nobles began to develop under Casimir's rule, when in return for their, the king made a series of concessions to the nobility, and establishing their legal status as superior to that of the townsmen.

When Casimir the Great died in 1370, leaving no legitimate male heir, the came to an end. During the 13th and 14th centuries, Poland became a destination for German, Flemish and to a lesser extent Walloon, Danish and Scottish migrants. Also, Jews and Armenians began to settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see and ). The, a plague that ravaged Europe from 1347 to 1351 did not significantly affect Poland, and the country was spared from a major outbreak of the disease. The reason for this was the decision of Casimir the Great to quarantine the nation's borders. Jagiellon dynasty.

In, seat of Polish kings from 1038 until the capital was moved to in 1596. The royal residence is an example of early architecture in Poland. Poland was developing as a state, with a predominantly agricultural economy and an increasingly powerful.

The act adopted by the Polish (parliament) in 1505, transferred most of the from the monarch to the Sejm, an event which marked the beginning of the period known as 'Golden Liberty', when the state was ruled by the 'free and equal'. Movements made deep inroads into Polish Christianity, which resulted in the establishment of policies promoting religious tolerance, unique in Europe at that time. This tolerance allowed the country to avoid most of the religious turmoil that spread over Europe during the 16th century. The European evoked in late Jagiellon Poland (kings and ) a sense of urgency in the need to promote a, and during this period Polish culture and the nation's economy flourished.

In 1543, a Polish astronomer from, published his epochal work ( On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), and thereby became the first proponent of a predictive mathematical model confirming the, which became the accepted basic model for the practice of modern astronomy. Another major figure associated with the era is the classicist poet. Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The was an important development in the history of Poland, which extended religious freedoms and tolerance, and produced a first of its kind document in Europe, 28 January 1573.

The 1569 established the, a more closely unified federal state with an, but which was governed largely by the nobility, through a system of with a central parliament. The (1573) confirmed the religious freedom of all residents of Poland, which was extremely important for the stability of the multiethnic Polish society of the time.

Was banned in 1588. The establishment of the Commonwealth coincided with a period of stability and prosperity in Poland, with the union thereafter becoming a European power and a major cultural entity, occupying approximately one million square kilometers of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as an agent for the dissemination of through into areas of modern-day Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Western Russia.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, suffered from a number of dynastic crises during the reigns of the kings and and found itself engaged in major conflicts with, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire, as well as a series of minor uprisings. In 1610 Polish army under command seized Moscow after winning the. In 1611 the Tsar of Russia to the King of Poland. The at its greatest extent after the. During the first half of the 17th century, Poland covered an area of about 1,000,000 kilometres (620,000 mi). After the signing of, Poland had in the years 1618–1621 an area of about 1 million km².

From the middle of the 17th century, the nobles' democracy, suffering from internal disorder, gradually declined, thereby leaving the once powerful Commonwealth vulnerable to foreign intervention. Starting in 1648, the engulfed the south and east, eventually leaving Ukraine divided, with the eastern part, lost by the Commonwealth, becoming a dependency of the Tsardom of Russia. This was followed by the, a Swedish invasion of Poland, which marched through the Polish heartlands and ruined the country's population, culture and infrastructure.

Around four million of Poland's eleven million inhabitants died in famines and epidemics. However, under the Commonwealth's military prowess was re-established, and in 1683 Polish forces played a major role in the against the, commanded by, the Grand Vizier of the. King defeated the at the on 12 September 1683. Sobieski's reign marked the end of the nation's golden era. Finding itself subjected to almost constant warfare and suffering enormous population losses as well as massive damage to its economy, the Commonwealth fell into decline. The government became ineffective as a result of large-scale internal conflicts (e.g. Against and rebellious ) and corrupted legislative processes.

The nobility fell under the control of a handful of, and this, compounded with two relatively weak kings of the, and, as well as the rise of and after the only served to worsen the Commonwealth's plight. Despite this The Commonwealth-Saxony gave rise to the emergence of the Commonwealth's first reform movement, and laid the foundations for the.

During the later part of the 18th century, the Commonwealth made attempts to implement fundamental internal reforms; with the second half of the century bringing a much improved economy, significant population growth and far-reaching progress in the areas of education, intellectual life, art, and especially toward the end of the period, evolution of the social and political system. The most populous capital city of replaced (Danzig) as the leading centre of commerce, and the role of the more prosperous townsmen increased. Main articles: and The of 1764 resulted in the elevation of (a Polish aristocrat connected to the faction of ) to the monarchy. However, as a one-time personal admirer of Empress, the new king spent much of his reign torn between his desire to implement reforms necessary to save his nation, and his perceived necessity to remain in a political relationship with his Russian sponsor. This led to the formation of the 1768, a szlachta rebellion directed against the Polish king and his Russian sponsors, which aimed to preserve Poland's independence and the szlachta's traditional privileges. Attempts at reform provoked the union's neighbours, and in 1772 the by Prussia, Russia and Austria took place; an act which the ', under considerable duress, eventually 'ratified' fait accompli.

Disregarding this loss, in 1773 the king established the, the first government education authority in Europe. Corporal punishment of children was officially prohibited in 1783.

Takes the in, vowing to fight against of the partitioning powers, 1794. In 1807, temporarily recreated a Polish state as the satellite, after a successful against Prussian rule. But, after the failed, Poland was again split between the victorious powers at the of 1815.

The eastern part was ruled by the Russian as, which had a very. However, over time the Russian monarch reduced Polish freedoms, and Russia annexed the country in virtually all but name. Meanwhile, the Prussian controlled territory of Poland came under increased Germanization. Thus, in the 19th century, only Austrian-ruled, and particularly the, allowed free Polish culture to flourish. Throughout the period of the partitions, political and cultural repression of the Polish nation led to the organisation of a number of uprisings against the authorities of the occupying Russian, Prussian and Austrian governments.

