FACTS ABOUT POLAND

Climate:
Temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers.

Local long-form name:
Rzeczpospolita Polska
(The Republic of Poland)

Gross Domestic Product:
$373.2 billion (2002 est.)

Zloty Exchange Rate:
(04/2004)

1 USD = 3.95 PLN
1 Euro = 4.67 PLN

Major Industries:
Machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles.

Land Area:
304,465 sq. km (slightly smaller than New Mexico)

Population:
38,635,144 (2005 est.)

Military Manpower:
10,354,978 (2003 est.)
[Army, Navy & Air Force]

Alphabet:
A Ą B C Ć D E Ę F G H I J K L Ł M N Ń O Ó P R S Ś T U W Y Z Ź Ż
a ą b c ć d e ę f g h i j k l ł m n ń o ó p r s ś t u w y z ź ż

Polish Language:
Total speakers: 50 million
Genetic classification: Indo-European -> Balto-Slavic -> Slavic -> West Slavic -> Lechitic -> Polish
Regulated by: The Polish Language Council

Polish words for themselves:
Polska -- Poland
Polak -- Pole
polski -- Polish

National Anthem:
Mazurek Dąbrowskiego, written by Józef Wybicki in 1797.

Unofficial State Mottos:
Bóg, Honor, Ojczyzna ("God, Honour, Fatherland")
Za wolność Waszą i Naszą ("For your freedom and ours")
Ojczyzna, Nauka, Cnota ("Fatherland, Education, Virtue")

Poland's Contribution to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq:
54 soldiers from the elite GROM commando unit
the logistic support ship Xawery Czarniecki with over 50 crew and a FORMOZA navy commando unit
74 antichemical contamination troops

Some Famous Polish Americans:

• Conductors Leopold Stokowski and Arthur Rodzinski
• Boxing great Stan "the Michigan Assassin" Ketchel
• Baseball's Stan Musial
• Track star Stella Walsh
• Jazz drummer Gene Krupa
• Movie actress Loretta Young
• Stage actress Helena Modjeska
• Silent screen star Pola Negri
• Casimir Funk the "father of vitamins"
• Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security adviser to Pres. Jimmy Carter