Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead,
salt, arable land

Land use: arable land: 47%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 13%

forests and woodland: 29%

other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: situation has improved since 1989 due
to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by
postcommunist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious
because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants,
and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water
pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem,
as is disposal of hazardous wastes

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat
terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

Poland People

Population: 38,633,912 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.39% (male 3,640,451; female 3,463,604)

15-64 years: 69.17% (male 13,288,471; female 13,434,753)

65 years and over: 12.44% (male 1,836,816; female 2,969,817) (2001
est.)

Population growth rate: -0.03% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 10.2 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.98 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 9.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.42 years

male: 69.26 years

female: 77.82 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.37 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.07% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS