Poland

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Rzeczpospolita Polska

(In Detail) (In Detail)
Anthem: Polish: Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (Translation: "Dąbrowski's Mazurka")'1
Official language	Polish2
Capital	Warsaw
Largest City	Warsaw
President	Lech Kaczyński
Prime Minister	Donald Tusk
Area  - Total  - % water	Ranked 69th 312,685 km² 2.6%
Population  - Total (2006)  - Density	Ranked 32nd 38,536,869 123.5/km²
GDP  - Total (2003)  - GDP/head	Ranked 23rd $443.9 billion $11,623
Christianized  - Date	Mieszko I AD 966
Independence  -Regained	966-1795 November 11 1918
Currency	złoty (PLN)
Time zone  - in summer	CET (UTC+1) CEST (UTC+2)
National anthem	Mazurek Dąbrowskiego
Internet TLD	.pl
Calling Code	48
1 See also unofficial national mottos of Poland. 2 Belarusian, Cassubian, German, and Ukrainian are used in five communal offices. They are, however, not considered to be official languages.

Poland (Polish: Polska) is officially called the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska). It is a country in Central Europe ^[1] bordered by Germany to the west (along Oder and Lusatian Neisse), the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) to the north. It also shares a water border with Denmark and Sweden in the Baltic Sea. The total land area of Poland is about 312,685 km^{2 [2]} (120,728 mi²). This makes Poland the 69th largest country ^[3] in the world with population over 38.5 million people. The Poles live mainly in large cities, including present capital, Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa), Łódź and the second capital of Poland (first was Gniezno), Cracow (Polish: Kraków), and

First time Poland was official papers in 966. In 1569, Poland formed a long lasting union with Lithuania called Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Commonwealth collapsed in 1795 and the Poles were without a country for 123 years. Poland regained its independence in 1918 after World War I but lost it again in World War II. Several years later, Poland became a communist country within the Eastern Bloc under control of the former Soviet Union.

In 1989, Poland broke its communist chains and became a liberal democracy. Since May 1, 2004, Poland is the 6th most populated member state of the European Union. Poland is also a member of NATO, the United Nations, and the World Trade Organization.

[change] History

[change] Before Piasts

First founded in polish land sign of human was did 500.000 years ago. The Bronze Age started around 2400-2300 BC. The Iron Age started around 750-700 BC. Then on polish lands was Lusatian culture. About year 400 BC there lived Celtic and Germanic tribes. Those people had trade contacts with Roman Empire. With time, to polish lands came Slavs. The part of those Slavs, later called "western", stayed there to today and started to create new countries. The most powerful was country of Polans and country of Vistulans. At last, polish country and nation was created under Polans rule.

[change] Piast and Jegiellon dynasties

Poland between 996 and 1020.

Poland began to form into a country around the middle of the 10th century in the Piast dynasty. In 966, Prince Mieszko I got himself and the whole Polish nation Christianized. Next ruler was Boleslaw I of Poland (called Brave). He conquered many lands and he became first King of Poland. Casimir I of Poland called Restorer (rebuilder) moved polish capitol from robbed by Bohemians Gniezno to Kraków. In the 12th century Poland broke into some smaller states after dead Suke or Poland Bolesław III Wrymouth in 1138 and show his testament. Those states were later attacked by Mongol armies in 1241, what slowed action of united Poland. In 1320 Władysław I became the King of the repaired Poland. His son Casimir III the Great repaired the Polish economy, built new castles and won the war against the Ruthenian dukedom. In addition, Poland became a haven for emigrating people. A large number of Jewish people also moved into Poland during that time. The Black Death, which affected many parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351, did not come to Poland.^[3]

After dead of last Piast on polish throne, Casimir III, ruled started Louis I of Hungary and his daughter Jadwiga of Poland. She got married with Lithuanian prince Jogaila. That event started new dynasty in polish throne: Jagiellon dynasty. Under the Jagiellon dynasty, Poland made an alliance with its neighbour Lithuania.

[change] Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth to II Republic of Poland

The Polish-Lithuanian Union when it was largest.

In the 17th century Sweden attacked almost all of Poland (this was called “the Deluge”). Many wars against the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Cossacks, Transylvania and Brandenburg-Prussia ended in 1699. During the following 80 years, the government and nationed were weaker, making Poland dependent on Russia. Russian tsars took advantage of this by offering money to traitors, who would block new ideas and solutions. Russia, Prussia, and Austria broke Poland into three pieces in 1772, 1793 and 1795, which dissolved the country. Before second broke, in 1791 was made Constitution called "Constitution of 3 May". Polish people did not like the new kings, and often rebelled (two big rebels in 1830^[4] and 1863^[5]). Napoleon made another Polish state, “the Duchy of Warsaw”, but after the Napoleonic wars, Poland was split again by the countries at the Congress of Vienna. The eastern part was ruled by the Russian tsar. During <a href="/wiki/Worl