| Revision as of 02:03, 5 June 2007 view sourceHusond (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers36,809 editsm Reverted edits by 121.73.2.14 (talk) to last version by Husond← Previous edit | Revision as of 06:10, 5 June 2007 view source Craftypants (talk | contribs)20 editsm ←Replaced page with 'Poland is the birthplace of rapper Jay-Z. While living in poland, he said DOOD WTF LOL WUT WUT WUT National Jokes: -Stupidity -Gluttony -Stupidity -Iron Ore -...'Next edit → | ||
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| Poland is the birthplace of rapper ]. While living in poland, he said DOOD WTF LOL WUT WUT WUT | |||
| {{otheruses1|the country}} | |||
| National Jokes: | |||
| {{Infobox Country or territory | |||
| -Stupidity | |||
| |native_name = Rzeczpospolita Polska | |||
| -Gluttony | |||
| |conventional_long_name = Republic of Poland | |||
| -Stupidity | |||
| |common_name = Poland | |||
| -Iron Ore | |||
| |flag_border = Flag of Poland corrected (bordered).svg | |||
| -Stupidity | |||
| |image_flag = Flag of Poland corrected.svg | |||
| -Hard shell tacos | |||
| |image_coat = coat of arms of Poland-official.png | |||
| -Stupidity | |||
| |image_map = EU location POL.png | |||
| |map_caption = {{map_caption |region=on the ] |subregion=the ] |legend=European location legend en.png}} | |||
| |national_motto = none<sup>1</sup> | |||
| |national_anthem = ''Mazurek Dąbrowskiego''{{spaces|2}}<small>(])<br/>'']''</small> | |||
| |official_languages = ]<sup>2</sup> | |||
| |capital = ] | |||
| |latd=52 |latm=13 |latNS=N |longd=21 |longm=02 |longEW=E | |||
| |largest_city = ] | |||
| |government_type = ] | |||
| |leader_title1 = ] | |||
| |leader_title2 = ] | |||
| |leader_name1 = ] | |||
| |leader_name2 = ] | |||
| |accessionEUdate = ] ] | |||
| |EUseats = 54 | |||
| |area_rank = 69th | |||
| |area_magnitude = 1 E11 | |||
| |area = 312,683<sup>3</sup> <!--According to the Central Statistical Office of Poland --> | |||
| |areami² = 120,728 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |percent_water = 3.07 | |||
| |population_estimate = 38,518,241 <!--Dec 2006 official data from GUS, see www.stat.gov.pl--> | |||
| |population_estimate_year = 2007 | |||
| |population_estimate_rank = 31st | |||
| |population_census = 38,530,080 | |||
| |population_census_year = 2002 | |||
| |population_density = 122 | |||
| |population_densitymi² = 319.9 <!--Do not remove per ]--> | |||
| |population_density_rank = 83rd | |||
| |GDP_PPP_year = 2006 | |||
| |GDP_PPP = $566.886 billion <!--IMF 2006--> | |||
| |GDP_PPP_rank = 23rd | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita = $14,880 <!--IMF 2006--> | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 52nd | |||
| |HDI_year = 2004 | |||
| |HDI = {{increase}} 0.862 | |||
| |HDI_rank = 37th | |||
| |HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font> | |||
| |sovereignty_type = Formation | |||
| |established_event1 = ]<sup>4</sup> | |||
| |established_event2 = ] | |||
| |established_date1 = ] | |||
| |established_date2 = ] ] | |||
| |currency = ] | |||
| |currency_code = PLN | |||
| |time_zone = ] | |||
| |utc_offset = +1 | |||
| |time_zone_DST = ] | |||
| |utc_offset_DST = +2 | |||
| |cctld = ]<sup>5</sup> | |||
| |calling_code = 48 | |||
| |footnotes = <sup>1</sup> See, however, ].<br /><sup>2</sup> Although not ]s, ], ] and ] are used in sixteen ] offices.<br /><sup>3</sup> The total area of Poland according to the administrative division, as given by the Central Statistical Office,<ref name="CSO">{{cite web |author=Central Statistical Office of Poland |year=2006 |url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/opracowania_zbiorcze/maly_rocznik_stat/2006/10_mrs2006.pdf |title=Maly Rocznik Statystyczny 2006 |accessdate=3 January |accessyear=2007}}</ref> amounts to 312,683 ]: land area (311 889 km²) and part of internal waters<!--??--> (794 km²) cut by the coast line. The area of Poland's territory, including all internal waters and the territorial sea, is 322 575 km².<br /><sup>4</sup> The adoption of ] in Poland is seen by many Poles, regardless of their religious affiliation, as one of the most significant national historical events; the new religion was used to unify the tribes in the region.<!--See http://books.google.com/books?id=39SoSG4NGAoC&pg=PA77&lpg=PA77&dq=poland's+millennium&sig=uQ-qK9oxqMuHmVvZJj8lszrm1ps--><br /><sup>5</sup> Also ], as Poland is a member of the ]. | |||
| }} | |||
| <!-- | |||
| PLEASE DO NOT make any changes to this section before discussing them on Talk:Poland discussion board. Thank you. | |||
| --> | |||
| '''Poland''' ({{lang-pl|Polska}}), officially the '''Republic of Poland''' ({{lang-pl|] Polska}}), is a country in ]<ref>Depending on the definition Poland can be considered part of both ] and ]. http://www.poland.pl</ref> bordered by ] to the west; the ] and ] to the south; ] and ] to the east; and the ], ] and ], a ]n ], to the north. It also shares a maritime border with ] and ]. The total ] is 312,683 ]<ref name="CSO"/> (120,728 ]), making it the ] in the world. Poland's population is over 38.5 million people, concentrated mainly in large cities such as the historical capital ] and the present capital ]. | |||
