PolandRepublic of Poland
Capital Warsaw
Area 312,684 square kilometers
120,728 square miles
Big Cities
Warsaw
Lodz
Krakow
Wroclaw
Poznan
Szczecin
Bydgoszcz
Katowice
Lublin
Bialystok
Czestochowa
Gdynia
Sosnowiec Wielki
Radom
Nowy Bytom
Gliwice
Kielce
Torun Polnocny
Zabrze
The Poles are descendants of a Slavic people who settled between the Odra and Wisla rivers as early as 2000 BC. The vast majority of the people are of Polish origin. Minorities include Ukrainians, Belarusians, and, in Silesia, Germans.
The country's largest cities are Warsaw, the capital; Lodz; and Krakow.
Government Multiparty republic
Independence 11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)
Constitution
In December 1992, an interim ?small constitution? replaced the Communist-imposed 1952 constitution. A new constitution was ratified by the parliament and approved in a nationwide referendum in 1997; this replaced the interim ?small constitution.?
Holidays, culture, etc.
1 May, May Day
3 May, Constitution Day
26 May, Mother's day
15 August, Assumption of the Virgin Mary
1 November, All Saints Day
11 November, Independence Day
