Poland
A
nation with a proud cultural heritage, Poland can trace its roots back over
1,000 years. Positioned at the centre of Europe, it
has known turbulent and violent times.
There have been periods of independence
as well as periods of domination by other countries. Several million people died in World War II.
A new era began when Poland became an
EU member in May 2004, five years after joining Nato and 15 years after the end
of communist rule.
It was the birthplace of the former
Soviet bloc's first officially recognised independent mass political movement
when strikes at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980 led to agreement with the
authorities on the establishment of the Solidarity trade union.
The shoots of political freedom were
trampled again 16 months later when communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski
declared martial law. But the movement for change was
irreversible. Elections in summer 1989 ushered in eastern Europe's first
post-communist government.
The presence in the Vatican of Polish
Pope John-Paul II was an important influence on the Solidarity movement
throughout the 1980s.
Warsaw's profile on the international
stage was raised by its support for the US-led military campaigns in Iraq and
Afghanistan. Polish peacekeeping troops served in
south-central Iraq from 2003 until 2008, and the country has also contributed a
sizeable contingent to the Nato peacekeeping force in Afghanistan.
- Full
name: Republic of Poland
- Population: 38.3 million (UN, 2011)
- Capital: Warsaw
- Area: 312,685 sq km (120,728 sq miles)
- Major language: Polish
- Major religion: Christianity
- Life expectancy: 72 years (men), 81 years (women) (UN)
- Monetary unit: 1 zloty = 100 groszy
- Main exports: Machinery and transport equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals
- GNI per capita: US $12,440 (World Bank, 2010)
- Internet domain: .pl
- International dialling code: +48
President: Bronislaw Komorowski
Prime Minister: Donald Tusk
Media
Poland's broadcasting market is the
largest in Eastern and Central Europe and has attracted foreign investment. There is freedom and diversity of information,
although laws against deriding the nation and its political system are still in
force.
Public Polish Radio reaches just over
half of the population. There
are more than 200 radio stations in all.
There are more than 300 newspapers,
most of them local or regional. However,
fewer than 30% of Poles read any kind of newspaper. The press is almost completely privatised and
foreign ownership is high. The
biggest-selling daily is the Fakt tabloid.
There were 22.5 million internet users
in Poland by June 2010 - around 58% of the population (Internetworldstats).
The press
Television
- Telewizja Polska (TVP) - public, operates two national networks, regional services and
international satellite channel TV Polonia
- TVN -
commercial, also operates news channel TVN 24
- Polsat -
commercial channel and pay-TV operator
- Cyfra+ -
pay-TV operator
Radio
- Polish Radio - public, operates five national networks and many regional
stations
- TheNews.pl -
Polish Radio's news site, in English
- RMF FM -
commercial
- Radio Zet -
commercial
- Radio Maryja - controversial Catholic station, run by Redemptorist Order
News agency
Source: BBC NEWS