Poland

In brief

Poland is a country in Central Europe. Its capital is Warsaw. With 36.4 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 44th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 312,679 km². It shares land borders with Belarus, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.

GDP per capita stands at $28,420 (2025), 45th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 78.4 years (2024). 60% of the population lives in cities.

History of Poland

The baptism of Prince Mieszko I in 966 marks the birth of Poland. United with Lithuania in 1569, it formed a vast aristocratic commonwealth, before being carved up by Russia, Prussia and Austria between 1772 and 1795: it vanished from the map for 123 years. Independent on 11 November 1918, it was invaded in 1939 by Germany and the USSR; the Nazi occupation killed millions, including most Polish Jews. Under communist rule after the war, it saw the birth of the Solidarity trade union in 1980. A democracy since 1989, it joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004.

Geography of Poland

The country’s name comes from the word for “field”: Poland is mostly a great plain, bounded by the Baltic in the north and the Carpathians in the south, where the Tatras peak at Rysy (2,499 m). The Vistula and the Oder cross it; Masuria, in the north-east, has thousands of lakes.

Map of Poland

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Flag of Poland

The flag of Poland is red and white. Its official proportions are 5:8 (height to width).

• White50%
• Red50%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

White over red, the colours of the national arms: a white eagle on red. An official variant carries the eagle in the middle of the white band.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Poland” and “Flag of Poland”.

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Fact file

Economy and society