Poland

Poland - Regina Gorzkowska

Poland (Polish: Polska [ˈpɔlska] ( listen)), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska[a] [ʐɛt͡ʂpɔˈspɔlita ˈpɔlska] ( listen)), is a unitary sovereign state in Central Europe.[10] It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, covering an area of 312,679 square kilometres (120,726 sq mi) with a mostly temperate climate.[8] With a population of over 38.5 million people, Poland is the sixth most populous member state of the European Union.[8] Poland's capital and largest city is Warsaw. Other major cities include Kraków, Łódź, Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk and Szczecin.

The establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966, when Mieszko I,[11] ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a longstanding political association with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest (about 1 million km2) and most populous countries of 16th and 17th century Europe, with a uniquely liberal political system[12][13] which adopted Europe's first written national constitution, the Constitution of 3 May 1791.

Following the Partitions of Poland at the end of the 18th century, Poland regained its independence in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles. In September 1939, World War II started with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, followed by the Soviet Union invading Poland in accordance with the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact. More than six million Poles died in the war.[14][15] After World War II, the Polish People's Republic was established as a satellite state under Soviet influence.[16] In the aftermath of the Revolutions of 1989, most notably through the emergence of the Solidarity movement, Poland reestablished itself as a democratic republic.

Poland is a developed market and regional power as well as a possible emerging world power.[17] It has the eighth largest and one of the most dynamic economies in the European Union,[18][19] simultaneously achieving a very high rank on the Human Development Index.[20] Additionally, the Polish Stock Exchange in Warsaw is the largest and most important in Central Europe.[21] Poland is a developed[22] and democratic country, which maintains a high-income economy[23] along with very high standards of living, life quality,[24] safety, education and economic freedom.[25][26] According to the World Bank, Poland has a leading school educational system in Europe.[27][28] The country provides free university education, state-funded social security and a universal health care system for all citizens.[29][30] Having an extensive history, Poland has developed a rich cultural heritage, including numerous historical monuments. It has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 14 of which are cultural.[31] Poland is a member state of the European Union, the Schengen Area, the United Nations, NATO, the OECD, the Three Seas Initiative, and the Visegrád Group.