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Poland

Polska

Capital:Warsaw
Population:38.2M
Currency:Polish Zloty (PLN)
Language:Polish
Restaurant district in Warsaw Poland

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Quick Look Factsheet

A multi-page overview of Poland.

Poland Factsheet

Customs and Culture

Cultural Attributes

Poles place great emphasis on family and education. Self-reliance is valued in Polish society.

Wealth is best defined by powerful positions and different types of ownership and possessions, usually cars, clothes, and houses. Some in Poland live in deplorable conditions and wish for things like running water, electricity, and money to pay debts and bills.

Restaurant district in Warsaw Poland

Land of Resilient Fields

Get More Customs and Culture

6 more cultural topics for members

Social Customs & Etiquette · Diet · Family · Dating Customs · Recreation · Student Life

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Holidays

  • Constitution Day

    5/3

    Independence

  • Birth date - Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla)

    5/18

    Birthday

    Birth date - Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyla), first non-Italian to be elected pope in 456 years and first Polish pope. He was born in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920.

  • Birth date - Maria Sklodowska Curie

    11/7

    Birthday

    Birth date - Maria Sklodowska Curie, Polish-born French physicist, first person to win two Nobel prizes, was born in Warsaw, Poland on Nov. 7, 1867.

  • Christmas

    12/25

    Christmas

    Poland started celebrating Gwiazdka (Little Star, Christmas) in the late tenth century when Mieszko introduced Christianity to the land. Advent customs such as Roraty (mass held each morning during Advent) are observed. Homes and churches display szopka(Nativity scenes) and the city of Kraków, host a national crèche competition at its historical museum and the entries are displayed from early December until February.

    Festive gatherings celebrate St. Barbara, and Swiety Mikolaj (St Nicholars) arrives on his feast day to examine children and to leave them treats such as apples, nuts and cookies.

    Sightseeing the first star of Wigilia (Christmas Eve) heralds Christmas and the Christmas Eve supper, which breaks a fast observed throughout the day. An extra place is set for any unexpected guest, commemorative of Mary and Joseph who sought shelter, for no one is turned away on this night. The Christmas Eve meal is a meatless meal and traditionally consists of an odd number of courses (at least 12 in memory of the Twelve Apostles) and an even number of diners for good luck. The menu often consists of cooked or dried carp, herring, soups such as red beet, or fermented rye; fish and barszcz (mushroom), sauerkraut with beans, pierogi (dumplings stuffed with mushrooms, cabbage or fruit), makowiec(baked poppy seed bread), strudel, and kutia (poppy seed and wheat pasta with honey raisins almonds and spices).

    After the Christmas Eve dinner, children receive gifts from the Star Man who symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem. Wigilia ends with the Pasterka (Mass of the Shepherds) the term for Midnight Mass.

    Christmas day is spent at home, St Stephen’s day (December 26th) is reserved for visiting.

Dates of Interest

  • November 29th

    This international festival, held in Kraków during Holy Week, celebrates early music and historically informed performances. Renowned musicians and ensembles from around the world present works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

How do people greet each other in Poland?

Adults generally shake hands upon meeting, while close female friends kiss both cheeks; titles are used with last names in formal settings.

Do

  • Use a professional person's title before their last name
  • Use only the title in formal or business conversation
  • Shake hands with adults when meeting
  • Say "Dzien dobry" (Good morning/afternoon) or "Dobry wieczor" (Good evening)

Don’t

  • Don't use first names between adults without mutual consent

Good to know

  • Women greet close friends by kissing both cheeks; young girls often kiss one cheek
  • "Czeoa" is a casual hello

What are the dining customs in Poland?

The main meal, "obiad," is eaten around 3 PM when the family gathers, and continental-style eating is used with both hands kept above the table.

