Location: Central Europe, on the Baltic Sea coast

Borders: (N) Russia – Kaliningrad Oblast, (N-E) Lithuania, (E) Ukraine and Belarus, (S) Czech Republic and Slovakia, (W) Germany

Capital city: Warsaw with population of 1,729,119 Other major cities: Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk

Area: 312,679 km² In terms of area, Poland is the 9th largest country in Europe and 70th in the world.

Population density: 38,161 (123 persons per km²). In terms of population, Poland is the 6th country in Europe and 34th in the world.

Ethnic groups: Poles 97.09%

Official language: Polish

Time zone: GMT+01:00

Currency: Polish zloty (PLN)

Political system: parliamentary republic

Head of the state: President Andrzej Duda

International relations: Schengen (2007), EU (2004), NATO (1999), OECD (1996), WTO (1995), UN (1945)

Human Development Index (2014): 35th position among 182 countries

Quality of Life Index (2014): 33rd position among 195 countries

Index of Economic Freedom (2014): 74th position among 178 countries

Geography

The hottest month: July (27°C), the coldest month: December (-10°C)

Distance between N and S – 649 km, between E and W – 689 km

Length of borders: 3511 km, coastline: 440 km

N – the Baltic Sea. S – mountain ranges: the Sudetes and the Carpathians.

Forests cover 29.2% of the country’s area.