Poland




COUNTRY INFORMATION


Official name

Republic of Poland


Capital

Warsaw


Coordinates

52°00’ N, 20°00’ E


Location

Poland is located in Central Europe and shares borders with Germany on the west, Czech Republic on the southwest, Slovakia on the south, Ukraine on the southeast, Belarus on the east, Lithuania and Russia on the northeast.


Area

Total area: 312 679 sq km
Land area: 304 459 sq km
Water area: 8 220 sq km


Land boundaries

3 047 km


Coastline

440 km


Administrative division

Poland is divided into 16 provinces.


Political system

Poland is a republic. President is the chief of state and is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. Prime Minister, the head of government, is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Parliament. Parliament is bicameral and consists of the Upper House, the Senate (Senat), with 100 seats and the Lower House (Sejm) with 460 seats.


Population

38 482 919


Ethnic groups

Polish 97%, other (mainly German, Belarusian, Ukrainian) 3%


Religions

Roman Catholic 90%, Eastern Orthodox 1%, other 9%