| Q: How many Polish citizens does it take to repel an invasion? | |||
| The first Polish state was ] in 966, within territory very similar to the present boundaries of Poland. Poland became ] in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a long ] with the ] by ] to form the ]. The Commonwealth ] in 1795. Poland ] in 1918 after ] but lost it again in ], occupied by ] and ], emerging several years later as a ] within the ] under control of the former ]. In 1989, ] rule ] and Poland became what is informally known as the "Third Polish Republic". Today, as the ] member state of the ], Poland is a ] made up of sixteen ] (''{{lang-pl|województwo}}''). Poland is also a member of ], ], the ], ] and the ]. | |||
| A: To be determined | |||
| ] | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of Poland}} | |||
| ===Prehistory=== | |||
| It was postulated that throughout ], many distinct ethnic groups populated the regions of what is now known as Poland. The exact ]ity and ] affiliation of these groups was hotly debated. Many ], ], ] and ] tribes were among the prominent groups. The politicaly charged discussion on the origins of the Slavs; historicaly two partially opposing views are held: ] or ]. The allochtonic viev is historic as no scholar defending it, the curent is autochtonic and is extended in PCT theory. <ref>Interdisciplinary and linguistic evidence for Palaeolithic continuity of | |||
| Indo-European, Uralic and Altaic populations in Eurasia, with an excursus on Slavic ethnogenesis by ] url: http://www.continuitas.com/interdisciplinary.pdf</ref> | |||
| The most famous archeological find from the ] is the ] fortified settlement, dating from the ] of the early ], around 700 BC. | |||
| ===Piast dynasty=== | |||
| Poland began to form into a recognizable unitary and territorial entity around the middle of the ] under the ]. ], ], ] in 966, adopting ] as the nation's new ], to which the bulk of the population converted in the course of the next centuries. In the ], Poland ], which ] by the ] armies of the ] in 1241, 1259 and 1287. In 1320, ] became the King of ]. His son, ], is remembered as one of the greatest ]. | |||
| Poland was also a centre of migration of peoples and the ] community began to settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see ]). The ] which affected most parts of Europe from 1347 to 1351 did not reach Poland.<ref name="REF03">Teeple, J. B. (2002). ''Timelines of World History''. Publisher: DK Adult.</ref> | |||
| ===Jagiellon dynasty=== | |||
| Under the ], Poland forged ] with its neighbour, the ]. A ] ensued during the ] after the ] which gave birth to the ]. The '']'' (nobility) of Poland, far more numerous than in ]an countries, took pride in ] and ]. | |||
| During the Golden Age period, Poland expanded its borders, to become the largest country in Europe. | |||
| ] | |||
| ===End of the golden age and partition of Poland=== | |||
| In the mid-seventeenth century, a ] invasion (]) and ]'s ] which ravaged the country marked the end of the golden age. ] coupled with government inefficiency caused by the '']'', a right which had allowed any member of the parliament to dissolve it and to veto any legislation it had passed, marked the steady deterioration of the Commonwealth from a European power into a near-] controlled by its neighbours. The reforms, particularly those of the ], which passing of the ], second modern constitution of the world, were thwarted with the three ] (1772, 1793, and 1795) which ended with Poland's being erased from the map and its territories being divided between ], ], and ]. | |||
| Poles would resent their fate and ], particularly in the ]. In ] ] recreated a Polish state, the ], but after the ], Poland was again divided in ] by the victorious Allies at the ]. The eastern portion was ruled by the Russian ] as a ], and possessed ]. However, the Czars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually ''de facto'' annexed the country. Later in the nineteenth century, Austrian-ruled ], particularly the ], became a center of Polish cultural life. | |||
| ===Reconstitution of Poland=== | |||
| During ], all the ] agreed on the reconstitution of Poland that ] President ] proclaimed in Point 13 of his ]. Shortly after the surrender of ] in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the ] (''II Rzeczpospolita Polska''). It reaffirmed its independence after ], the most notable being the ] (1919–1921) when ] on the ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| The 1926 ] of ] turned the reins of the Second Polish Republic over to the ] movement. | |||
| ===World War II=== | |||