Do

  • Wait until everyone is served and the host or head of family has begun
  • Finish your first helping when eating as a guest
  • Keep both hands above the table

Don’t

  • Don't put your elbows on the table
  • Don't begin eating before the host starts

Good to know

  • Breakfast ("niadanie") is before 8 AM, and a lighter evening meal ("kolacja") is before 8:30 PM
  • Common dishes include pierogi, uszka, and bigos; pork is more popular than beef
  • Meals are usually eaten at home

How does visiting and hospitality work in Poland?

Unannounced visits among friends and relatives are standard, while formal extended visits are arranged in advance; entertaining is commonly done at home.

Do

  • Bring flowers for your hosts, even for a brief arranged visit
  • Arrange formal, extended visits in advance

Good to know

  • Home parties involve sitting at the table, eating, and drinking wine or vodka, sometimes with dancing
  • Young people socialize in city-center pubs and clubs, often meeting for beer on weekends
  • Entertaining is more common at home because going out is expensive

How should I dress in Poland?

Fashions are generally conservative, with business people wearing conservative suits or dresses, though youth favor current European trends.

Do

  • Wear conservative suits or dresses for business

Good to know

  • Youth favor current European trends
  • Jeans are worn by students, children, and those in casual workplaces
  • Because clothing is expensive, wardrobes tend to be small

How do people get attention in Poland?

To get someone's attention, people usually call out "Przepraszam!" (Excuse me).

Good to know

  • Use "Przepraszam!" to get someone's attention

What is family life like in Poland?

Family and education are highly valued, with the average family having one or two children and the father seen as an authority figure.

Good to know

  • Both parents typically work outside the home, though women bear most homemaking responsibility
  • Fathers demand obedience but want children to be self-disciplined and independent
  • Living together before marriage is discouraged; parents often help couples financially early on

What do people do for recreation in Poland?

Football is very popular in schools and communities, and Poles enjoy a range of sports year-round including swimming and winter sports.

Good to know

  • Football, volleyball, basketball, handball, and table tennis are common at school
  • Swimming is quite popular
  • Skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating are practiced in winter

Last updated: 2026-07-12 · Sources: CountryReports

Photos of Poland

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Travel and Tourism

Travel Alert Status
Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
Currency
zloty (PLN)
Time Difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Climate
Poland’s climate is continental European. Winters can be severe, with heavy snows possible from December through March. Winter temperatures in Warsaw average about -3.9ºC to 0ºC. The lowest temperature in recent years was - 30ºC. Spring is usually cold and rainy. Summer can bring temperatures topping 37ºC, but a few days at about 32ºC is more typical. Autumn is usually cloudy and can be quite cold. Yearly rainfall averages about 59.69 centimeters.
Airports
122
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Recipes

Featured Dish

Pierogies With Cottage Cheese

Main Dish

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History

Historical Eras

  1. Piast Dynasty

    966 – 1382

    Poland's history as a Christian kingdom begins with Duke Mieszko I's baptism in 966, uniting the Polanian tribes under the Piast dynasty. The early Piasts consolidated royal power, established the Church as a pillar of state, and expanded territory. Bolesław I the Brave became the first crowned king in 1025, laying the foundations of a distinctly Polish national identity.

  2. Jagiellonian Era

    1382 – 1572

    The Jagiellonian dynasty transformed Poland into a major European power through the 1386 dynastic union with Lithuania, creating one of the continent's largest states. The era culminated in a cultural and political golden age during the 16th century, marked by Renaissance humanism, the Copernican revolution, and the Nihil Novi statute of 1505, which gave the nobility unprecedented legislative rights.

  3. Royal Republic

    1572 – 1795

    Following the extinction of the Jagiellonian line, Poland became an elective monarchy dominated by the szlachta, or noble class, whose liberum veto paralyzed legislative governance. Despite producing great military figures such as Jan III Sobieski, who relieved Vienna from Ottoman siege in 1683, chronic internal disorder invited foreign interference. Russia, Prussia, and Austria exploited this weakness to partition Poland entirely across three agreements between 1772 and 1795.

