Part 600

Terrain: mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border lowest point: Raczki Elblaskie -2 m highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt

Land use: arable land: 48% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 13% forest and woodland: 29% other: 10% (1992)

Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by postcommunist 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 natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

Geographic note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

People ------

Population: 38,642,565 (July 1996 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 22% (male 4,399,649; female 4,188,824) 15-64 years: 66% (male 12,754,272; female 12,930,275) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,654,526; female 2,715,019) (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.14% (1996 est.)

Birth rate: 11.92 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate: 10.08 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.1 years male: 68.02 years female: 76.41 years (1996 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.69 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Nationality: noun: Pole(s) adjective: Polish

Ethnic divisions: Polish 97.6%, German 1.3%, Ukrainian 0.6%, Byelorussian 0.5% (1990 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 95% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, and other 5%

Languages: Polish

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1978 est.) total population: 99% male: 99% female: 98%

Government ----------

Name of country: conventional long form: Republic of Poland conventional short form: Poland local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska local short form: Polska

Data code: PL

Type of government: democratic state

Capital: Warsaw

Administrative divisions: 49 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska, Bialystok, Bielsko Biala, Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa, Elblag, Gdansk, Gorzow, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin, Koszalin, Krakow, Krosno, Legnica, Leszno, Lodz, Lomza, Lublin, Nowy Sacz, Olsztyn, Opole, Ostroleka, Pila, Piotrkow, Plock, Poznan, Przemysl, Radom, Rzeszow, Siedlce, Sieradz, Skierniewice, Slupsk, Suwalki, Szczecin, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow, Torun, Walbrzych, Warszawa, Wloclawek, Wroclaw, Zamosc, Zielona Gora