1. Geographical Location

Poland is situated in Central Europe on the Baltic Sea, between 49' 00'and 541 50' northern latitude and between 141 07' and 241 08' eastern longitude. It extends 649 km from north to south and 689 km from east to west. The country covers an area of 312,685 sq. km, the ninth-largest state in Europe. It's capital is Warsaw. The total state border is 3,582 km long. In the west Poland has a 467 km-long border with Germany running along the Odra (Oder) and the Nysa Luzycka (Lusatian Neisse) rivers. in the north Poland has a 528 km-long sea border along the Baltic Sea and a 210 km-long land border with the Russian Federation. In the south the mountain ranges of the Sudety and the Karpaty separate Poland from the Czech Republic, with which it shares a 790 km-long border and Slovakia, with which the border is 539 km. In the east, Poland has borders of 103 km with Lithuania, 416 km with Belarus and 529 km with Ukraine.

Poland occupies the eastern part of the Central European lowland and its surface is of predominantly lowland character. Lowland areas, ranging up to 300 meters above sea level, occupy 91.3% of the total surface of the country, while upland areas (300 to 500 meters above sea level) make up 5.6% and mountain areas (over 500 meters above sea level) 3.1 %. The highest point in the country is Rysy Peak in the Tatra Mountains, 2,499 meters above sea level, while the lowest is in Zulawy Wislane, a depression near Raczki Elblaskie that is 1.8 meters below sea level.

In spite of the prevalence of lowlands - the average altitude above sea level is 173 meters - the landscape of Poland is highly diversified. This results from the belt-like arrangement of geographical regions and the rich surface configuration.

The coastal line is generally even with two major gulfs: the Gulf of Pomerania and the Gulf of Gdansk. A belt of coastal plain stretches along the Baltic Sea coast. The area between the South Baltic Coast and the belt of Central Poland lowlands is occupied by regions of lakes. The landscape of the Pomeranian and Mazurian Lake Districts was shaped in the course of the last glacial period, which carved out a large number of lakes. The wide belt of lowlands is broadly divided into the Wielkopolska Lowland, Silesian Lowland and Mazowiecka Lowland.

In the south of Poland there is a range of old mountains and uplands, diversified in terms of geology and surface terrain. To be found here are the Sudety (Sudeten) Mountains (occupying 3% of the territory of the country) with the highest peak in the Karkonosze Range (Sniezka, 1,602 meters above sea level) and younger mountains, the Karpaty (Carpathian), occupying 6% of Polish territory.

2. Climate

Poland's location in the centre of Europe as well as the arrangement of geographical regions running evenly with lines of latitude provides conditions for the temperate character of the country's climate. The confrontation of different masses of air, mainly polar sea air from over the Atlantic and polar continental air from over Eurasia, gives rise to frequent changes of weather and significant fluctuation in the length of seasons in individual years. This is particularly true of winters, which are either relatively warm and humid, of the oceanic type, or frosty, of the continental type.

Average annual air temperatures vary (apart from mountain regions) from 6 degrees C to 8,8 degrees C. The warmest regions includethe Silesian Lowland and the western part of the SandomierskaValley, while the coldest region is in the northeast. Average temperatures in July range from 16.5 C in the north to 19 C on the Silesian Lowland and in the Tarnów region while in January, from -1 C at the seaside to -4.5 C in the northeast (the Suwalki region).

Rainfails are largely dependent on the altitude above sea level. Maximum rainfall is recorded in the summer months.

The average air temperature and the average rainfall for Warsaw are as follows: in January: -4 C and 23 millimetres, in July: 1 9 C and 79 mm. However, in the winter months (January-February) temperatures can drop to below -1 0 C while in the summer months (June-August) they can often exceed 25 C.

3. Population and language

In 1997 the population of Poland was 38,660,000. In terms of the number of inhabitants Poland occupies the 29th position in the world (0.7% of world population) and eighth place in Europe (5.3% of the population of the continent). Population density is 124 people per sq. km. Some 23,924,700 people (61.9% of the population) live in 875 towns while 14,735,300 people (38.1 %) live in the country. Warsaw, the capital, is the largest city having in 1997 a population of 1,626,000 inhabitants (4.2% of the total population). Other major towns include (data for 1997): Lódz (812,300), Kraków (740,500), Wroclaw (639,400), Poznan (580,000), Gdansk (461,400), Szczecin (419,000), Bydgoszcz (386,300), Lublin (356,000), and Katowice (349,000).