In 1830, the began in when, led by Lieutenant, young at the in Warsaw revolted. They were joined by large segments of Polish society, and together forced Warsaw's Russian garrison to withdraw north of the city. Capture of the by the Polish army during the against, 29 November 1830 Over the course of the next seven months, Polish forces successfully defeated the Russian armies of Field Marshal and a number of other Russian commanders; however, finding themselves in a position unsupported by any other foreign powers, save distant France and the newborn United States, and with Prussia and Austria refusing to allow the import of military supplies through their territories, the Poles accepted that the uprising was doomed to failure.

Upon the surrender of Warsaw to General, many Polish troops, feeling they could not go on, withdrew into Prussia and there laid down their arms. After the defeat, the semi-independent Congress Poland lost its constitution, army and legislative assembly, and was integrated more closely with the Russian Empire.

During the (a series of revolutions which swept across Europe), Poles took up arms in the to resist Prussian rule. Initially, the uprising manifested itself in the form of civil disobedience, but eventually turned into an armed struggle when the Prussian military was sent in to pacify the region. Eventually, after several battles the uprising was suppressed by the Prussians, and the was stripped of its autonomy and completely incorporated into the.

In 1863, a new Polish uprising against Russian rule began. The started out as a spontaneous protest by young Poles against into the Imperial Russian Army. However, the insurrectionists, despite being joined by high-ranking Polish-Lithuanian officers and numerous politicians, were still severely outnumbered and lacking in foreign support.

They were forced to resort to guerrilla warfare tactics and failed to win any major military victories. Afterwards no major uprising was witnessed in the Russian-controlled Congress Poland, and Poles resorted instead to fostering economic and cultural self-improvement. Despite the political unrest experienced during the partitions, Poland did benefit from large-scale industrialisation and modernisation programs, instituted by the occupying powers, which helped it develop into a more economically coherent and viable entity. This was particularly true in Greater Poland, Silesia and Eastern Pomerania controlled by Prussia (later becoming a part of the ); areas which eventually, thanks largely to the and, were reconstituted as a part of the, becoming the country's most prosperous regions. Marshal was the nation's premiere statesman between 1918 until his death on 12 May 1935.

During, all the agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that United States President proclaimed in Point 13 of his. A total of 2 million Polish troops fought with the armies of the three occupying powers, and 450,000 died. Shortly after the, Poland regained its independence as the ( II Rzeczpospolita Polska). It reaffirmed its independence after, the most notable being the (1919–21) when Poland inflicted a crushing defeat on the at the, an event which is considered to have halted the advance of Communism into Europe and forced to rethink his objective of achieving global socialism. The event is often referred to as the 'Miracle at the Vistula'.

Polish army's tanks during military maneuvers shortly before the, 1939 The formal beginning of was marked by the on 1 September 1939, followed by the on 17 September. On 28 September 1939. As agreed earlier in the, Poland was split into two zones,, the other, including all of, fell under.

Supreme Ruler 2020 Map Editor Download. In 1939–41, the Soviets deported hundreds of thousands of Poles to distant parts of the Soviet Union. The Soviet secretly executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war (inter alia ) ahead of the. German planners had in November 1939 called for 'the complete destruction' of all Poles and their fate, as well as many other, was outlined in genocidal. Pilots of the during the, October 1940 Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution in Europe and its troops served both the in the and Soviet leadership in the. In the west, the Polish expeditionary corps played an important role in the and and are particularly remembered for the. In the east, the Soviet-backed distinguished itself in the battles for and. Polish servicemen were also active in the theatres of naval and air warfare; during the Polish squadrons such as the achieved considerable success, and by the end of the war the could claim 769 confirmed kills.

Meanwhile, the was active in the protection of convoys in the and Atlantic Ocean. The domestic underground resistance movement, the ( Home Army), fought against German occupation. The in Poland was one of the three largest resistance movements of the entire war, and encompassed an unusually broad range of clandestine activities, which functioned as an complete with and. The resistance was loyal to the exiled government and generally resented the idea of a communist Poland; for this reason, in the summer of 1944 they initiated, of which the that begun on 1 August 1944 was the best known operation. The objective of the uprising was to drive the German occupiers from the city and help with the larger fight against Germany and the. Secondary motives were to see Warsaw liberated before the Soviets could reach the capital, so as to underscore Polish sovereignty by empowering the Polish Underground State before the Soviet-backed could assume control. A lack of Allied support and Stalin's reluctance to allow the 1st Army to help their fellow countrymen take the city led to the uprising's failure and subsequent.

Grave of a killed during the. The battle lasted 63 days and resulted in the deaths of 200,000 civilians in 1944. Germany killed 2.9 million Polish Jews, and 2.8 million ethnic Poles, including Polish academics, doctors, lawyers, nobility, priests and numerous others.

It is estimated that, of pre-war Poland's Jewry, approximately 90% were killed. Throughout the, many members of the Armia Krajowa, supported by the, and millions of ordinary Poles – at great risk to themselves and their families –. Grouped by nationality, Poles represent the largest number of people who rescued Jews during the Holocaust. To date, 6,620 Poles have been awarded the title of by the State of Israel–more than any other nation. Some estimates put the number of Poles involved in rescue efforts at up to 3 million, and credit Poles with sheltering up to 450,000 Jews. Around 150,000 Polish civilians were killed by Soviet Communists between 1939 and 1941 during the Soviet Union's occupation of eastern Poland (), and another estimated 100,000 Poles were killed by the (UPA) in the regions of and between 1943 and 1944 in what became known as the.

The massacres were part of a vicious campaign waged by Ukrainian nationalists against the local Polish population in the German-occupied territories of eastern Poland. At the war's conclusion in 1945, Poland's borders, resulting in considerable territorial losses. Most of the Polish inhabitants of along the in accordance with Stalin's agreements. The western border was moved to the. As a result, Poland's territory was reduced by 20%, or 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 sq mi).

The shift forced the migration of, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews. In the war, Poland: over 6 million perished – nearly one-fifth of Poland's population – Polish Jews. Over 90% of deaths were non-military in nature. Population numbers did not recover until the 1970s. Post-war communism. Flags of Poland and the.

The country became a member of the European community of nations on 1 May 2004. A programme, initiated by in the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its socialist-style planned economy into a. As with other post-communist countries, Poland suffered slumps in social and economic standards, but it became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels, which it achieved by 1995 largely thanks to its booming economy.

Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in human rights, such as, (no censorship), civil liberties (1st class) and political rights (1st class), as ranked by non-governmental organization. In 1991, Poland became a member of the and joined the (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the, and. Poles then voted to join the in in June 2003, with on 1 May 2004. Poland joined the in 2007, as a result of which, with other member states of the European Union have been dismantled, allowing for within most of the EU.

In contrast to this, a section of Poland's eastern border now comprises the external EU border with, Russia and Ukraine. That border has become increasingly well protected, and has led in part to the coining of the phrase, in reference to the seeming 'impossibility' of gaining entry to the EU for citizens of the. Candles and flowers on the following the including in a plane crash over Smolensk in Russia, 10 April 2010 In an effort to strengthen military cooperation with its neighbors, Poland set up the with Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a total of 3,000 troops ready for deployment. Also, in the east Poland created the battle groups with Lithuania and Ukraine. These battle groups will operate outside of NATO and within the European defense initiative framework.

On 10 April 2010, the President of the Republic of Poland,, along with 89 other high-ranking Polish officials near, Russia. The president's party was on their way to attend an annual service of commemoration for the victims of the when the tragedy took place. In 2011, the responsible for the functioning of the was awarded to Poland. The same year took place in both and the Sejm. They were won by the ruling. Poland joined in 2012, as well as organised the (along with Ukraine).

In 2013, Poland also became a member of the. In 2014, the,, was chosen to be, and resigned as prime minister. The 2015 elections were won by the opposion Party (PiS). Map of Poland Poland's territory extends across several geographical regions, between latitudes and, and longitudes and. In the north-west is the seacoast, which extends from the to the. This coast is marked by several, coastal lakes (former bays that have been cut off from the sea), and dunes.

The largely straight coastline is indented by the, the, and the. The centre and parts of the north of the country lie within the. Rising above these lowlands is a geographical region comprising four hilly districts of and formed during and after the. These lake districts are the Lake District, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Lake District, and the.

The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers much of north-eastern Poland. The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the. South of the Northern European Plain are the regions of, and, which are marked by broad ice-age river valleys.

Farther south is a mountainous region, including the, the, the, and the, including the. The highest part of the Carpathians is the, along Poland's southern border. In the region The geological structure of Poland has been shaped by the of Europe and Africa over the past 60 million years and, more recently, by the glaciations of northern Europe. Both processes shaped the and the.

The moraine landscape of northern Poland contains soils made up mostly of sand or, while the ice age river valleys of the south often contain. The, the, and the consist of, while the, the, and the are made up mainly of and. The has some of the oldest rock formation on the continent of Europe. In southern Poland average 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) in elevation. Poland has 70 mountains over 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) in elevation, all in the. The Polish Tatras, which consist of the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, is the highest mountain group of Poland and of the entire Carpathian range.

In the High Tatras lies Poland's highest point, the north-western summit of, 2,499 metres (8,199 ft) in elevation. At its foot lies the mountain lakes of (Black Lake below Mount Rysy), and (the Marine Eye). The second highest mountain group in Poland is the, whose highest peak is, at 1,725 metres (5,659 ft). The next highest mountain groups are the in the, the highest point of which is at 1,603 metres (5,259 ft), and the, the highest point of which is at 1,425 metres (4,675 ft). The, located in the region of Poland, contains more than 2,000 lakes. In addition to the lake districts in the north (in Masuria, Pomerania,, Lubuskie, and ), there is also a large number of mountain lakes in the Tatras, of which the Morskie Oko is the largest in area.

The lake with the greatest depth—of more than 100 metres (328 ft)—is in the Wigry Lake District, east of Masuria in. Among the first lakes whose shores were settled are those in the Greater Polish Lake District. The settlement of, occupied by more than one thousand residents, was founded before the 7th century BC by people of the.

Lakes have always played an important role in Polish history and continue to be of great importance to today's modern Polish society. The ancestors of today's Poles, the, built their first fortresses on islands in these lakes.

The legendary Prince ruled from tower erected on the. The first historically documented ruler of Poland, Duke, had his palace on an island in the Warta River in. Nowadays the Polish lakes provide a location for the pursuit of water sports such as and.

Fields in Poland is the fourth most forested country in Europe. Forests cover about 30.5% of Poland's land area based on international standards. Its overall percentage is still increasing.

Are managed by the national program of reforestation (KPZL), aiming at an increase of forest-cover to 33% in 2050. The richness of Polish forest (per SoEF 2011 statistics) is more than twice as high as European average (with Germany and France at the top), containing 2.304 billion cubic metres of trees.

The largest forest complex in Poland is. More than 1% of Poland's territory, 3,145 square kilometres (1,214 sq mi), is protected within 23. Three more national parks are projected for, the Polish Jura, and the eastern.

In addition, along lakes and rivers in central Poland are legally protected, as are coastal areas in the north. There are over 120 areas designated as, along with numerous and other (e.g. Since Poland's accession to the European Union in 2004, Polish agriculture has performed extremely well and the country has over two million private farms. It is the leading producer in Europe of potatoes and (world's second largest in 1989) the world's largest producer of, and one of the more important producers of barley, oats,, flax, and fruits.

Poland is the European Union's fourth largest supplier of pork after Germany, Spain and France. An ancient woodland in eastern Poland, is now home to 800 wild., Poland belongs to the Central European province of the within the. According to the, the territory of of the continental forest spanning Central and Northern European ecoregions as well as the Carpathian conifer forest.

Many animals that have since died out in other parts of Europe still survive in Poland, such as the in the of the and in. Other such species include the in, in the Tatras, and in the Beskids, the and the in various forests, the in northern Poland, and the in Masuria, Pomerania, and Podlaskie. In the forests, one also encounters game animals, such as, and. In eastern Poland there are a number of ancient woodlands, like, that have never been cleared or have been disturbed much by people.

There are also large forested areas in the mountains, Masuria, Pomerania, and. Main article: Poland is a, with a as a, whose current dates from 1997. Poland ranks in the top 20 percent of the most peaceful countries in the world, according to the. The government structure centers on the, led by a. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the. The president is elected by popular vote every five years.