| {{main|History of Poland (1939-1945)}} | |||
| The ] movement controlled Poland until the start of ] in ], when ] ] on ] and the ] ] on ]. ] on ] ]. As agreed in the ], Poland was split into two zones, ] while the eastern provinces fell under ]. | |||
| ], Poland ]: over six million perished, ] ]s. Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution to the ] war effort, after the ], the ] and the ]. At the war's conclusion, Poland's borders ], pushing the ] to the ]. Meanwhile, the western border was moved to the ]. The new Poland emerged 20% smaller by 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 ]). The shift ], most of whom were ], ], ], and ]. Poland was where the main ] death camp was. During the ] 3,000,000 out of 3,300,000 ] were killed. | |||
| ===Postwar Communist Poland=== | |||
| {{main|History of Poland (1945-1989)}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The ] instituted a new ] government in Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the ]. Military alignment within the ] throughout the ] was also part of this change. In 1948, a turn towards ] signaled the beginning of a new period of totalitarian rule. The ] ('']'') ]. In 1956, the régime of ] became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. Similar situation repeated itself in the 1970s under ], but most of the time persecution of ] persisted. | |||
| ===Solidarity and the fall of communism=== | |||
| Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent ] "]" ("''Solidarność''"), which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of the ] and by 1989 ]. ], a Solidarity candidate, eventually ]. The Solidarity movement heralded the ]. | |||
| ===Economic growth=== | |||
| A ] programme of ] during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into a robust ]. Despite temporary slumps in social and economic standards, Poland was the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 ] levels. Most visibly, there were numerous improvements in other ], such as ]. In ], Poland became a member of the ] and joined the ] (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the ] and ]. Poles then voted to join the ] in ] in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on ], ]. | |||
| ==Politics== | |||
| {{main|Politics of Poland}} | |||
| {{main|Foreign relations of Poland}} | |||
| {{main|Feminism in Poland}} | |||
| Poland is a ], with a President as a ], whose current ] dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the ], led by a ]. The current prime minister is ]. The president appoints the ] according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the bicameral judicial lower house (the '']''). The ] is elected by popular vote every five years. The current president is ], the prime minister Jarosław Kaczyński's identical twin brother. | |||
| Polish voters elect a ] parliament consisting of a 460-member lower house ] and a 100-member Senate ('']''). The '']'' is elected under ] according to the ], a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senate, on the other hand, is elected under a rare ] ] method where several candidates with the highest support are elected from each ]. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of ] receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the ''Sejm''. When sitting in joint session, members of the ''Sejm'' and Senate form the ] (the ''Zgromadzenie Narodowe''). The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: when a new President takes the ]; when an indictment against the President of the Republic is brought to the ] (''Trybunał Stanu''); and when a President's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state of his health is declared. To date, only the first instance has occurred. | |||
| The ] plays an important role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the ] (''Sąd Najwyższy''); the ] (''Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny''); the ] (''Trybunał Konstytucyjny''); and the ] (''Trybunał Stanu''). On the approval of the Senate, the ''Sejm'' also appoints the ] or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (''Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich'') for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of Polish ] and ]s, of the law and of principles of community life and social justice. | |||
| == Administrative divisions == | |||
| ] | |||
| {{details|Administrative division of Poland}} | |||
| {| style="width:420px; background:transparent;" | |||
| | Poland is subdivided into sixteen ]s known as ]s (''województwa'', singular ''województwo''): | |||
| {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; font-size:95%;" | |||
| !colspan="2"| ] !!rowspan="2"| Capital city or cities</tr> | |||
| !width="26%"| !!width="29%"| '']''</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Kujawsko-Pomorskie'' | |||
| |style="font-size:90%;"| ] / ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Wielkopolskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Małopolskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Łódzkie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Dolnośląskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Lubelskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Lubuskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ] / ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Mazowieckie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ] (National Capital)</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Opolskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Podlaskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Pomorskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Śląskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Podkarpackie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Świętokrzyskie'' ||style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Warmińsko-Mazurskie'' | |||
| |style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| | ] || ''Zachodniopomorskie'' | |||
| |style="font-size:90%;"| ]</tr> | |||
| |} | |||
| |- | |||
| | In turn, the voivodeships are divided into '']y'' ("counties", singular ''powiat'') and then '']'' ("communes", singular ''gmina''). | |||
| |} | |||
| {{clear}} | |||
| <br />], ]: ] - the only desert in Poland.]] | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| {{wrapper}} | |||
| |], Poland's capital and largest city.]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ].]] | |||
| </tr> | |||
| | ] at night.]]</tr> | |||
| | ].]]<tr/> | |||
| | ].]]</tr> | |||
| | ], a medieval town.]]</tr> <!--what's so exceptionally notable in Żnin?--> | |||
| | ], in the ] lake area.]]</tr> | |||
| | ] coast in ].]]</tr> | |||
| | ], ].]]</tr> | |||
| {{end}} | |||
| ] note.]] | |||
| {{seesubarticle|Economy of Poland}} | |||
| Since the ], Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of ] the economy and today stands out as a successful example of the transition from a ] to a primarily ] ]. | |||
| The ] of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of an aggressive private sector. As a consequence, ] organisations have also appeared<!--such as...?-->. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" such as ], ], ]s, and energy has been continuing since 1990. Between 2007 and 2010, the government plans to float twenty public companies on the ], including parts of the coal industry. To date (2007), the biggest privatisations have been the sale of the national ] firm '']'' to ] in 2000, and an issue of 30% of the shares in Poland's largest bank, ], on the Polish stockmarket in 2004. | |||
| Poland has a large number of private farms in its ] sector, with the potential to become a leading producer of food in the ]. However, problems remain, especially under-investment. Structural reforms in ], ], the ] system, and ] have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads ] in foreign investment{{Fact|date=February 2007}} and <!--rephrase/clarify:-->needs a continued large inflow. ] growth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only a short slowdown from 2001 to 2002. The prospect of closer integration with the ] has put the economy back on track<!--explain-->, with growth of 3.7% annually in 2003, a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002. In 2004, GDP growth equaled 5.4%, in 2005 3.3% and in 2006 6.1%. For 2007, the government has set a target for GDP growth at 6.5 to 7.0%. | |||
| The long standing head of the ], ], was replaced by ] in January 2007. At first the markets reacted sceptically and fell, but since then have stabilized and then risen sharply. | |||
| Recent annual growth rates by quarters have been: | |||
| {| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right;" | |||
| !width="50px"| Year | |||
| !width="40px"| Q1 !!width="40px"| Q2 !!width="40px"| Q3 !!width="40px"| Q4 | |||
| |- | |||
| ! 2007 | |||
| | 7,4% || || || | |||
| |- | |||
| ! 2006 | |||
| | 5.5% || 5.8% || 6.3% || 6.7% | |||
| |- | |||
| ! 2005 | |||
| | 2.1% || 2.8% || 3.7% || 4.3% | |||
| |- | |||
| ! 2004 | |||
| | 7.0% || 6.1% || 4.8% || 4.9% | |||
| |- | |||
| ! 2003 | |||
| | 2.2% || 3.8% || 4.7% || 4.7% | |||
| |} | |||
| Although the Polish economy is currently undergoing ], there are many challenges ahead. The most notable task on the horizon is the preparation of the economy (through continuing deep structural reforms) to allow Poland to meet the strict economic criteria for entry into the ] (Euro). There is much speculation as to just when Poland might be allowed to join the ], although the best guess estimates put the entry date somewhere between 2009 and 2013{{Fact|date=February 2007}}. For now, Poland is preparing to make the Euro its official currency (though it has not joined the ] yet), and the ] may eventually be replaced by Euro in the Polish economy. | |||
