aritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent
precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Terrain:
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Natural resources:
coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt
Land use:
arable land:
46%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
13%
forest and woodland:
28%
other:
12%
Irrigated land:
1,000 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
plain crossed by a few north flowing, meandering streams; severe air and
water pollution in south
Note:
historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of
natural barriers on the North European Plain

*Poland, People

Population:
38,519,486 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.35% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
13.59 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
9.59 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
72.2 years
male:
68.14 years
female:
76.51 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.97 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Pole(s)
adjective:
Polish
Ethnic divisions:
Polish 97.6%, German 1.3%, Ukrainian 0.6%, Belarusian 0.5% (1990 est.)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and
other 5%
Languages:
Polish
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1978)
total population:
98%
male:
99%
female:
98%
Labor force:
15.609 million
by occupation:
industry and construction 34.4%, agriculture 27.3%, trade, transport, and
communications 16.1%, government and other 22.2% (1991)

*Poland, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Poland
conventional short form:
Poland
local long form:
Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form:
Polska
Digraph:
PL
Type:
democratic state
Capital:
Warsaw
Administrative divisions:
49 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska,
Bialystok, Bielsko Biala, Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa, Elblag,
Gdansk, Gorzow, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin, Koszalin,
Krakow, Krosno, Legnica, Lesz