The current is and the is. Polish voters elect a parliament consisting of a 460-member lower house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate ().

The Sejm is elected under according to the, a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senat, on the other hand, is elected under the method, with one senator being returned from each of the 100 constituencies. The adopted in 1791 was the first modern constitution in Europe.

The new Constitution introduced political equality between and the ( ), and placed the under the protection of the government. The Constitution abolished pernicious parliamentary institutions such as the, which at one time had placed the at the mercy of any deputy who might choose, or be by an interest or foreign power, to have rescinded all the legislation that had been passed by that sejm. The 3 May Constitution sought to supplant the existing anarchy fostered by some of the country's, with a more and democratic. The adoption of was treated as a threat by Poland's neighbours. In response, Austria and Russia formed an anti-Polish alliance and over the next decade collaborated with one another to their weaker neighbour and destroyed the Polish state.

In the words of two of its co-authors, and, the constitution represented 'the last will and testament of the expiring Fatherland.' Despite this, its text influenced many later across the globe. In Poland, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Article 25 (section I. The Republic) and Article 54 (section II.

The Freedoms, Rights and Obligations of Persons and Citizens) of the. Was a proponent of early.

Started in the 1800s in the age of the foreign Partitions. Poland's precursor of feminism,, founded a group of in 1842. Prior to the in 1795, tax-paying females were allowed to take part in political life. Since 1918, following the return to independence, all women could vote. Poland was the 15th (12th sovereign) country to introduce universal women's suffrage. Currently, in Poland abortion is allowed only in special circumstances, such as when the woman's life or health is endangered by the continuation of pregnancy, when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act, or when the fetus is seriously malformed.

Homosexuality in Poland was confirmed as legal in 1932. Also, Poland recognises gender change. Trafficking women is 'illegal and rare' (top results worldwide). Organized in support of Poland's current constitution was adopted by the on 2 April 1997, approved by a national referendum on 25 May 1997, and came into effect on 17 October 1997. It guarantees a multi-party state, the freedoms of religion, speech and assembly, and specifically casts off many Communist ideals to create a ' '. It requires public officials to pursue ecologically sound public policy and acknowledges the inviolability of the home, the right to form trade unions, and to strike, whilst at the same time prohibiting the practices of forced medical experimentation, torture and corporal punishment.

Foreign relations. Main article: In recent years, Poland has extended its responsibilities and position in European and international affairs, supporting and establishing friendly relations with other European nations and a large number of 'developing' countries. Poland is a member of the,, the, the, the (OECD),,,,,,,,,, and. In 1994, Poland became an associate member of the European Union (EU) and its defensive arm, the (WEU), having submitted preliminary documentation for full membership in 1996, it formally joined the European Union in May 2004, along with the other members of the. In 1996, Poland achieved full membership, and at the 1997 Madrid Summit was invited to join the (NATO) in the first wave of finally becoming a full member of NATO in March 1999. Located in As changes since the fall of Communism in 1989 have redrawn the map of Europe, Poland has tried to forge strong and mutually beneficial relationships with its seven new neighbours, this has notably included signing 'friendship treaties' to replace links severed by the collapse of the. Poland has forged a special relationships with, with whom it co-hosted the UEFA football tournament, in an effort to firmly anchor the country within the Western world and provide it with an alternative to aligning itself with the.

Despite many positive developments in the region, Poland has found itself in a position where it must seek to defend the rights of ethnic Poles living in the; this is particularly true of, where in 2005 the regime launched a campaign against the Polish ethnic minority. Poland is the sixth most populous member state of the European Union and has a grand total of 51 representatives in the. Ever since joining the union in 2004, successive Polish governments have pursued policies to increase the country's role in European and regional affairs.

Administrative divisions. Main article: Poland's current (provinces) are largely based on the country's historic regions, whereas those of the past two decades (to 1998) had been centred on and named for individual cities. The new units range in area from less than 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) for Opole Voivodeship to more than 35,000 square kilometres (14,000 sq mi) for Masovian Voivodeship. Administrative authority at voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed (governor), an elected regional assembly ( ) and an executive elected by that assembly. The voivodeships are subdivided into (often referred to in English as counties), and these are further divided into (also known as communes or municipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Poland has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with powiat status), and 2,478 gminas.

Crew of a during a exercise at the Military Training Area near The most important mission of the armed forces is the defence of Polish territorial integrity and Polish interests abroad. Poland's national security goal is to further integrate with and European defence, economic, and political institutions through the modernisation and reorganisation of its military. The armed forces are being re-organised according to NATO standards, and since 2010, the transition to an entirely contract-based military has been completed. Compulsory military service for men was discontinued in 2008. From 2007, until conscription ended in 2008, the mandatory service was nine months.

A patrol van belonging to the Polish ( Policja) Poland has a highly developed system of law enforcement with a long history of effective policing by the (Policja). The structure of law enforcement agencies within Poland is a multi-tier one, with the State Police providing criminal-investigative services, serving to maintain public order and a number of other specialized agencies, such as the, acting to fulfill their assigned missions. In addition to these state services, private security companies are also common, although they possess no powers assigned to state agencies, such as, for example, the power to make an arrest or detain a suspect. Emergency services in Poland consist of the, units of the and.

Emergency medical services in Poland are, unlike other services, provided for by local and regional government. Since joining the European Union all of Poland's emergency services have been undergoing major restructuring and have, in the process, acquired large amounts of new equipment and staff. All emergency services personnel are now uniformed and can be easily recognised. In addition, the police and other agencies have been steadily replacing and modernising their fleets of vehicles. Is the financial and economic hub of Poland. Poland's economy is considered to be one of the more resilient of the post-Communist countries and is one of the fastest growing within the EU. Having a strong domestic market, low private debt, flexible currency, and not being dependent on a single export sector, Poland is the only European economy to have avoided the.

Since the, Poland has pursued a policy the economy. It is an example of the transition from a to a primarily. The country's most successful exports include machinery, furniture, food products, clothing, shoes and cosmetics.

Poland's largest trading partner is Germany. Poland is a member of the and the EU. The of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of the private sector.

