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Administrative divisions:

16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie, Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie, Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)

Independence:

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)

National holiday:

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Constitution:

adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997

Legal system:

based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005)

head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November 2007); Deputy Prime Ministers Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November 2007) and Grzegorz SCHETYNA (since 16 November 2007)

cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October 2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm

election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%

Legislative branch:

bicameral National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe consists of the Senate or Senat (upper house) (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and the Sejm (lower house) (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation of National Assembly is only used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly

elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by October 2011)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1; note - seats by party as of February 2008 - PO 209, PiS 159, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 7

note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm only

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)

Political parties and leaders:

Civic Platform or PO [Donald TUSK]; Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK]; Democratic Party or PD [Janusz ONYSZKIEWICZ]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [Sylwester CHRUSZCZ]; Left and Democrats (LiD) (a coalition formed by the SLD, PD, SDPL, and UP) [Wojciech OLEJNICZAK]; Polish People's Party or PSL [Waldemar PAWLAK]; Samoobrona or SO [Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland or SDPL [Marek BOROWSKI]; Union of Labor or UP [Andrzej SPYCHALSKI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ]; Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop Jozef MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]

International organization participation:

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI

chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802

FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE

embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw

mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)

telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000

FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688

consulate(s) general: Krakow

Flag description:

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

Economy Poland

Economy - overview:

Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990 and today stands out as a success story among transition economies. In 2007, GDP grew an estimated 6.5%, based on rising private consumption, a jump in corporate investment, and EU funds inflows. GDP per capita is still much below the EU average, but is similar to that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004, EU membership and access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly, though at roughly 12.8% in 2007, it remains well above the EU average. Tightening labor markets, and rising global energy and food prices, pose a risk to consumer price stability. In December 2007 inflation reached 4.1% on a year-over-year basis, or higher than the upper limit of the National Bank of Poland's target range. Poland's economic performance could improve further if the country addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its business environment. An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor code, bureaucratic red tape, and persistent low-level corruption keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential. Rising demands to fund health care, education, and the state pension system present a challenge to the Polish government's effort to hold the consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP, a target which was achieved in 2007. The PO/PSL coalition government which came to power in November 2007 plans to further reduce the budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the euro. The new government has also announced its intention to enact business-friendly reforms, reduce public sector spending growth, lower taxes, and accelerate privatization. However, the government does not have the necessary two-thirds majority needed to override a presidential veto, and thus may have to water down initiatives in order to garner enough support to pass its pro-business policies.

GDP (purchasing power parity):

$620.9 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):

$420.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

6.5% (2007 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):

$16,300 (2007 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 4.1%

industry: 31.6%

services: 64.4% (2007 est.)

Labor force:

16.86 million (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture: 16.1%

industry: 29%

services: 54.9% (2002)

Unemployment rate:

12.8% (2007 est.)

Population below poverty line:

17% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:

lowest 10%: 3.1%

highest 10%: 27% (2002)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:

36 (2005)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

2.5% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):

22.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Budget:

revenues: $85.25 billion

expenditures: $91.37 billion (2007 est.)

Public debt:

43.1% of GDP (2007 est.)

Agriculture - products:

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy

Industries:

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

Industrial production growth rate:

8.9% (2007 est.)

Electricity - production:

146.2 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - production by source:

fossil fuel: 98.1%

hydro: 1.5%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0.4% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:

120.4 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:

16.19 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:

5.002 billion kWh (2005)

Oil - production:

32,800 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:

462,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - exports:

51,780 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:

480,300 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - proved reserves:

96.38 million bbl (1 January 2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:

5.828 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - consumption:

15.58 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:

42.2 million cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:

10.01 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:

158.1 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

Current account balance:

-$15.48 billion (2007 est.)

Exports:

$144.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities:

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

Exports - partners:

Germany 27.1%, Italy 6.5%, France 6.2%, UK 5.7%, Czech Republic 5.5%, Russia 4.3% (2006)

Imports:

$160.2 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities:

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

Imports - partners:

Germany 29%, Russia 9.5%, Italy 6.4%, Netherlands 5.7%, France 5.4% (2006)

Economic aid - recipient:

$1.524 billion in available EU structural adjustment and cohesion funds (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$65.75 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Debt - external:

$169.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:

$142.1 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:

$19.64 billion (2007 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares:

$149.1 billion (2006)

Currency (code):

zloty (PLN)

Currency code:

PLN

Exchange rates:

zlotych per US dollar - 2.81 (2007), 3.1032 (2006), 3.2355 (2005), 3.6576 (2004), 3.8891 (2003)

note: zlotych is the plural form of zloty

Fiscal year:

calendar year

Communications Poland

Telephones - main lines in use:

11.475 million (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:

36.746 million (2006)

Telephone system:

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market based competition finalized in 2003; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in wireless telephony

domestic: mobile-cellular service available since 1993 and provided by three nation-wide networks with a fourth provider beginning operations in late 2006; cellular coverage is generally good with some gaps in the east; fixed-line service is growing slowly and still lags in rural areas

international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik

Radio broadcast stations:

AM 14, FM 777, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:

20.2 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:

40 (2006)

Televisions:

13.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:

.pl

Internet hosts:

5.681 million (2007)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):

19 (2000)

Internet users:

11 million (2006)

Transportation Poland

Airports:

123 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways:

total: 83

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 30

1,524 to 2,437 m: 39

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 3 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 40

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 4

914 to 1,523 m: 13

under 914 m: 22 (2007)

Heliports:

7 (2007)

Pipelines:

gas 13,552 km; oil 1,384 km; refined products 777 km (2007)

Railways:

total: 23,072 km

broad gauge: 629 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 22,443 km 1.435-m gauge (20,555 km operational; 11,910 km electrified) (2006)

Roadways:

total: 423,997 km

paved: 295,356 km (includes 662 km of expressways)

unpaved: 128,641 km (2006)

Waterways:

3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)

Merchant marine:

total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 55,701 GRT/45,082 DWT

by type: cargo 6, chemical tanker 2, passenger/cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 1

foreign-owned: 1 (Nigeria 1)

registered in other countries: 102 (Antigua and Barbuda 2, Bahamas 15, Cyprus 18, Liberia 14, Malta 25, Norway 3, Panama 15, Slovakia 2, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1, Vanuatu 7) (2007)

Ports and terminals:

Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie, Szczecin

Military Poland

Military branches:

Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces (includes Navy (Marynarka Wojenna, MW)), Polish Air Force (Sily Powietrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej, SPRP) (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

17 years of age for male compulsory military service after January 1st of the year of 18th birthday; 17 years of age for voluntary military service; conscript service obligation shortened from 12 to 9 months in 2005; by 2008, plans call for at least 60% of military personnel to be volunteers; only soldiers who have completed their conscript service are allowed to volunteer for professional service; as of April 2004, women are only allowed to serve as officers and noncommissioned officers (2006)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 9,741,508

females age 16-49: 9,514,843 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 7,937,840

females age 16-49: 7,949,677 (2008 est.)