Poland: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Republic of Poland

Capital

Warsaw

Area

312,684 sq km

120,728 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Dolnośląskie

2,975,700 (2000 estimate)

Kujawsko-Pomorskie

2,100,600 (2000 estimate)

Łódzkie

2,649,400 (2000 estimate)

Lubelskie

2,233,400 (2000 estimate)

Lubuskie

1,023,500 (2000 estimate)

Małopolskie

3,224,100 (2000 estimate)

Mazowieckie

5,067,000 (2000 estimate)

Opolskie

1,087,400 (2000 estimate)

Podkarpackie

2,126,500 (2000 estimate)

Podlaskie

1,221,900 (2000 estimate)

Pomorskie

2,193,000 (2000 estimate)

Śląskie

4,861,300 (2000 estimate)

Świętokrzyskie

1,324,200 (2000 estimate)

Warmińsko-Mazurskie

1,456,600 (2000 estimate)

Wielkopolskie

3,355,900 (2000 estimate)

Zachodniopomorskie

1,733,000 (2000 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

Warsaw

1,687,600 (2005 estimate)

Łódź

768,900 (2005 estimate)

Kraków

760,300 (2005 estimate)

Wrocław

637,200 (2005 estimate)

Poznań

573,000 (2005 estimate)

Gdańsk

457,400 (2005 estimate)

Szczecin

413,600 (2005 estimate)

Bydgoszcz

368,800 (2005 estimate)

Lublin

357,200 (2005 estimate)

Katowice

318,600 (2005 estimate)

Białystok

294,100 (2005 estimate)

Gdynia

254,500 (2005 estimate)

Częstochowa

247,400 (2005 estimate)

Radom

227,600 (2005 estimate)

Sosnowiec

227,400 (2005 estimate)

Kielce

209,500 (2005 estimate)

Toruń

209,400 (2005 estimate)

Gliwice

199,900 (2005 estimate)

Zabrze

190,300 (2005 estimate)

Bytom

187,100 (2005 estimate)

Population

38,518,241 (2007 estimate)

Population growth rate

-0.05 per cent (2007 estimate)

Population density

127 persons per sq km (2007 estimate)

328 persons per sq mi (2007 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

62 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

38 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

75.2 years (2007 estimate)

Female

79.4 years (2007 estimate)

Male

71.2 years (2007 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths per 1,000 live births (2007 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99.8 per cent (2005 estimate)

Female

99.8 per cent (2005 estimate)

Male

99.8 per cent (2005 estimate)

Ethnic divisions

Polish

97.6 per cent

German

1.3 per cent

Ukrainian

0.6 per cent

Belarusian

0.5 per cent

Languages

Polish (official), German, Belarusan, Ukrainian, Romani

Religions

Roman Catholic (majority of the population), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, other

Type of government

Multi-party republic

Independence

November 11, 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)

Constitution

Effective October 17, 1997

NOTE: In December 1992, an interim 'small constitution' replaced the Communist-imposed 1952 constitution.
A new constitution was ratified by the parliament and approved in a nationwide referendum in 1997; this replaced the interim 'small constitution'.

Voting rights

Universal at age 18

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

303,229 million (2005)

GDP per capita (US$)

7,945.10 (2005)

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

4.8 per cent (2005)

GDP, industry

30.7 per cent (2005)

GDP, services

64.5 per cent (2005)

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

109,948 million (2005)

Total expenditure

101,817 million (2005)

Monetary unit

1 zloty (Zl), consisting of 100 groszy

Exports

Machinery, metals, chemicals, fuels and power, food, pork products, coal, clothing, electrical goods, wood and paper products

Imports

Machinery, metals, wood and paper products, petroleum, natural gas, textiles, chemicals, food, electrical goods

Major trading partners for exports

Germany, Russia, France, Italy, United States, Netherlands

Major trading partners for imports

Germany, Italy, Russia, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France

Industries

Machine building, iron, steel, aluminium, chemicals, shipbuilding, food and beverage processing, footwear, paper and paper products, rubber goods, mining, plastics, petroleum refining, textiles, clothing, transport equipment

Agriculture

Rye, wheat, barley, oats, cabbage, rapeseed, sugar beet, oilseed, pulses, tobacco, potatoes; poultry, pigs, cattle, sheep, pork, dairy, eggs, honey, hides, wool

Natural resources

Coal, sulphur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, magnesite, zinc, potash, iron ore, gypsum, petroleum, natural gas

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.