PolandPoland is a large central European nation that borders on the Baltic Sea. Warsaw is Poland's capital and largest city. Poland is named after the Polane, a Slavic tribe that lived more than a thousand years ago in what is now Poland. The name Polane comes from a Slavic word that means plain or field. Flat plains and gently rolling hills cover most of the country. Rugged mountains form part of the southern boundary of Poland, and thousands of small, scenic lakes dot the northern regions of the country...More Information on Poland. Also Read: A special inside feature on Poland Full country name: Republic of Poland History of PolandPoland's written history begins with the reign of Mieszko I, who accepted Christianity for himself and his kingdom in AD 966. The Polish state reached its zenith under the Jagiellonian dynasty in the years following the union with Lithuania in 1386 and the subsequent defeat of the Teutonic Knights at Grunwald in 1410. The monarchy survived many upheavals but eventually went into a decline, which ended with the final partition of Poland by Prussia, Russia, and Austria in 1795...More on Poland History. Overview of Poland EconomyGDP: US$373.2 billion Also Read: Special Feature on Economy of Poland Political System of Poland- Government And Political Conditions Climate, Vegetation and FaunaPoland's forests are controlled by conifers, which are particularly vulnerable to acid rain and other forms of air pollution, many of them are now considerablely damaged. The spruce forests of the Sudety have been particularly affected by ecological damage. A large portion of Poland's forest growth has also been destroyed to create farmland, and reforestation levels are currently very low. This combination of factors has made Poland's forests among the most vulnerable in Europe.Poland's wildlife is of limited mixture. Although most species are found in other parts of Europe, Poland is home to a number of species that are absent or rare elsewhere. Those animals include chamois, lynx, wildcat, elk, boar, and deer. Bison, as well as a rare breed of pony, are preserved in the world-famous Bialowieza National Park, which straddles Poland's border with Belarus. Wolves and brown bears survive in the higher mountains, and elk, deer, and mouflon -wild sheep are fairly numerous in the lake districts. Grouse, heathcock and black stork inhabit Poland's grain-producing areas, lakes, marshes, and forests. Culture: The 7th largest nation in Europe, Poland is located in the middle of the North European Plain that extends...more on Culture of Poland. Education: Throughout the modern history of Poland, education has played a central role in Polish society...more on education in Poland. Languages: Polish is the official language of Poland and is used by nearly all of the population...more on languages spoken in Poland...more on languages spoken in Poland. Life and Lifestyle of Poland: The rights of women were central to the controversy over state abortion law that escalated sharply in 1991 and 1992...more Population: In the immediate postwar time, Poland's birth rate surged upward and many Poles were repatriated from military duty or imprisonment abroad...more on people and population of Poland. Envoirnment: Poland is roughly square, reaching a maximum of about 680km (422mi) from west to east and 650km (404mi) from north to south...more on Envoirnment of Poland. Facts for the TravelerVisas: Citizens of most EU countries and the USA can enter Poland without a visa and stay for 90 days. As of 1 May, 2004 holders of Australian, New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam passports travelling to Poland for a period of up to 90 days do not require a Polish visa. Border laws are being liberalised so check with a Polish embassy before you leave.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time) Dialling Code: 48 Electricity: 230V ,50Hz Weights & measures: Metric Also Read:Money and Cost Required | Transportation System in Poland When to Go to PolandThe tourist season runs roughly from May to September, peaking in July and August. At this time the Baltic beaches are taken over by swarms of humanity, resorts and spas are invaded by tourists, Masurian lakes are crowded with thousands of sailboats, and mountains can hardly be seen for walkers. Perhaps the best time to come is either late spring (mid-May to June) or the turn of summer and autumn (September to mid-October). These are pleasantly warm periods and there are plenty of cultural activities going on. During winter it's cold and dark (as you'd expect) and many camp sites and hostels are closed, but its still a good time for visiting Poland's cities. Also Read: Getting Around Poland | Poland: Getting There and Away What to See in PolandMajor Tourist Attractions in Poland Other Tourist Attractions in Poland more...Events in PolandWith a strongly Roman Catholic population, Christian celebrations in Poland are of huge importance. This is particularly evident at Christmas and Easter, but any Sunday is good for getting a taste of Polish devotion and religious fervour. All the churches (and they are truly in good supply) fill up beyond their capacity during the Sunday masses. The musical highlights are myriad: Kraków hosts the Music in Old Kraków International Festival every August, and Wrocław follows in September with the Wratislavia Cantans, replete with oratorios and cantatas. Warsaw is a thriving cultural centre, with contemporary music showcases in autumn, including jazz in late October. The Warsaw Theatre Meetings