  4. Partitions & Occupation

    1795 – 1918

    Erased from the map of Europe for over a century, Poland existed only as a cultural and national idea sustained through literature, language, and periodic uprisings. The Congress Kingdom created at Vienna in 1815 offered brief autonomy under Russian suzerainty, but insurrections in 1830 and 1863 were brutally suppressed. Tsarist Russification and Prussian Germanization campaigns sought to eradicate Polish identity, paradoxically hardening national consciousness.

  5. Interwar & World War II

    1918 – 1947

    Poland reemerged as a sovereign state after World War I, confirmed by the Treaty of Versailles and secured by victory over Soviet Russia in the 1920 Battle of Warsaw. Marshal Józef Piłsudski's 1926 coup inaugurated an authoritarian Sanacja regime. In September 1939, simultaneous invasion by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union annihilated the state; the subsequent occupation produced the Holocaust, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944, and the deaths of nearly six million Polish citizens.

  6. Communist Poland

    1947 – 1989

    Installed as a Soviet satellite under the Polish United Workers' Party, the People's Republic of Poland collectivized the economy and suppressed political dissent, though it remained comparatively less rigid than other Eastern Bloc states. The Catholic Church preserved an independent civic space, and recurring waves of labor unrest — peaking with the 1980 founding of the Solidarity trade union led by Lech Wałęsa — eroded the regime's legitimacy until free elections in 1989 swept Solidarity to power.

  7. Democratic Poland

    1989 – present

    Poland's transition to liberal democracy was anchored by radical 'shock therapy' economic reforms that rapidly dismantled central planning and produced one of Central Europe's most dynamic market economies. NATO membership in 1999 and European Union accession in 2004 firmly embedded Poland in Western institutions. The country has since navigated tensions between liberal democratic norms and nationalist political movements, while emerging as a significant regional power and a frontline state amid the post-2022 war in Ukraine.

Overview

Clio, the muse of history, from a sculpture in

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Timeline of Key Events

  1. 966 – 1370

    The Piast Polish Dynasty

    The Piast Polish Dynasty.

  2. 966

    Duke Mieszko I became Poland’s first recorded Christian leader.

    Duke Mieszko I became Poland’s first recorded Christian leader.

  3. 1382 – 1572

    The Jagiellonian Dynasty

    The Jagiellonian Dynasty.

  4. 1572 – 1795

    The Royal Republic

    The Royal Republic.

  5. 1596

    Poland’s capital city is moved from Krakow to Warsaw.

    Poland’s capital city is moved from Krakow to Warsaw.

  6. 1700

    The Three Partitions of Poland - Russia, Prussia and Austria divide Poland amongst themselves.

    The Three Partitions of Poland - Russia, Prussia and Austria divide Poland amongst themselves.

  7. 1793

    During the Second Partition, Russia and Prussia take over half of what was left of Poland.

    During the Second Partition, Russia and Prussia take over half of what was left of Poland.

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Interesting Facts

  • The word pole means “field” in Polish. Thus Poland, some believe, means “the land of fields.” Others contend that the Poland stems from Polanie, an ancient local tribe.

  • A particular feature of Polish forests is wild mushrooms, which are exported worldwide. The tasty mushrooms add unique flavour to Polish dishes. Families and school groups often go mushroom picking, and many Polish children learn while still young how to distinguish good mushrooms from poisonous ones.

  • In 1983, Lech Walesa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of Solidarity.

  • Hanna Suckocka was elected Poland's first female Prime Minister in 1992. She was the only woman in her entire coalition government.

