Country
Countries A-Z
Poland
Polish Republic
Rzeczypospolita Polska
Political Status: Independent state reconstituted 1918; Communist-ruled People’s Republic established 1947; constitution of July 22, 1952, substantially revised in accordance with intraparty agreement of April 5, 1989, with further amendments on December 29, including name change to Polish Republic; new interim “small” constitution introduced December 8, 1992; permanent “large” constitution approved by national referendum on May 25, 1997, effective October 17, 1997.
Area: 120, 725 sq. mi. (312, 677 sq. km.).
Population: 38, 230, 100 (2002C); 38, 149, 000 (2010E).
Major Urban Centers (2005E): WARSAW (1, 697, 000), Łódź (772, 000), Kraków (757, 000), Wrocław (635, 000), Poznań (570, 000), Gdańsk (458, 000), Szczecin (412, 000).
Official Language: Polish.
Monetary Unit: Złoty (market rate November 1, 2010: 2.85 złotys = $1US). After Poland joined the European Union in ...