| Country Information |  National name: Rzeczpospolita Polska
President: Lech Kaczyński (2005)
Prime Minister: Jarosław Kaczyński (2006)
Area: 120,728 sq mi (312,685 sq km)
Monetary unit: Zloty
Language: Polish
Literacy rate: 100% (2003 est.)
Population (2005 est.): 38,635,144 (growth rate: 0%);
- birth rate: 10.8/1000;
- infant mortality rate: 8.5/1000;
- life expectancy: 74.4;
- density per sq mi: 320
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Warsaw, 2,201,900 (metro. area), 1,607,600 (city proper)
Other large cities:
- Lodz, 778,200;
- Krakow, 733,100;
- Wroclaw, 632,200;
- Poznan, 581,200;
- Gdansk, 456,700;
- Szczecin, 415,700 | Ethnicity/race:
- Polish 96.7%,
- German 0.4%,
- Belorussian 0.1%
- Ukrainian 0.1%,
- other 2.7% (2002) |
Religions:
- Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing),
- Eastern Orthodox,
- Protestant,
- other 5%
Economic summary:
- GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $463 billion; per capita $12,000.
- Real growth rate: 5.6%.
- Inflation: 3.4%.
- Unemployment: 19.5%.
- Arable land: 46%.
- Agriculture: potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork.
- Labor force: 17.02 million; industry 22.1%, agriculture 27.5%, services 50.4% (1999).
- Industries: machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles.
- Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land.
- Exports: $57.6 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery and transport equipment 30.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 25.5%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 20.9%, food and live animals 8.5% (1999). - Imports: $63.65 billion (f.o.b., 2003 est.): machinery and transport equipment 38.2%, intermediate manufactured goods 20.8%, chemicals 14.3%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 9.5% (1999).
- Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, France, UK, Czech Republic, Russia, Netherlands.
Communications:
- Telephones: main lines in use: 8.07 million (1998); mobile cellular: 13 million (2002).
- Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998).
- Radios: 20.2 million (1997).
- Television broadcast stations: 179 (plus 256 repeaters) (Sept. 1995).
- Televisions: 13.05 million (1997).
- Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 19 (2000).
- Internet users: 6.4 million (2001).
Transportation:
- Railways: total: 23,420 km (2002).
- Highways: total: 364,656 km; paved: 249,060 km (including 358 km of expressways); unpaved: 115,596 km (2000).
- Waterways: 3,812 km navigable rivers and canals (1996).
- Ports and harbors: Gdansk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Kolobrzeg, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Ustka, Warsaw, Wroclaw.
- Airports: 150 (2002).
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