Officially the Republic of Poland; is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Kaliningrad Oblast and Lithuania to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 square kilometres making it the 9th largest in Europe. With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the 34th most populous country in the world. Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions.

Coat of armsAnthem: Mazurek DąbrowskiegoPoland Is Not Yet Lost

Poland is a democracy, with a president as a head of the state, whose current constitution dates from 1997. Poland is a peaceful country. The government structure centers on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president is elected by popular voting every five years. The president is Bronisław Komorowski. Since 2007 Polish government has been formed by the Civic Platform party. The current prime minister, Ewa Kopacz, was appointed in 2014. Polish voters elect a bicameral parliament consisting of a 460-member lower house (Sejm) and a 100-member Senate (Senat). The judicial branch plays an important role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy); the Supreme Administrative Court (Naczelny Sąd Administracyjny); the Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny); and the State Tribunal (Trybunał Stanu). Poland's current constitution guarantees a multi-party state, the freedom of religion, speech and assembly.

President of Poland Bronisław KomorowskiLower House

The Polish Baltic coast is approximately 528 kilometres long and extends from Świnoujście on the islands of Usedom and Wolin in the westto Krynica Morska on the Vistula Spit in the east. The Masurian Lake District covers much of north-eastern Poland. South of the Northern European Lowlands lie the regions of Lusatia, Silesia and Masovia. Farther south lies the Polish mountain region, including the Sudetes, the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, and the Carpathian Mountains, including the Beskids. The highest part of the Carpathians is the Tatra Mountains, along Poland's southern border. Poland has 70 mountains over 2,000 metres in elevation, all in the Tatras. The highest point: Rysy 2,499 m (Tatras); the lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m.

Baltic Sea

Tatra Mountains

Masurian Lake District

The longest rivers are: the Vistula (Wisła), 1,047 kilometres long; the Oder (Odra) which forms part of Poland's western border, 854 kilometres long; the Warta, 808 kilometres long. The largest lakes, covering more than 100 square kilometres are Śniardwy Lake and Mamry Lake in Masuria. The lake with the greatest depth—of more than 100 metres—is Hańcza Lake in the east of Masuria. Poland is the fourth most forested country in Europe. Forests cover about 30.5% of Poland's land area. More than 1% of Poland's territory, 3,145 square kilometres, is protected within 23 Polish national parks.

Poland's current voivodeships (provinces) are largely based on the country's historic regions. The voivodeships are subdivided into powiats (counties), and these are further divided into gminas (communes or municipalities). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. Poland has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with powiat status), and 2,478 gminas.

The largest cities: Warsaw , Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Lublin and Katowice.

WestPomeranian

Pomeranian

Silesian

Warmian-Masurian

Subcarpathian

Lesser Poland

Opole

Lower Silesian

LubuszGreater Poland

Kuyavian-Pomeranian

Masovian

Łódź

Świętokrzyskie

Lublin

The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate thousand-year history. Its unique character developed as a result of its geography at the confluence of various European regions. With origins in the culture of the Early Slavs.The list of famous Poles begins in earnest with the polymath Mikołaj Kopernik. Poland is the birthplace of many distinguished personalities among whom are: Fryderyk Chopin, Maria Skłodowska Curie, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Józef Piłsudski, Jan Matejko, Adam Mickiewicz, Lech Wałęsa and Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła). Polish (język polski, polszczyzna) is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland (being that country's official language) and by Polish minorities in other countries.

Polish Name Day Tradition

Every day of the Polish calendar has a name of a Saint associated with it. On this day, Poles over the age of thirteen with the same name, celebrate their "Name Day." (Imieniny). It's a special time for friends to stop and gather and typical gifts are given.

The national holidays are Constitution Day, 1 May (1791) and Independence Day, 11 November (1918).

On All Saints' Day, 1 November, and All Souls' Day, 2 November, people place candles in cemeteries and at places of torment and execution.

Easter A common rural custom is to sprinkle water on the ground to ensure a bountiful harvest. A popular extension of this practice is the dousing of people with water. In many areas, there are follow-up festivities on Easter Monday, dyngus day.

ChristmasEverybody breaks the traditional wafer or „Oplatek” and exchanges good wishes for health, wealth and happiness. Some people also put money under the white cloth. The common custom is the evergreen or fir tree. Many people believe that additional plate on the table is a way to reunite with those who we cannot be with during Christmas supper. At midnight on Christmas Eve animals are believed to speak with a human voice.