in January review the achievements of the best Polish theatres over the past year. The Polish Film Festival in Gdynia in November is the foremost presentation of Poland on celluloid. Small local feasts, fairs and contests, often dependent upon local folklore, occur throughout Poland, with a pleasing glut in early summer and early autumn. What to do in Poland?Hiking is the most popular of outdoor activities, and not without reason. The most popular hiking routes are those in the Tatra Mountains but the Pieniny, the Bieszczady or the Karkonosze are all options. Canoeing is possible on most waterways, though the main rivers are pretty polluted. The Krutynia and Czarna Hańcza Rivers, both in Masuria, are almost untouched and have some of the best kayaking in the country. The Masurian lakes are ideal for sailing and, not surprisingly, they are crowded with hundreds of boats in summer. It's possible to hire a sailing boat in Giżycko, Mikołajki or several other Masurian resorts. Poland has about a thousand caves, mostly in the uplands near Kraków and in the Tatra Mountains. For those unwilling to plunge into uncharted blackness, a handful of caves are adapted for the spatially-sane. The most spectacular of these are the Bear's Cave near Kłodzko and the Paradise Cave near Kielce. Skiing is mostly concentrated in the Carpathians. Zakopane, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains is without a doubt ski-bunny warren numero uno, with Szczyrk in the Beskid Śłaski also popular.
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Cluj-Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvar; German: Klausenburg; Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. Regarded as the historic capital of Transylvania, the city is located in northwestern Romania, and is approximately 480 km (200 miles) northwest of Bucharest in the Somesul Mic [...]
Cultural Activity in Europe
Europe has a long tradition of excellence in literature, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and dance. In the late 20th century Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, and Moscow were particularly famous as cultural centers, but many other cities also supported important museums, musical and theatrical groups, and other cultural institutions. Most European countries had [...]
Religion of Europe
In the early 2000s the great majority of Europeans were Christians. The largest single religious group, Roman Catholics, lived mainly in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, southern Germany, and Poland. Another large group was composed of followers of Protestant faiths, concentrated in countries of northern and central Europe such as England, Scotland, [...]
Languages of Europe
Europeans speak a wide variety of languages. The principal linguistic groups are the Slavic, which includes Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Polish, Slovenian, Macedonian, and Serbo-Croatian; the Germanic, which includes English, German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic; and the Romance, which includes Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Romanian. These languages have [...]
Demography of Europe
The distribution of the European population has not been stable over long periods, but has shifted, both through differential birth and death rates and by migration. At the beginning of the Christian era, the most densely populated part of Europe bordered the Mediterranean Sea. At the beginning of the 21st century Europe had [...]
Ethnologyof Europe
Europe includes a large number of ethnic groups—persons associated by a common culture, especially language. European nations are generally composed of one dominant group, such as the Germans of Germany and the French of France. Several countries, particularly in south central Europe, have large minorities, and most countries contain smaller groups, such as the [...]
People of Europe
Indo-European languages (see The Indo-European Family of Languages, table) predominate in Europe; others spoken include Basque, Maltese, and the languages classified as Finno-Ugric, Samoyedic, Bulgaric, and Turkic. Roman Catholicism is the chief religion of S and W Europe and the southern part of central Europe; Protestantism is dominant in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, [...]
Biodiversity of Europe
Having lived side-by-side with agricultural and industrial civilisations for millennia, Europe’s animals and plants have been profoundly affected by the presence and activities of man. With the exception of Scandinavia and northern Russia, few areas of untouched wilderness are today to be found in Europe, except for different natural parks.
The main natural vegetation [...]
Physical features of Europe
In terms of shape, Europe is a collection of connected peninsulas. The two largest of these are “mainland” Europe and Scandinavia to the north, divided from each other by the Baltic Sea. Three smaller peninsulas—Iberia, Italy and the Balkans—emerge from the southern margin of the mainland into the Mediterranean Sea, which separates [...]
Regions of Europe
Europe can be divided into five geographic regions: Scandinavia (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark); the British Isles (United Kingdom and Ireland); W Europe (France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Monaco); S Europe (Portugal, Spain, Andorra, Italy, Malta, San Marino, and Vatican City); Central Europe (Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, [...]
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