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Geography and Environment

Poland ranks seventh in Europe in area and population. Most of Poland consists of lowland plains. To the north are the Baltic Sea coast and a broad belt of lake land. In the center are broad, low-lying plains and vast forest belts. To the south, the land passes into chains of mountains—the Sudety in the west and the Carpathians in the east. These mountains combine to form the southern boundary of Poland.
Terrain
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Climate
Poland’s climate is continental European. Winters can be severe, with heavy snows possible from December through March. Winter temperatures in Warsaw average about -3.9ºC to 0ºC. The lowest temperature in recent years was - 30ºC. Spring is usually cold and rainy. Summer can bring temperatures topping 37ºC, but a few days at about 32ºC is more typical. Autumn is usually cloudy and can be quite cold. Yearly rainfall averages about 59.69 centimeters.
Natural Hazards
flooding
Current Environmental Issues
situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial establishments bring their facilities up to European Union code, but at substantial cost to business and the government
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People & Demographics

Religion

Languages Spoken

Polish

  • Polish

Population

Population
38,179,800
Population: Male/Female
total: 38,746,310 male: 18,441,415 female: 20,304,895
Population Distribution
population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk
Urban Population
urban population: 60.2% of total population rate of urbanization: -0.16% annual rate of change
Population in Major Urban Areas
1.798 million WARSAW (capital), 769,000 Krakow
Nationality Noun
noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish
Ethnic Groups
Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7%
Language Note
Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.2%; note - data represent the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages

Education

Literacy Definition
age 15 and over can read and write

A typical school in Poland was built during the decade of socialism and is at least 30 years old. The appearance of every construction established between 1945 and 1989 can be described as a cubic made of homogeneous concrete. The range of kids enrolled in schoolhouses is from 2000 to 10,000. This number is systematically decreasing, mainly due to negative population growth. Classrooms are modestly furnished and can accommodate up to 40 students. The layout of every room at school looks almost identically, consisting of desks, chairs, and a table in front. Of course, some classrooms are designated for chemistry, biology, physics, and informatics, where additional equipment like microscopes, computers, or projectors can be found.

Health Information

Life Expectancy at Birth
Total population: 78.8 years Male: 75.0 years Female: 82.4 years
Major Infectious Diseases — degree of risk
degree of risk: intermediate vectorborne diseases: tickborne encephalitis
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 10.96 liters of pure alcohol beer: 5.72 liters of pure alcohol wine: 0.88 liters of pure alcohol spirits: 4.36 liters of pure alcohol other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol
Tobacco Use
total: 24% male: 27.9% female: 20.1%
Infant Mortality Rate
total: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life Expectancy

Life Expectancy at Birth
Total population: 78.8 years Male: 75.0 years Female: 82.4 years
Median Age
total: 42.9 years male: 41.5 years female: 44.3 years
Age Structure
0-14 years: 14.2% (male 2,830,048/female 2,676,300) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 12,513,402/female 13,036,977) 65 years and over: 19.8% (male 3,097,965/female 4,591,618)
Infant Mortality Rate
total: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
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Government & Politics

Country Identity

Country Name
Poland
Full Country Name
Republic of Poland
Local - Long
Rzeczpospolita Polska
Local - Short
Polska

Government Structure

Government Type
republic
Legal System
mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of Justice in Strasbourg
Executive Branch
chief of state: President Andrzej DUDA (since 6 August 2015; reelected for a second five-year term in July 2020) head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 13 December 2023); Deputy Prime Ministers Krzysztof GAWKOWSKI, Wladyslaw KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ, and Tomasz SIEMONIAK (since December 2023) cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 28 June and 12 July 2020 (next to be held in May 2025); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm election results: Andrzej DUDA reelected president in second round; percent of popular vote - Andrzej DUDA 51.0%, Rafal TRZASKOWSKI 49.0%
Legislative Branch
Bicameral legislature consisting of an upper house, the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the designation National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is used only on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly. Elections: Senate and Sejm elections were last held on 15 October 2023 (next to be held in October 2027). Election results: Senate - seats by party - KO 41, PiS 34, TD 11, Lewica 9, independents 5; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 35.4%, KO 30.7%, TD 14.4%, Lewica 8.6%, Konfederacja 7.2%, other 3.7%; seats by party - PiS 194, KO 157, TD 65, Lewica 26, Konfederacja 18. Note: One seat in the Sejm is reserved for a representative of the German ethnic minority, which is exempt from the electoral threshold requirement applied to other parties.
Judicial Branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms)
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Constitution
16 October 1997; adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national referendum 23 May 1997
Independence
11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)
National Holiday
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

