Poland

• Brief Description
• Economy
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Brief description

Poland (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (Polish: Rzeczpospolita Polska), is a country in Central Europe on the boundary between Eastern and Western European continental masses,[2] and is considered by the United Nations a part of Eastern Europe.[3] Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine and Belarus to the east; and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north.

The total area of Poland is 312,679 km² (120,728 sq mi),[1] making it the 69th largest country in the world and 7th in Europe. Poland's population, concentrated mainly in urban areas, is over 38.5 million people which makes it the 33rd most populous country in the world.

Economy

Poland is considered to have the strongest economy of all Central and Eastern European countries, with GDP growing by 6.1% in 2006.[13] Since the fall of communism, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalising the economy and today stands out as a successful example of the transition from a state-directed economy to a primarily privately owned market economy.

The privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed the development of an aggressive private sector. As a consequence, consumer rights organizations have also appeared. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" such as coal, steel, railways, and energy has been continuing since 1990. Between 2007 and 2010, the government plans to float twenty public companies on the Polish stock market, including parts of the coal industry. To date (2007), the biggest privatisations have been the sale of the national telecoms firm Telekomunikacja Polska to France Telecom in 2000, and an issue of 30% of the shares in Poland's largest bank, PKO Bank Polski, on the Polish stockmarket in 2004.

Interesting locations

Kraków, situated in the south of the country, has an excellent geographic location for business and investment. It has a population of just under a million and some 8.5 million people live within a radius of 100 kilometres. The city is easily accessible with good road, rail and air links.

Kraków has a young, well-educated population. 20% of adults are university graduates and almost 66% of the population is under the age of 45, driving the city's economic growth.

Due to its beauty and history, Kraków is Poland's number-one tourist destination, boasting over four million visitors each year.

Links

• Central Statistical Office of Poland (2007). Mały Rocznik Statystyczny 2007. Retrieved on 15 August 2007.
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2002-2007, Polska: Basic information
• United Nations Statistics Division, Geographical regions and composition

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