• Men are expected to kiss ladies' hands. • An acceptable gift for women is an odd number of

flowers.• Address people by their honorific title, “Pan” for a

man and “Pani” for a woman, and their surname.• Family and friends kiss 3 times on the cheek on

meeting.• It is common to remove shoes before entering

carpeted rooms in people's homes, you may even find an array of carpet slippers ready and waiting.

• Do not use first names until invited to. Moving from the use of formal to the informal names is such an important step .

• At parties or other social gatherings, your hosts will introduce you, usually starting with the women and then moving on to the men.

• The usual times for present giving are birthdays, name days (birth date of the saint after whom they are named), and Christmas.

• Poles celebrate name days rather than birthdays. Poles are named after saints at baptism, every day is a saint's day.

It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken, beef, winter vegetables and spices. It is also characteristic in using various kinds of noodles (kluski ) or cereals such as kasha (kasza). Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. The Polish national dishes are: bigos, pierogi, kiełbasa, kotlet schabowy (breaded cutlet), gołąbki (cabbage rolls), zrazy (roulade), pieczeń (roast), sour cucumber soup (zupa ogórkowa), mushroom soup (zupa grzybowa), tomato soup (zupa pomidorowa), rosół, żurek, flaki, barszcz . The main course usually includes meat, vegetables, side dishes and salads, including surówka–vegetables with lemon and sugar (carrot, celeriac, seared beetroot) or sauerkraut (kapusta kiszona). The side dishes are usually potatoes, rice or kasza (cereals).Meals conclude with a dessert such as sernik, makowiec (a poppy seed pastry), or drożdżówka (yeast pastry) and tea.

Religion plays an important role in the Polish society and is deeply intertwined with culture. In 2007, 88.4% of the population belonged to the Catholic Church. In 1978, Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, archbishop of Krakow, became the first-ever Polish pope. He took the name John Paul II and was head of the Catholic Church until his death in 2005. Religious minorities include Polish Orthodox (about 506,800), various Protestants (about 150,000), Jehovah's Witnesses (126,827), Eastern Catholics, Mariavites, Jews, and Muslims. There are also a few thousand pagans . Other religions practiced in Poland include Islam and Judaism. Famous sites of Christian pilgrimage in Poland include the Monastery of Jasna Góra in the southern Polish city of Częstochowa, as well as the Family home of John Paul II in Wadowice just outside of Kraków.

Basilica in Licheń - the largest church in Poland

Eastern Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral in

Warsaw

• Poland is the 6th most populous and the 6th largest of the European Union's 27 member states. Most of the country is flat, with an average elevation of 173 meters.

• 90% of Poles have completed at least secondary education, the highest score in the EU, along with the Czechs, Slovaks, and Slovenes.

• Polish people have the largest households in the European Union.

• Poland is the second best of the 25 OECD countries surveyed in terms of "behaviours and risks" (healthy lifestyle, lack of violence), and third best for educational well-being. The same reports also finds that Poland has the lowest percentage of overweight young people (7.1%) .

• There are big Polish-speaking communities in Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, the UK, the Ukraine, the US and Russia.

• The name "Poland" originates from the name of the tribe "Polanie" which means "people living in open fields".

• It was the centre of the Euopean Jewish world with 3.3 million Jews living in Poland.

Dzień dobry. - Good morning/ Good afternoon.Do widzenia. - Good bye.Dobranoc. - Good night.Proszę. – Please.Dziękuję. - Thank you.Cześć. - Hi/Hello.Jak się masz? - How are you?Skąd jesteś? - Where are you from?Jestem z … - I’m from…Jak masz na imię? - What’s your name?Nazywam się… - My name is..Przepraszam. - Excuse me/ I’m sorry.Nie. – No.Tak. – Yes.

Język polski

FROM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DrXgj1NwN8

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland• http://www.holiday-lets-poland.co.uk/Culture-and-

traditions-poland.htm• http://polishpresents.com/• http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Poland.html• http://www.polandforvisitors.com/travel_poland/culture• http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-

etiquette/poland.html• http://www.weekendnotes.com/interesting-facts-poland/• http://www.eupedia.com/poland/trivia.shtml• http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/facts-about-poland-

2094.html• http://google.com