Capital City

Capital Name
Warsaw
Capital - geographic coordinate
52 15 N, 21 00 E
Capital Time Difference
UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

the origin of the name is unknown; the Polish designation "Warszawa" was the name of a fishing village and several legends/traditions link the city's founding to a man named Wars or Warsz

Military

Branches: Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Aviation Forces, Special Forces

Embassy / Diplomatic Mission

U.S. Embassy Warsaw

Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, 00-540 Warszawa

Telephone: (48) (22) 504-2784

Emergency after-hours telephone: (48) (22) 504-2000

Fax: (48) (22) 504-2122

U.S. Consulate General Kraków

Ulica Stolarska 9, 31-043 Kraków

Telephone: (48) (12) 424-5100

Emergency after-hours telephone: (48) 601-483-348

Fax: (48) (12) 424-5103

Consular Agency Pozna?

Ulica Paderewskiego 8, 61-770 Pozna?

Telephone: (48) (61) 851-8516

Fax: (48) (61) 851-8966

Please check the individual web page for the embassy or consulate you will visit to verify the public hours and security regulations. You are not allowed to bring electronic devices such as cell phones and laptops into our facilities. You need an appointment for most services; you can find instructions for making appointments on our website.

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Economy

Poland has pursued sustained economic liberalization since the early 1990s and stands as one of the most successful transition economies in Central Europe.

Snapshot

Currency Name and Code
Polish Zloty (PLN)
GDP — official exchange rate
$246,200,000,000 (USD)
GDP Real Growth Rate
2.9%
Gini Index
34.1
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News & Weather