Also, several organizations have become active in the country. Restructuring and privatisation of 'sensitive sectors' such as coal, steel, rail transport and energy has been continuing since 1990. The biggest privatisations have been the sale of the national telecoms firm to in 2000, and an issue of 30% of the shares in Poland's largest bank,, on the Polish stockmarket in 2004. The Polish banking sector is the largest in East Central/Eastern European region, with 32.3 branches per 100,000 adults.

The banks are the largest and most developed sector of the country's. They are regulated by the. During the transformation to a market-oriented economy, the government privatized several banks, recapitalized the rest, and introduced legal reforms that made the sector more competitive. This has attracted a significant number of strategic foreign investors (ICFI). Poland's banking sector has approximately 5 national banks, a network of nearly 600 cooperative banks and 18 branches of foreign-owned banks.

In addition, foreign investors have controlling stakes in nearly 40 commercial banks, which make up 68% of the banking capital. Poland has a large number of private farms in its agricultural sector, with the potential to become a leading producer of food in the European Union. The biggest money-makers abroad include smoked and fresh fish, fine chocolate, and dairy products, meats and specialty breads, with the exchange rate conducive to export growth. Food exports amounted to 62 billion in 2011, increasing by 17% from 2010. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures.

Warsaw leads in foreign investment. According to data, Polish PPS GDP per capita stood at 67% of the EU average in 2012. Is a family-owned bus, coach and tram manufacturer near.

Since the opening of the labor market in the, Poland experienced a of over 2.3 million abroad, mainly due to higher wages offered abroad, and due to the raise in levels of following the global of 2008. The out migration has increased the average wages for the workers who remained in Poland, in particular for those with intermediate level skills. Products and goods manufactured in Poland include: electronics, buses and trams (, ), helicopters and planes (, ), trains (), ships (,, ), military equipment (, ), medicines (, ), food (,, ), clothes (), glass, pottery (), chemical products and others. Poland is also one of the world's biggest producers of, and, as well as,,,,, and.

Is the largest exchange by market capitalization in. Poland is recognised as a regional economic leader within Central and Eastern Europe, with nearly 40 percent of the 500 biggest companies in the region (by revenues) as well as a. The country's largest firms comprise the index, which is traded on the. The economic transition in 1989 has resulted in a in the number and value of investments conducted by Polish corporations abroad.

Over a quarter of these companies have participated in a foreign project or, and 72 percent decided to continue foreign expansion. According to reports made by the, the value of Polish foreign direct investments reached almost 300 billion at the end of 2014. The estimated that in 2014 there were around 1,437 Polish corporations with interests in 3,194 foreign entities.

Well known Polish brands include, among others,,,,,,,,,,,,, (PKP),, and. The list includes the largest companies by turnover in 2016: Rank 2016 Corporation Sector Headquarters Revenue (millions PLN) Employees 1.

SA oil and gas 79 553 4,445 2. Oil and gas 33 196 5,168 3. Energy 28 092 44,317 4. Insurance 22 212 36,419 5. Oil and gas 20 931 33,071 6. SA mining 19 556 18,578 7.

SA energy 17 646 26,710 8. Cinkciarz.pl Sp. Financial services 14 283 22,556 9. Banking 13 544 5,303 10. Energy 11 255 23,805 Tourism.

Is a lignite-fired power station that produces 27–28 TWh of electricity per year, or twenty percent of the total power generation in Poland. The electricity generation sector in Poland is largely –based. Many power plants nationwide use Poland's position as a major European exporter of coal to their advantage by continuing to use coal as the primary raw material in production of their energy. In 2013, Poland scored 48 out of 129 states in the Energy Sustainability Index.

The three largest Polish coal mining firms (, and ) extract around 100 million tonnes of coal annually. All three of these companies are key constituents of the 's lead economic indexes. Renewable forms of energy account for a smaller proportion of Poland's full energy generation capacity. However, the national government has set targets for the development of renewable energy sources in Poland which should see the portion of power produced by renewable resources climb to 7.5% by 2010 and 15% by 2020.

This is to be achieved mainly through the construction of and a number of stations. Poland has around 164,800,000,000 m 3 of proven natural gas reserves and around 96,380,000 barrels of proven oil reserves. These reserves are exploited by energy supply companies such as ('the only Polish company listed in the '). However, the small amounts of fossil fuels naturally occurring in Poland is insufficient to satisfy the full energy consumption needs of the population.

Therefore, the country is a net importer of oil and natural gas. Motorways and junction near Transport in Poland is provided by means of,, and.

Positioned in Central Europe with its eastern and part of its northeastern border constituting the longest land border of the with the rest of and. Since joining the EU in May 2004, Poland has invested large amounts of public funds into modernization projects of its transport networks. The country now has a developing network composed of motorways such as the,,,, and express roads such as the,,,,. At the end of 2016, Poland had 3163.4 km of highways (1631.7 km of motorways and 1531.7 km of expressways). In addition to these newly built roads, many local and regional roads are being fixed as part of a national programme to rebuild all roads in Poland.

At the railway station In 2015, the nation had 19,000 kilometres (11,800 mi) of railway track. Trains can operate up to 160 km/h (99 mph) on 7.5% of the track. Most trains operate between 80 and 120 km/h (50 and 75 mph). Part of the system operates at 40 km/h (25 mph). Polish authorities maintain a program of improving operating speeds across the entire Polish rail network. To that end, (PKP) is adopting new rolling stock such as the, which is in principle capable of speeds up to 200 km/h (124 mph). Additionally, in December 2014, Poland began to implement connecting major Polish cities.

The Polish government has revealed that it intends to connect all major cities to a future high-speed rail network by 2020. The new PKP test train set the record for the fastest train in the history of Poland, reaching 293 km/h (182 mph) on 24 November 2013.

Previously, the speed record had been 160 km/h (99 mph) since 1985. Most intercity rail routes in Poland are operated by, whilst regional trains are run by a number of operators, the largest of which is. Physicist and chemist was the first person to win two. She also established Poland's in 1925.

