Basic facts about Poland
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-08 11:20

Chinese President Hu Jintao starts to pay a state visit to Poland on Tuesday. The following are some basic facts about Poland.

Being a part of the North European Plain and covering an area of 312,680 sq. km, Poland is one of the largest countries in Central Europe.

Its most extensive physical feature is the great plains that covers the northern two thirds of the country. The climate is transitional between the maritime climate in the west and the continental climate in the east.

The population totals about 39 million, and increases at an annual rate of 0.48 percent. At present, more than 98 percent of the people are Poles, with small groups of Ukrainians, Belorussians, Germans, Jews, Slovaks, and Lithuanians.

The Poles speak a Slavic language and belong to the western branch of the Slavic peoples. About 60 percent of the population live in cities. The largest city is Warsaw, the capital, with about 1.7 million inhabitants.

The new constitution was approved in May 1997,which states that Poland is a parliamentary republic.

The Lower House (Sejm) consists of 460 deputies. Representatives are elected under a complicated system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The Senate members are elected by a majority vote on a provincial basis.

The Senate scrutinizes the actions of the Sejm. The Council of Ministers is accountable to the Sejm. The president, elected directly for a five-year term, is the head of state and has the right to veto laws and to introduce legislative initiatives.

Poland has some of the richest coal reserves in Europe. Deposits of sulfur, copper, zinc, lead, and aluminum are also significant.

The leading export products are locomotives, freight wagons, automobiles, trucks, tractors and ships.

Poland became a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004.

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