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Climate Overview

Poland’s climate is continental European. Winters can be severe, with heavy snows possible from December through March. Winter temperatures in Warsaw average about -3.9ºC to 0ºC. The lowest temperature in recent years was - 30ºC. Spring is usually cold and rainy. Summer can bring temperatures topping 37ºC, but a few days at about 32ºC is more typical. Autumn is usually cloudy and can be quite cold. Yearly rainfall averages about 59.69 centimeters.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the population of Poland?
The population of Poland is approximately 38.2M.
How do people greet each other in Poland?
Adults generally shake hands upon meeting, while close female friends kiss both cheeks; titles are used with last names in formal settings. Do: Use a professional person's title before their last name Use only the title in formal or business conversation Shake hands with adults when meeting Say "Dzien dobry" (Good morning/afternoon) or "Dobry wieczor" (Good evening) Don't: Don't use first names between adults without mutual consent Women greet close friends by kissing both cheeks; young girls often kiss one cheek "Czeoa" is a casual hello
What are the dining customs in Poland?
The main meal, "obiad," is eaten around 3 PM when the family gathers, and continental-style eating is used with both hands kept above the table. Do: Wait until everyone is served and the host or head of family has begun Finish your first helping when eating as a guest Keep both hands above the table Don't: Don't put your elbows on the table Don't begin eating before the host starts Breakfast ("niadanie") is before 8 AM, and a lighter evening meal ("kolacja") is before 8:30 PM Common dishes include pierogi, uszka, and bigos; pork is more popular than beef Meals are usually eaten at home
How does visiting and hospitality work in Poland?
Unannounced visits among friends and relatives are standard, while formal extended visits are arranged in advance; entertaining is commonly done at home. Do: Bring flowers for your hosts, even for a brief arranged visit Arrange formal, extended visits in advance Home parties involve sitting at the table, eating, and drinking wine or vodka, sometimes with dancing Young people socialize in city-center pubs and clubs, often meeting for beer on weekends Entertaining is more common at home because going out is expensive
How should I dress in Poland?
Fashions are generally conservative, with business people wearing conservative suits or dresses, though youth favor current European trends. Do: Wear conservative suits or dresses for business Youth favor current European trends Jeans are worn by students, children, and those in casual workplaces Because clothing is expensive, wardrobes tend to be small
How do people get attention in Poland?
To get someone's attention, people usually call out "Przepraszam!" (Excuse me). Use "Przepraszam!" to get someone's attention
What is family life like in Poland?
Family and education are highly valued, with the average family having one or two children and the father seen as an authority figure. Both parents typically work outside the home, though women bear most homemaking responsibility Fathers demand obedience but want children to be self-disciplined and independent Living together before marriage is discouraged; parents often help couples financially early on
What do people do for recreation in Poland?
Football is very popular in schools and communities, and Poles enjoy a range of sports year-round including swimming and winter sports. Football, volleyball, basketball, handball, and table tennis are common at school Swimming is quite popular Skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating are practiced in winter
What is the capital of Poland?
Warsaw (Polish: Warszawa) is the capital and largest city of Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the east-central part of the country, it serves as Poland's political, economic, and cultural center. Warsaw was almost entirely destroyed during World War II but was meticulously rebuilt, and its reconstructed Old Town is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it stands as one of Central Europe's most dynamic metropolitan areas.
Where is Poland located?
Poland is located in Central Europe, occupying a broad plain between the Baltic Sea to the north and the Carpathian Mountains to the south. It is the fifth-largest country in the European Union by area. The country's relatively flat terrain has historically made it a crossroads of European civilizations and, at times, a battleground for competing empires. Poland has been a member of NATO since 1999 and of the European Union since 2004.
What countries border Poland?
Poland shares borders with seven countries. To the west lies Germany; to the southwest, the Czech Republic; to the south, Slovakia; to the southeast, Ukraine; to the east, Belarus; to the northeast, Lithuania; and to the north, the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. This position at the intersection of Eastern and Western Europe has profoundly shaped Poland's history, culture, and geopolitical significance over the centuries.
What is the predominant religion in Poland?
Roman Catholicism is by far the dominant religion in Poland, practiced by approximately 95% of the population. The Catholic Church has played a central role in Polish national identity, particularly during the long periods of foreign partition and communist rule when it served as a unifying cultural force. The remaining population includes small communities of Eastern Orthodox Christians, Protestants, and other faiths. The election of Polish-born Cardinal Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II in 1978 deepened the country's ties to the Catholic faith.
What currency is used in Poland?
Poland's official currency is the Polish Złoty, with the ISO code PLN. The złoty, meaning "golden" in Polish, has been the country's monetary unit in various forms since the 15th century. Although Poland is a member of the European Union, it has not adopted the euro and retains the złoty as its national currency. The National Bank of Poland (Narodowy Bank Polski) is responsible for monetary policy and currency issuance.
What language is spoken in Poland?
Polish is the sole official language of Poland and is spoken by the vast majority of the population. It belongs to the West Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family and is written in the Latin alphabet, augmented by several diacritical characters unique to Polish. Polish is one of the most widely spoken Slavic languages in the world. Minority languages including Kashubian, German, and Belarusian are spoken by small regional communities in various parts of the country.
What is Poland's geography like?
Poland's landscape is predominantly low-lying plain, part of the vast North European Plain, though the terrain rises significantly toward the Carpathian and Sudeten mountain ranges along the southern border. The country is crossed by several major rivers, including the Vistula and the Oder. Poland's forests are notably rich in biodiversity — the ancient Białowieża Forest, straddling the border with Belarus, is one of the last primeval lowland forests in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What is Poland known for?
Poland is known for its millennium-long history as one of Europe's oldest nations, its tradition of wild-mushroom foraging — a pastime passed down through families and a source of globally exported produce — and the legacy of Solidarity, the trade union movement whose leader Lech Wałęsa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983. Polish cuisine, including dishes like bigos (hunter's stew) and pierogi, reflects deep culinary traditions, while the country's amber deposits along the Baltic coast have made Poland one of the world's leading sources of this prized fossilized resin.

Last reviewed 2026

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