Poland at Glance

• Official name
  Republic of Poland,
  short form: Poland.
• Official language
  Polish.
  Political system
  Parliamentary Republic (multi-party democracy with a two-chamber parliament and a president).
• Location
  Central Europe. Poland borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia (the Kaliningrad enclave). Its northern border (440 km long) runs along the Baltic Sea coast.
• Capital city
  Warsaw, in Polish: Warszawa – population 1.7 million, Warsaw agglomeration – 2.5 million.
• Major cities
  Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin, Katowice, Białystok.
• Area
  312 685 sq. km. Poland is the ninth largest country in Europe (excluding Russia), and the sixth largest in the European Union.
• Population
  38 million. Poland has the seventh largest population in Europe (excluding Russia), and the sixth largest in the European Union.
• Time zone
  Poland belongs to the Central European time zone
  (GMT + 1 hour / UTC + 1 hour), except for between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, when it switches to Daylight Saving Time.
• Climate
  The Polish climate is moderately continental, with relatively cold winters (from December to March) and a hot summer, which extends from June to August. January average temperatures -5°C (23°F) to – 1°C (30°F). July and August average temperatures range from 16.5°C (62°F) to 19°C (65°F), although on some days the temperature can reach 35°C (95°F)
• Highest mountain
  Rysy – 2499 m, located in the Polish Tatras.
• Currency
  1 złoty (PLN) = 100 groszy (current exchange rates: www.nbp.pl)
• Dialling code
  + 48
• Internet domain
  .pl
• Economy
  Poland’s high-income economy is considered one of the healthiest of the post-communist countries and is currently one of the fastest growing within the EU.
• International organizations
  Poland is a member of the European Union (EU), the Schengen Area, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), United Nations Organization (UN), International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO), World Trade Organization (WTO), Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD) and many others.