Poland's tertiary education institutions; traditional, as well as technical, medical, and economic institutions, employ around 61,000 researchers and members of staff. There are around 300 research and development institutes, with about 10,000 researchers. In total, there are around 91,000 scientists in Poland today. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries many Polish scientists worked abroad; one of the most important of these exiles was, a physicist and chemist who lived much of her life in France.

In the first half of the 20th century, Poland was a flourishing centre of mathematics. Outstanding Polish mathematicians formed the (with,,, ) and (with,, ). The events of pushed many of them into exile. Such was the case of, whose family left Poland when he was still a child.

An alumnus of the Warsaw School of Mathematics was, one of the shapers of 20th century. Over 40 research and development centers and 4,500 researchers make Poland the biggest research and development hub in Central and Eastern Europe. Multinational companies such as: ABB,,,,,,,,,, and all have set up research and development centres in Poland. Companies chose Poland because of the availability of highly qualified labour force, presence of universities, support of authorities, and the largest market in East-Central Europe. According to a KPMG report in 2011 80% of Poland's current investors are content with their choice and willing to reinvest.

Headquarters of in. Poland's postal service can trace its roots to the year 1558. The public postal service in Poland is operated by (the Polish Post).

It was created on 18 October 1558, when King established a permanent postal route from to. The service was dissolved during the foreign partitions in the 18th century. After regaining independence in 1918, Poland saw the rapid development of the postal system as new services were introduced including, payment of pensions, delivery of magazines, and. The government-owned enterprise of Polish Post, Telegraph and Telephone ( Polska Poczta, Telegraf i Telefon) was established in 1928.

During communication was provided mainly through the military authorities. Many important events in the history of Poland involved the postal service, like the in 1939, and the participation of the Polish Scouts' Postal Service in the. At present, the service is a modern state-owned company that provides a number of standard and express delivery as well as home-delivery services.

With an estimated number of around 83,000 employees (2013), Poczta Polska also has a personal tracking system for parcels. In 2017 the company adopted a strategy that assumes increasing revenues to 6.9 billion by 2021; the aim is to double revenues from courier and parcel services and a five-fold growth in logistics services. Population of Poland 1900–2010 in millions of inhabitants Poland, with 38,544,513 inhabitants, has the eighth-largest population in Europe and the sixth-largest in the.

It has a population density of 122 inhabitants per square kilometer (328 per square mile). Poland historically contained on its soil. The country had a particularly large Jewish population prior to, when the 's regime led to the.

There were an estimated 3 million Jews living in Poland before the war—less than 300,000 survived. The outcome of the war, particularly the to the area between the and the, coupled with post-war, significantly reduced the country's ethnic diversity. Over 7 million from the Polish side of the Oder-Neisse boundary, after the country's borders were re-drawn by the big three Allied powers (United States, Britain and the Soviet Union) after the war. Post-World War II deportations were ordered by the Soviet authorities, who wished to remove the sizeable Polish minorities from Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine and (see and for details). According to the, 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of the population, consider themselves Polish, while 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality, and 774,900 (2.03%) did not declare any nationality.

The largest minority nationalities and ethnic groups in Poland are (152,897 according to the census, 92% of whom live in and ), (c. 49,000), Ukrainians (c. 30,000), Lithuanians, Russians,, Jews,, Slovaks, Czechs, and. Among foreign citizens, the are the largest ethnic group, followed by Armenians and Greeks. The Polish language, part of the branch of the, functions as the of Poland.

Until recent decades Russian was commonly learned as a second language, but has been replaced by English as the most common second language studied and spoken. In 2015, more than 50% of Poles declared to speak English – Russian came second and German came third, other commonly spoken languages include French, Italian and Spanish. In recent years, Poland's population has decreased due to an increase in emigration and a decline in the birth rate. Since Poland's accession to the European Union, a significant number of Poles, primarily to the, and in search of better work opportunities abroad. With better economic conditions and Polish salaries at 70% of the EU average in 2016, this trend started to decrease in the 2010s and workforce became needed in the country. As a result, the Polish Minister of Development suggested that Poles abroad should return to Poland. Polish minorities are still present in the neighboring countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania, as well as in other countries (see for population numbers).

Altogether, the number of ethnic Poles living abroad is estimated to be around 20 million. The largest number of can be found in the and. The (TFR) in Poland was estimated in 2013 at 1.33 children born to a woman. In is a shrine to the Virgin Mary (), and a major pilgrimage site for Poland's many Catholics. Since the country adopted Christianity in 966, Poland has contributed significantly to the development of ideals, which upheld and guaranteed religious freedoms.

In 1264, the also known as a 'Charter of Jewish Liberties' granted living in the Polish lands unprecedented legal rights not found anywhere in Europe. In 1424, a setback occurred when the Polish king was pressed by the Bishops to issue the, outlawing early Protestant. However, in 1573, the marked the formal beginning of extensive religious freedoms granted to all faiths in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The act was not imposed by a king or consequence of war, but rather resulted from the actions of members of the Polish-Lithuanian society.

It was also influenced by the events of the 1572 French, which prompted the Polish-Lithuanian nobility to see that no monarch would ever be able to carry out such reprehensible atrocities in Poland. The act is also credited with keeping the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth out of the, fought between German Protestants and Catholics. Religious tolerance in Poland spurred many theological movements such as Calvinist and a number of other Protestant groups, as well as atheists, such as ex-Jesuit philosopher, one of the first atheist thinkers in Europe. Also, in the 16th century, from the Netherlands and Germany settled in Poland—after being persecuted in Western Europe—and became known as the. Until World War II, Poland was a religiously diverse society, in which substantial,,, and Roman Catholic groups coexisted.

In the, according to the, Roman Catholicism was the dominant religion, declared by about 65% of Polish citizens, followed by other Christian denominations, and about 10% of Jewish believers. As a result of the and the post–World War II and populations, Poland has become overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. In 2014, an estimated 87% of the population belonged to the Catholic Church. Though rates of religious observance are lower, at 52% or 51% of the Polish Catholics, Poland remains one of the most devoutly religious countries in Europe. The of is the oldest standing synagogue in Poland and a historic. Prior to, Jews accounted for around.

