Location
Central Europe

Borders
Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north

Area
312,685 sq km

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

Natural resources
Coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

Population
38,518,241 (July 2007 est.)

Population growth rate
-0.046% (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups
Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)

Religions
Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Government type
Republic

Capital
Warsaw

Administrative divisions
16 provinces: Dolnoslaskie wojewodztwo, Kujawsko-Pomorskie wojewodztwo, Lodzkie wojewodztwo, Lubelskie wojewodztwo, Lubuskie wojewodztwo, Malopolskie wojewodztwo, Mazowieckie wojewodztwo, Opolskie wojewodztwo, Podkarpackie wojewodztwo, Podlaskie wojewodztwo, Pomorskie wojewodztwo, Slaskie wojewodztwo, Swietokrzyskie wojewodztwo, Warminsko-Mazurskie wojewodztwo, Wielkopolskie wojewodztwo, Zachodniopomorskie wojewodztwo

Independence
11 November, 1918

National holiday
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Flag Description
Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red

President
Lech Kaczynski (since 23 December 2005)

Prime Minister
Donald Tusk

Agricultural products
Potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy

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

Exports
$137.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Export commodities
Machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2003)

Export partners
Germany 27.2%, Italy 6.6%, France 6.2%, UK 5.7%, Czech Republic 5.6%, Russia 4.3% (2006)

Imports
$150.7 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Import commodities
Machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 14.8%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9.1% (2003)

Import partners
Germany 29%, Russia 9.6%, Italy 6.4%, Netherlands 5.7%, France 5.4% (2006)

External debt
$187.8 billion (30 June 2007)

Currency
Zloty