Men account for 48.6% of the Polish population while women make up 51.4%. The average lifespan is 68,5 years for men and 77.0 years for women.

Poland is a fairly homogenous country. National minorities account for 2.6-3.9% of the population. The most numerous minorities include Germans (500,000 to 550,000), Ukrainians (300,000 to 400,000) and Belarussians (250,000-300,000). There are also Lithuanians, Slovaks, Jews and others. Roman Catholics constitute the prevailing religious group in Poland.

4. Political System

In accordance with the Constitution of 2 April 1997 the state bodies are:

  • The Seim and the Senate of the Republic of Poland, with respect to legislative power
  • The President of the Republic of Poland and the Council of Ministers, with respect to executive power
  • independent courts, with respect to judicial power.

The Sejm is elected to a four-year term in general elections. it consists of 460 deputies. Reporting to the Sejm is the Supreme Control Council, the highest control organ in the state. The bodies of the Sejm include: the Presidium of the Seim, the Council of Seniors and parliamentary committees. Deputy clubs are the main forms of the political organisation of deputies within the Sejm.

The Senate is also elected to a four-year term in general elections. It is composed of 100 senators. The Constitution specifies major issues on which the Sejm and the Senate debate jointly at sessions presided over by the Speaker of the Sejm acting as the National Assembly.

The President is elected to a five-year term in general elections, and can be re-elected once. He is the supreme representative of the state, monitoring the observance of the Constitution and the security of the state. The President appoints the Prime Minister and upon the motion of the latter, ministers. The executive body for the president is the Chancellery. Since 23 December 1 995, Aleksander Kwasniewski has been President of Poland.

The Council of Ministers includes the Chairman of the Council of Ministers (the Prime Minister) as its head, Vice-Premiers of the Council of Ministers, and ministers. The Government is responsible for the domestic and foreign policy of the state. A vote of confidence for the government is extended by the Sejm.

5. Territorial Division

Since 1 January 1 999 a three-tier territorial division of the state has been in force. Poland is divided into:


16 voivodships (provinces)

308 land powiats (districts) and 65 urban powiats (towns having the rights of districts)

2,489 gminas (communes).

The gmina is the principal unit of the territorial division. The authorities of the gmina include: the gmina council, elected in general self-government elections, and a board chosen by the gmina council and having executive power. In rural gminas the board is headed by the wójt, the head of the commune, in smaller towns by a burmistrz, or town mayor, and in big cities by the president. The constitution guarantees the priority of the gmina in the management of local affairs.
The gmina is responsible for:

  • primary schools
  • kindergartens
  • libraries
  • houses of culture
  • water pipelines
  • local transportation
  • environmental protection in their territory
  • local gmina roads
  • water supply
  • disposal of solid and liquid wastes
  • open-air markets
  • health protection (health centres, outpatients' clinics and in urban gminas also hospitals)

The powiat (district) is the second-tier unit of territorial division, comprising a number of gminas. The authorities of the powiat include the powiat council, elected in self-government elections, and the board of the powiat. The latter is headed by the starosta. Powiats are responsible for:

  • protection of public order and security
  • flood and fire protection
  • prevention of natural disasters and managing their consequences
  • maintenance of general hospitals
  • social security
  • counteracting unemployment
  • construction and maintenance of supra-community roads
  • protection of consumer rights
  • issuance of passports
  • matters connected with a change of citizenship

The voivodship is the largest territorial division unit. The voivodship authorities include the sejmik, the voivodship parliament chosen in self-government elections, and the board of the voivodship. The sejmik and the board are headed by the marshal of the voivodship. A representative of state power in the voivodship is the voivod who is the guardian of the national interest. The voivodship is responsible for matters related to regional development. It prepares and implements strategies, creates conditions for the economic development of the region. Acting within the framework of regional co-operation it can maintain contacts with communities from other countries. The voivodship takes part in the activities of European institutions. Foreign co-operation of the voivodship must, however, be conducted within the framework of the foreign policy of the state.

 

 
 

The three basic tasks of the voivodship include:

  • assurance of sustained economic development of the voivodship
  • public services on the highest level: universities, special health service, cultural institutions
  • succesful competition with foreign regions in attracting foreign investments, particulary, in view of the forthcoming accession to the European Union

Source:
POLAND Your Business Partner, Foreign Trade Research Institute, Warsaw 1999