Also originated in Poland. Contemporary religious minorities include (about 506,800), various Protestants (about 150,000), (126,827),,,,, and (including the of ). Members of Protestant churches include about 77,500 in the, 23,000 in the, 10,000 in the, and others in smaller Christian churches.

There are also a several thousand neopagans, some of whom are members of officially registered churches such as the. Freedom of religion is now guaranteed by the 1989 statute of the Polish Constitution, enabling the emergence of additional denominations. The between the and Poland guarantees the teaching of religion in state schools. According to a 2007 survey, 72% of respondents were not opposed to in public schools; alternative courses in ethics are available only in one percent of the entire public educational system. Famous sites of Roman Catholic pilgrimage in Poland include the in the southern Polish city of,,. Many tourists also visit the in just outside.

Orthodox pilgrims visit Mountain Grabarka near. Was a veteran and hero of both and wars of independence between 1765 and 1794.

The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year Its unique character developed as a result of its geography at the confluence of European cultures. With origins in the culture of the, over time Polish culture has been profoundly influenced by its interweaving ties with the, and worlds as well as in continual dialog with the many other ethnic groups and minorities living in Poland. The people of Poland have traditionally been seen as hospitable to artists from abroad and eager to follow cultural and artistic trends popular in other countries. In the 19th and 20th centuries the Polish focus on cultural advancement often took precedence over political and economic activity. These factors have contributed to the versatile nature of Polish art, with all its complex nuances. Famous people. Was the first and to become a Pope.

He held the papacy between 1978 and 2005. Poland has maintained a high level of, an established and promotes peaceful equality. Unlike in many other countries, ethnic in Poland are guaranteed directly by the (art. Throughout most of its history, Poland has experienced only very limited immigration from abroad; this trend can be largely attributed to Poland's rejection of slavery and to a lack of overseas colonies as well as occupation of its territories during much of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Despite this, the country has for a long time been regarded as having a very tolerant society, which affords equal rights to all people no matter what their ethnic background. This can be said to stem largely from the reign of King and his acceptance of Poland's, in a time when most of Europe recessed into moods and actions.

The exemplifies peaceful co-existence of a nation with a particular ethnic group. In 2013, the rejected for civil partnerships, which the majority of Polish society is against, but for the first time it gave an asylum to a gay person from Uganda on the basis of the sexual orientation. In a 2013 opinion poll conducted by, 60% of Poles were against homosexual civil partnerships, 72% were against, 88% were against adoption by same-sex couples, and 68% were against gays and lesbians publicly showing their way of life. Article 18 of the Constitution of Poland bans same-sex marriage. A 2010 article in reported that in a 2008 study three-quarters of Poles were against gay marriage and the adoption of children by gay couples. The same study revealed that 66% of respondents were opposed to as the demonstration of a way of life, and 69% believed that gay people should not show their sexual orientation in public.

Poland belongs to the group of 'Tier 1' (countries whose governments fully comply with the TVPA's minimum standards.) in. Was one of the greatest concert pianists of the 20th century. At the end of the 18th century, Polish classical music evolved into national forms like the. In the 19th century the most popular composers were: and his pupils and.

Important opera composers of the era were and whilst the list of famous soloists and composers included,. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries the most prominent composers or musicians could said to have been and, with and gaining prominence prior to World War II. Lived in Paris but had strong connections with Poland.,, and composed in Poland, emigrated. Inspired by poems of Traditional Polish folk music has had a major effect on the works of many well-known Polish composers, and no more so than on Fryderyk Chopin, a widely recognised national hero of the arts. All of Chopin's involve the piano and are technically demanding, emphasising nuance and expressive depth. As a great composer, Chopin invented the known as the and made major innovations to the,,,,,, and, he was also the composer of a number of polonaises which borrowed heavily from traditional Polish folk music.

It is largely thanks to him that such pieces gained great popularity throughout Europe during the 19th century. Nowadays the most distinctive folk music can be heard in the towns and villages of the mountainous south, particularly in the region surrounding the winter resort town of. Today Poland has a very active music scene, with the jazz and metal genres being particularly popular among the contemporary populace. Polish jazz musicians such as created a unique style, which was most famous in the 1960s and 1970s and continues to be popular to this day. Since the fall of communism throughout Europe, Poland has become a major venue for large-scale music festivals, chief among which are the, and. Though not Polish in its origin, the painting symbolizes Poland's cultural heritage and is among the country's most precious treasures.

The critics named it 'a breakthrough in the art of psychological.' Art in Poland has always reflected European trends while maintaining its unique character. The, later developed by, produced monumental portrayals of customs and significant events in Polish history.

Other institutions like the were more innovative and focused on both historical and contemporary styles. In recent years, art academies such as the,, and gained much recognition. Interior of the in, which holds one of the largest collections of contemporary art in the country Perhaps the most prominent and internationally admired Polish artist was, who specialized in the style of and whose paintings are often collected by celebrities and well-known personas. Lempicka was described as 'the first woman artist to become a glamour star.'

Another notable was, born Zielenkiewicz, who represented and in and. Prior to the 19th century only and Italian-born had the privilege of being recognized abroad. The movement witnessed the birth of modern Polish art, and engaged in a great deal of formal experimentation led by,,, and a group of Polish. Was an ardent supporter of, its main representative being, while specialized in.

Within historically-orientated circles, dominated with his monumental and theme. Since the inter-war years, Polish art and documentary photography has enjoyed worldwide fame and in the 1960s the was formed. Throughout the entire country, many national museum and art institutions hold valuable works by famous masters like,,, and.

The most distinguished painting of Poland is by Leonardo da Vinci, held at the in. Although not Polish, the work had a strong influence on Polish culture and has been often associated with Polish identity. Other prominent 20th-century artists originating from Poland include,,, and.

The town exemplifies traditional provincial Polish folk architecture Traditional folk architecture in the villages and small towns scattered across the vast Polish countryside is characterized by its extensive use of wood as the primary building material. Some of the best preserved and oldest structures include wooden, and primarily located across southern Poland in the and regions of the Carpathian mountains. Many wooden did not survive to the present time as most of them were destroyed during the Second World War. Also, numerous examples of secular structures such as ( dworek), (),,, and country inns () can still be found across most regions of Poland. These structures were mostly built using the, common to eastern and northern Europe since the Middle Ages and also going further back to the old Slavic building traditions, exemplified by the wooden (a type of fortified settlement built between the 6th and 12th centuries).

