Poland Travel Guide - Key Facts

Central Europe.

GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

312,685 sq km (120,728 sq miles).

38.1 million (official estimate 2006).

122.3 per sq km.

Warsaw. Population: 1.7 million (official estimate 2006).

Poland shares borders to the east with the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania, to the south with the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic and to the west with Germany. To the north lies the Baltic Sea. The Baltic coast provides over 500km (300 miles) of sandy beaches, bays, steep cliffs and dunes. Northern Poland is dominated by lakes, islands and wooded hills joined by many rivers and canals. The Mazurian Lake District to the northeast is particularly beautiful. Lake Hancza, the deepest lake in Poland, is located in this district. The River Vistula (Wisła) has cut a wide valley from Gdansk on the Baltic coast to Warsaw in the heart of the country. The rest of the country rises slowly to the Sudety Mountains, which run along the border with the Czech Republic, and the Tatra mountains, which separate Poland from the Slovak Republic. To the west, the River Oder, with Szczecin at its mouth, forms the northwest border with Germany.

Member since 2004.

Republic since 1918.

President Lech Kaczynski since 2005.

Donald Tusk since 2007.

President Lech Kaczynski, from the traditionalist Law and Justice party, won a run-off vote in October 2005. Mr Kaczynski, who was Warsaw's mayor at the time of his election, co-founded Law and Justice with his identical twin brother, Jaroslaw, who was the Polish prime minister until October 2007. Under the Polish constitution, the president has fewer powers than the prime minister, but he has a significant say in foreign policy. The Law and Justice party formed a coalition with two other parties: the League of Polish Families is a conservative and right-wing group and the Self-Defence party holds the interest of mostly farmers and rural inhabitants.

Following a corruption probe into Jaroslaw Kaczynski's coalition, an election was called in October 2007, two years early. After the highest recorded turnout since the fall of communism in 1989, Donald Tusk's Civic Platform Party won a landslide victory.

Polish is the official language. There are a few small German-speaking communities primarily in the southwest. English and Russian are also spoken.

More than 95% Roman Catholic; other religions include Polish Autocephalous Orthodox, Russian and Greek Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim.

220 volts AC, 50Hz; continental sockets.

Poles are friendly, industrious people and foreigners are usually made very welcome. There are vast contrasts between urban and rural life and the Polish peasantry is very religious and conservative, maintaining a traditional lifestyle. Roman Catholicism plays an important role in daily life and criticism or jokes about religion are not appreciated, despite the general good humour of the people. Music and art are also important aspects of Polish culture. Shaking hands is the normal form of greeting. Normal courtesies are observed when visiting private homes and it is customary to bring flowers, preferably in odd numbers. Fairly conservative casual wear is the most suitable attire, but dress should be formal when specified for entertaining in the evening or in a smart restaurant. Smoking is restricted in some public buildings. Photography: Military installations including border points should not be photographed.