| Since joining the European Union, many Polish people have left their country to work in other EU countries (particularly Ireland and the UK) because of high unemployment, which is currently the highest in the EU with 11.8% in February 2007 (was 15.1% in February 2006).<ref>http://epp.eurostat.cec.eu.int/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2007/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2007_MONTH_03/3-30032007-EN-BP.PDF Eurostat February 2007 - Euro area unemployment down to 7.3%, March 30, 2007</ref> | |||
| Products Poland produces include clothes, glass, china (], ]), electronics, cars (such as luxury ]), buses (], ], ], ]), helicopters (]), transport equipment, locomotives, planes (]), ships, military engineering (including ], ]), medicines (], ]), food, chemical products and others. | |||
| ==Science, technology and education== | |||
| {{seesubarticle2|Polish science and technology|Education in Poland}} | |||
| ===Education=== | |||
| The education of Polish society was a goal of rulers as early as the 12th century, and Poland soon came to the foremost of Europes most educated countries. The library catalogue of the Cathedral Chapter of ] dating back to 1110 shows that already in the early 12th century Polish intellectuals had access to the European literature. In 1364, in ], the ], founded by King ], became one of Europe's great early universities. In 1773 King ] established his ] (''Komisja Edukacji Narodowej''), the world's first state ]. | |||
| ===Current situation=== | |||
| Today, Poland has more than a hundred ] institutions; traditional ] to be found in its major cities of ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] as well as technical, medical, economic institutions elsewhere, employing around 61,000 workers. There are also around 300 research and development institutes, with about 10,000 more researchers. In total, there are around 91,000 scientists in Poland today. | |||
| According to a recent report by the ], Poland ranks 21st on the list of EU states in the area of ]. Conditions for knowledge creation are worsening, particularly because of a decline in business ], from 0.28% of GDP in 1998 to 0.16% in 2003. Public R&D expenditures were 0.43% of GDP in 2003. The share of university R&D funded by the business sector has also declined, indicating that firms have not turned to outsourcing research to make up for declining R&D expenditures. Because of the very low levels of R&D, the process of transition of Poland to a ] is slow. For more info, see . | |||
| ===Telecommunication and IT=== | |||
| {{seesubarticle2|Communications in Poland|Software development in Poland}} | |||
| The share of the ] sector in the GDP is 4.4% (end of 2000 figure), compared to 2.5% in 1996. Nevertheless, despite high expenditures for telecom infrastructure (the coverage increased from 78 users per 1000 inhabitants in 1989 to 282 in 2000) | |||
| the coverage mobile cellular is 850 users per 1000 people (2006) | |||
| * Telephones—mobile cellular: 32.5 million (Raport Telecom Team 2006) | |||
| * Telephones—main lines in use: 12.5 million (Raport Telecom Team 2005) | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{seesubarticle|Demographics of Poland}} | |||
| Poland ] played host to many languages, cultures, and religions. There was ] life in Poland prior to the ] ] when Poland's ] population, estimated at 3 million, was reduced to about 300,000 survivors. The outcomes of ], particularly ] to the area between the ] and the ] coupled with ] gave Poland an appearance of homogeneity. As a result, Poland became, for the first time in its multicultural history, an ethnically unified country. | |||
| A Polish minority is still present in neighbouring countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania, as well as in other countries (see ] for population numbers). The largest number of ] can be found in the ]. | |||
| Today 36,983,700 people, or 96.74% of the population considers itself ] (]), 471,500 (1.23%) declared another nationality. 774,900 people (2.03%) didn't declare any nationality. The officially recognized ethnic minorities include: ] (most in the former ]), ], ], ]s and ]. The ], a member of the West Slavic branch of the ], functions as the ] of Poland. English and German are the most common second languages studied and spoken. | |||
| Similar changes have affected the ]. Since the Second World War, most Polish citizens adhere to the ] ], 94.8% are Catholic (according to church ] statistics) with 75% counting as practising Catholics (according to opinion polls). The rest of the population consists mainly of ] (about 509,500), ] (about 123,034) and various ] (about 86,880 in the largest ] and about as many in smaller churches) religious minorities. | |||
