Poland
Poland is beautiful
Explore Poland
The Animated History of Poland
Top 10 Poland Tourist Places to visit
Geography of Poland
Poland is one of the biggest countries in Central Europe. The country borders on Germany in the
west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the south, Ukraine and Belarus in the east, and
Lithuania and Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the northeast. Its northern frontier constitutes
the Baltic Sea.
Poland has a variety of striking landscapes, from the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea coast in
the north and the rolling central lowlands to the snowcapped peaks of the Carpathian and
Sudeten Mountains in the south. Poland has more than 1,300 lakes in the whole country.
Fast facts about Poland
Official name: Republic of Poland
Type of government: Republic
Capital: Warsaw
Population: 38,346,279
Official language: Polish
Currency: Zloty (PLN)
Area: 120,728 square miles (312,685 square kilometers)
Major mountain ranges: Carpathians, Sudetens
Major rivers: Vistula, Oder
National Anthem or Song: Mazurek Dabrowskiego (Dabrowski's Mazurka)
National Symbols:
⦁ Bird - White Stork, White-tailed eagle
⦁ Animal - European Bison
⦁ Tree - Oak tree
⦁ Flower - Cornflower
⦁ Colors - Red and white
⦁ Mottos (unofficial) - "For our freedom and yours", "God, Honor, Fatherland"
⦁ Coat of arms - A white eagle with a golden beak and crown on a red shield
Famous Places: Main Square in Krakow, Tatra Mountains, Auschwitz concentration camp, Wawel
Castle, Malbork Castle, Shifting Dunes, Wieliczka Salt Mine, Gdansk Old Town, Warsaw market, the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, Bieszczady Mountains, Bialowieza Forest, Wilanow Palace
Curiosities about Poland
⦁ The name of “Poland” derives from the name of the West Slavic tribe of Polans (“Polanie”) which means “people living in open fields”.
⦁ Krakow was the country’s capital and the place of coronation of Polish kings from 1038 until the capital was moved to Warsaw in 1596.
⦁ Poland adopted its first constitution on 3rd May 1791. It was the first constitution of its kind in Europe and the second ever in the world after that of the United States.
⦁ Poles have won a total of 17 Nobel Prizes (more than Japan, China, India, or Australia), including four Peace Prizes and five in Literature.
⦁ Maria Curie (born Maria Sklodowska; 1867-1934) was the first and only Nobel laureate in two different sciences and first female professor at the Sorbonne University.
⦁ Polish born astronomer – Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), was the first person to propose that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
⦁ Some Polish people famous worldwide: Nicolaus Copernicus (astronomer), Johannes Hevelius (astronomer), Frederic Chopin (composer), Ignacy Jan Paderewski (composer) Maria Sklodowska-Curie (physicist and chemist), John Paul II (The Pope), Adam Mickiewicz (poet and writer), Wislawa Szymborska (poet and translator), Lech Wałęsa (politician, national hero), Andrzej Wajda (director), Adam Małysz (ski jumper), Robert Lewandowski (footballer).
⦁ In addition to birthdays, Polish people celebrate their name days “imieniny”. A name day is the day commemorating the saint of a person is named after. Celebrations of name days are similar to birthdays and involve gathering and socializing with family and friends, and giving gifts.
⦁ When visiting someone and entering their house, guests usually take off their shoes. Guests may be offered slippers instead of shoes.
⦁ Pierogi, or Polish dumplings, are one of the most recognizable Polish dishes outside of Poland.
