Polish Facts

An Antidote to the Polish Joke

Daily Newspapers:
Gazeta Wyborcza
Rzeczpospolita
Super Express
Życie
Nasz Dziennik
Trybuna
Fakt
Nie

Weekly Magazines:
Wprost (rightwing)
Polityka (leftwing)
Newsweek (Polish edition)
Najwyższy Czas! (rightwing)
Przegląd (leftwing)

Climate:
Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers.

Local long-form name:
Rzeczpospolita Polska
(The Republic of Poland)

Gross Domestic Product:
$373.2 billion (2002 est.)

Zloty Exchange Rate:
(04/2004)

1 USD = 3.95 PLN
1 Euro = 4.67 PLN

Population Growth Rate:
0% (2003 est.)

Population:
38,635,144 (2005 est.)

Military Manpower:
10,354,978 (2003 est.)
[Army, Navy(!), & Air Force]

Population Density:
123.5/km²

Traffic?
Major illicit producer of amphetamine for the international market; minor transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe.

Industries:
Machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles.

Geographic Coördinates:
52 00 N, 20 00 E

Land Area
304,465 sq. km
(slightly smaller than New Mexico)

The 16 Voivodships (województwa)
Greater Poland Voivodship (Wielkopolskie),
Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie),
Lesser Poland Voivodship (Ma³opolskie),
Lodz Voivodship (£ódzkie),
Lower Silesian Voivodship (Dolnoœl¹skie),
Lublin Voivodship (Lubelskie),
Lubusz Voivodship (Lubuskie),
Masovian Voivodship (Mazowieckie),
Opole Voivodship (Opolskie),
Subcarpathian Voivodship (Podkarpackie),
Podlasie Voivodship (Podlaskie),
Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie),
Swietokrzyskie Voivodship (Œwiêtokrzyskie),
Silesian Voivodship (Œl¹skie),
Warmian-Masurian Voivodship (Warmiñsko-Mazurskie),
West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie)

Poles & Borders
Borderlines: 2,788 km
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)
Coastline: 491 km

Rank on Reporters without Borders’
first worldwide press freedom index
(October 2002):
24 (two-way tie with Spain)

How to Find Poland
On the Internet:
Top-level doman .pl

On the telephone:
Calling code 48

On the planet:
Continent Europe

Poor Poles
Population living below the poverty line
18.4% (2000 est.)
(U.S.A: 12.7 [2001 est.])

Flag
Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red (bottom); similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white (bottom)

Literacy Rate: 98.8%
(U.S.A. Literacy Rate: 97%)

Alphabet
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 Ź Ż
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 ź ż

Polish Language
Total speakers: 50 million
Genetic classification: Indo-European -> Balto-Slavic -> Slavic -> West Slavic -> Lechitic -> Polish
Regulated by: The Polish Language Council

Pass for a Native Polack
Polska -- Poland
Polak -- Pole
polski -- Polish

A Polish Glimpse of Earth
Anglia -- England
Szkocja -- Scotland
Walia -- Wales
Irlandia -- Ireland
Wielka Brytania -- Great Britain
Zjednoczone Królestwo - United Kingdom
Niemcy -- Germany
Japonia -- Japan
Stany Zjednoczone Ameryki - The United States of America
Francja -- France
Hiszpania -- Spain
Wenezuela -- Venezuela

Polish Clans
of the Middle Ages
Mazurians
Polanie
Silesians
Warmiaks
Pomeranians (Kashubians, Slovincians, Kociewiacy, Borowiacy)
Bieżuńczanie
Bobrzanie
Dziadoszanie
Golęszyce
Goplanie
Lędzianie
Mazowszanie
Opolanie
Polanie
Kujawianie
Pyrzyczanie
Ślężanie
Trzebowianie
Wiślanie

Signifcant Polish Populations
Australia: 200,000 (est.)
Argentina: 350,000 (est.)
Belarus: 400,000 (est.)
Brazil: 800,000 (est.)
Canada: 850,000 (est.)
Germany: 200,000 (est.)
Lithuania: 250,000 (est.)
Russia: 100,000 (est.)
U.K.: 220,000 (est.)
Ukraine: 150,000 (est.)
U.S.A.: 8,900,000 (includes non-primary ancestry) (est.)
Poland: 36,983,720 (2002)

Leading Brands
Kiwi
Lincoln
Cherry Wax
Shinola

Chronological List of Polish Popes
John Paul II (1920-2005)

Public Holidays in Poland
January 1 (New Year's Day) - Nowy Rok (Nowy Rok)
Easter Sunday - pierwszy dzień Wielkiej Nocy (Niedziela Wielkanocna)
Easter Monday - drugi dzień Wielkiej Nocy (Poniedziałek Wielkanocny)
May 1 (State Holiday) - Święto Państwowe (Święto Pracy)
May 3 (Constitution Day) - Święto Narodowe Trzeciego Maja (Święto Konstytucji Trzeciego Maja)
Pentecost Sunday - pierwszy dzień Zielonych Świątek (Zielone Świątki)
Corpus Christi - dzień Bożego Ciała (Boże Ciało)
August 15 (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) - Wniebowzięcie Najświętszej (Maryi Panny)
November 1 (All Saints' Day)- Wszystkich Świętych
November 11 (Independence Day) - Narodowe Święto Niepodległości (Dzień Niepodległości)
December 25 (1st day of Christmas)- pierwszy dzień Bożego Narodzenia
December 26 (2nd day of Christmas) - drugi dzień Bożego Narodzenia

Some Noted Polish Films
Kanal
Ashes and Diamonds
The Saragossa Manuscript
Rejs
Kiler
The Decalogue
The Pianist

Polish-American Athletes
Carol Blazejowski (G.M., N.Y. Liberty)
Tom Gola (Forward, Philadelphia Warriors, N.Y. Knicks)
Sebastian "Sea Bass" Janikowski (Oakland Raiders)
Ron "Jaws" Jaworski (QB, L.A. Rams, Philadelphia Eagles)
Hank Stram (Coach, Kansas City Chiefs)

Presidents of the Republic of Poland (since 1989)
Wojciech Jaruzelski (January 1, 1990 - December 21, 1990)
Lech Wałęsa (December 22, 1990 - December 23, 1995)
Aleksander Kwaśniewski (since December 23, 1995)

Polish Government in Exile
Bolesław Wieniawa-Długoszowski (September 1939)
Władysław Raczkiewicz (1939 - 1947)
August Zaleski (1947 - 1972)
Stanisław Ostrowski (1972 - 1979)
Edward Raczyński (1979 - 1986)
Kazimierz Sabbat (1986 - 1989)
Ryszard Kaczorowski (1989 - 1990)

National Anthem
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, written by Józef Wybicki in 1797.

Unofficial State Mottos
Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna ("God, Honour, Fatherland")
Za wolność Waszą i Naszą ("For your freedom and ours")
Ojczyzna, Nauka, Cnota ("Fatherland, Education, Virtue")

Poland's Contribution to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq
54 soldiers from the elite GROM commando unit
the logistic support ship Xawery Czarniecki with over 50 crew and a FORMOZA navy commando unit
74 antichemical contamination troops

Polish Coat of Arms
Orzeł Biały (White Eagle)

Permanently hyperlinked via http://www.yankeepotroast.org/archives/2004/06/polish_facts.html