| In recent years Poland's population has decreased because of an increase in emigration and a sharp drop in the birth rate. In 2006 the census office estimated the total population of Poland at 38,536,869, a slight rise on the 2002 figure of 38,230,080. Since Poland's accession to the ], a significant number of Polish people have moved to work in Western European countries like the ] and ]. Some organisations state people have left primarily due to high ] (14.7%) and better opportunities for work abroad. In April 2007 the Polish population of the ] had risen to approximately 2 million, and estimates predict more than 500,000 Polish people living in ], representing one in eight of the total population.{{Fact|date=June 2007}} | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{seesubarticle|Culture of Poland}} | |||
| ] in ]. ] (left), ] (centre), Town Hall Tower (right).]] | |||
| Polish culture has a rich thousand-year history influenced by both ] and ]. Today, these influences are evident in Polish ], ], and ]. Poland is the birthplace of many ], including ] ({{lang-pl|Papież Jan Paweł II}}), ] ({{lang-pl|Maria Skłodowska-Curie}}), ] ({{lang-pl|Kazimierz Pułaski}}), ], ] ({{lang-pl|Mikołaj Kopernik}}), ] ({{lang-pl|Fryderyk Chopin}}), and others. | |||
| The unique character of Polish art always reflected world trends. Famous Polish painter, ], included many significant historical events in his paintings. ] dates back to 1100s<ref name="LIT01">{{pl icon}} {{cite web |author=Koca, B. |year=2006 |url =http://www.sat.org.au/reviews/articles_pl_middle_ages.htm |title=Polish Literature - The Middle Ages (Religious writings) |accessdate=10 December |accessyear=2006}}</ref> and includes many famous poets and writers such as ], ], ] (1905 Nobel Prize winner), ], ] (1924 Nobel Prize winner), ], ], ] (1980 Nobel Prize winner), ] (1996 Nobel Prize winner), ], ]. Many world renowned ] include ]s winners ], ], ], ], ]. The traditional Polish music composers include world famous pianist ] ({{lang-pl|Fryderyk Chopin}})<ref name="CHOPIN">{{pl icon}} {{cite web |author=Polskie Centrum Informacji Muzycznej: Związek Kompozytorów Polskich |year=2002 |url=http://www.culture.pl/pl/culture/artykuly/in_or_towarzystwo_chopina |title=Towarzystwo im. Fryderyka Chopina |accessdate=8 December |accessyear=2006}}</ref><!-- Please do not change the name Chopin! The original spelling of Fryderyk Chopin's name and the spelling of his name in his original signature is Chopin but not Szopen. Please discuss this in "Talk:Poland" discussion section! Prosimy nie zmieniać nazwiska! Thanks.--> as well as ], ], and others. | |||
| ]'', by ].]] | |||
| Many popular styles of modern music in Poland include ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], to name a few. ] modern singers, musicians and bands from Poland include ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| Known meals from ] include ] ({{lang-pl|kiełbasa}}), ] ({{lang-pl|barszcz}}), ] ({{lang-pl|czernina}}), ] ({{lang-pl|pierogi}}), ] ({{lang-pl|gołąbki}}), ] ({{lang-pl|kotlety schabowe}}), ] ({{lang-pl|bigos}}), various ] dishes, a fast food sandwich ], and many more. Traditional Polish desserts include ] ({{lang-pl|pączki}}), ] ({{lang-pl|pierniki}}) and others. | |||
| ==International rankings== | |||
| ] ({{lang-pl|pierniki}}) from ].]] | |||
| {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" | |||
| !width="240px"| Index | |||
| ! Rank !! Countries<br />reviewed | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ] 2006 | |||
| | 37th || 177 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ] Press Freedom Index 2006 | |||
| | 58th || 168 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ] 2006 | |||
| | 41st || 157 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| Summary Innovation Index 2005 | |||
| | 21st || 25 | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ] | |||
| | 14th || 21 industrial nations | |||
| |- | |||
| |align="left"| ] 2007 | |||
| | 58th || 122 | |||
| |} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{portal|Poland|Flag of Poland corrected (bordered).svg}} | |||
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| ===Lists=== | |||
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| ==References== | |||
| <div style="font-size:90%"><references/></div> | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Poland}} | |||
| ===Governmental institutions=== | |||
| * —Sejm—lower chamber of the Parliament | |||
| * —Senate—upper chamber of the Parliament | |||
| * —President of the Republic of Poland | |||
| * —Prime Minister's Office | |||
| * —Supreme Court | |||
| ===English-language websites on Poland=== | |||
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Revision as of 06:10, 5 June 2007
Poland is the birthplace of rapper Jay-Z. While living in poland, he said DOOD WTF LOL WUT WUT WUT
National Jokes: -Stupidity -Gluttony -Stupidity -Iron Ore -Stupidity -Hard shell tacos -Stupidity
Q: How many Polish citizens does it take to repel an invasion? A: To be determined