These traditional construction methods were utilized all the way up to the start of the 20th century, and gradually faded in the first decades when Poland's population experienced a demographic shift to urban dwelling away form the countryside. Was an untiring promoter of Poland's culture and heritage. His is considered a masterpiece of. The first documented phrase in the reads ' Day ut ia pobrusa, a ti poziwai' ('Let me grind, and you take a rest'), reflecting the culture of early Poland. It was composed by an abbot named Piotr (Peter) within the Latin language chronicle from between 1269 and 1273, which described the history of the monastery in,. The sentence was allegedly uttered almost a hundred years earlier by a settler, who expressed pity for his spouse's duty of grinding by the.

The sentence has been included in the. Is often regarded as one of the greatest novelists of all time. He was the author of popular books such as and. Most records in Latin and the contain the oldest extant manuscript of fine Polish entitled the, as well as the earliest Polish-language bible, the so-called. One of the first printing houses was established by in the 1470s, while was considered the pioneer of commercial print in Poland. Haller's, an astronomical wall calendar from 1474, is Poland's oldest surviving print.

The tradition of extending Polish historiography in Latin was subsequently inherited by, Bishop of in the 13th century, and in the 15th century. This practice, however, was abandoned by, who became one of the first authors to write most of his works in Polish, along with. Poland also hosted a large number of famed poets and writers from abroad like, and. A Polish writer who utilized Latin as his principal tool of expression was, one of the most renowned Latin poets of his time, who was laureled by the. Other writers of the Polish Renaissance include,, and. Throughout this period Poland also experienced the early stages of. The main figure of Polish Reformation was, who, with the permission of King, created the European Protestant Congregation of London in 1550.

During the era, the greatly influenced Polish literature and literary techniques, often relying on God and religious matters. The leading baroque poet was, who incorporated into his publications., also a respected baroque writer, is mostly remembered for his tales and memoirs reflecting culture in the. Subsequently, the was dominated by,,, and two Polish monarchs, and. In 1776 composed the first proper entitled, which was a milestone for Polish literature. Banquet in 's Palace, a scene from written by Among the best known are the '–the three active in the –, and.

Adam Mickiewicz is widely regarded as one of the greatest Polish, and poets. He is known primarily for the, a masterpiece of Polish literature. A Polish prose poet of the highest order,, the son of dramatist, won worldwide fame with his English-language novels and stories that are informed with elements of the. Conrad's books and published novels like, and are believed to be one of the finest works ever written, placing Conrad among the greatest novelists of all time. In the 20th century, five Polish and poets were awarded the – for, for,, and. Headquarters of the publicly funded national television network in Poland has instituted since the fall of communism, a system under which the media was heavily politically controlled and censored. However, public TV and radio are still regulated by the government, this is exercised through an agency called ( The National Radio and Television Committee), which is similar to television regulatory commissions in other developed nations.

Poland has a number of major media outlets, chief among which are the national television channels. Is Poland's corporation; about a third of its income comes from a, while the rest is made through revenue from and. State television operates two mainstream channels, TVP 1 and TVP 2, as well as regional programs for each of the country's 16 (as ). In addition to these general channels, TVP runs a number of genre-specific programmes such as,,,, and, the latter is a state-run channel dedicated to the transmission of Polish language television for the abroad. An video game tournament in Poland has several 24-hour news channels:, and. The two largest private television networks are and. In Poland, daily newspapers like ('Electoral Gazette'), ('The Republic') and ('Polish Daily Newspaper') provide traditional opinion and news, while tabloids such as provide more sensationalist journalism.

Rzeczpospolita, founded in 1920 is one of the oldest newspapers still in operation. In 2006, it won a prestigious award for being, along with the (a British daily), the best designed newspaper in the world. The most popular weeklies are,,,,, and. Poland also has emerged as a major hub for video game developers in Europe, with the country now being home to hundreds of studios. One of the most popular video game series developed in Poland includes. Hosts, one of the biggest events in the world.

Selection of hearty traditional comfort food from Poland including,,, and specialty breads Polish cuisine has evolved over the centuries to become very eclectic due to Poland's history. Polish cuisine shares many similarities with other cuisines, especially and as well as,,,, and culinary traditions.

It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef (depending on the region) and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish ), and spices. It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of the most notable of which are as well as such as (from the Polish word ). Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. Festive meals such as the meatless Christmas Eve dinner ( ) or breakfast could take days to prepare in their entirety. The in Warsaw, home of, and one of the host stadiums of and are among the country's most popular sports, with a rich history of international competitions., basketball,, boxing,,,,,, tennis, fencing, swimming and are other popular sports. The most significant sportspeople from Poland include,,,,,, and. The golden era of occurred throughout the 1970s and went on until the early 1980s when the achieved their best results in any FIFA World Cup competitions finishing 3rd place in and tournaments.

The team won a gold medal at the and two silver medals, and. Poland, along with Ukraine, hosted the. Is Poland's most successful clothing retailer, operating over 1,700 stores across the world. Fashion was always an important aspect of Poland and its.

Poland belongs to one of the most and best-dressed countries in the world. Although the Polish fashion industry is not as famed in comparison to the industries of and, it still contributed to global trends and clothing habits. Moreover, several Polish designers and stylists left a lifelong legacy of beauty inventions and, which are still in use nowadays. Throughout history, the clothing styles in Poland often varied due to foreign influence, especially from the neighbouring countries and the. Because of its geographical position, Poland was metaphorically referred to as a trade route that linked with the, and. This allowed the to absorb several habits, which were present in the Middle East at the time.

The high-class and wore attire that somewhat resembled oriental styles. The outfits included a,,, and a type of called, brought by merchants.

Wealthy Polish aristocrats also kept captive and in their courts; this had an impact on the national dress. The extensive multiculuralism present in the developed the ideology of '.