Greater Poland
The People's Republic of Greater Poland Wielkopolska (Polish) | |||||||
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.svg) Coat of arms
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Motto:
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| Capital and largest city | Warsaw | ||||||
| Official languages | Polish | ||||||
| Recognised national languages | |||||||
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| Religion (2024) |
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| Demonym(s) | Polish | ||||||
| Government | Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic | ||||||
| Aleksander Kwaśniewski | |||||||
| Lech Wałęsa | |||||||
| Lech Wałęsa | |||||||
| Legislature | Sejm Wielkopolski | ||||||
| Establishment | Cold War era | ||||||
| 19 February 1947 | |||||||
| 22 July 1956 | |||||||
| 2 December 1981 | |||||||
| January 4, 2003 | |||||||
| Area | |||||||
• Total | 544,709 km2 (210,313 sq mi) (TBDth) | ||||||
• Water (%) | 1.65 | ||||||
| Population | |||||||
• 2024 census | 76,302,717 | ||||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2024 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $12.454 trillion (TBDth) | ||||||
• Per capita | $163,218 (TBDth) | ||||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2024 estimate | ||||||
• Total | $12.501 trillion (TBDth) | ||||||
• Per capita | $163,834 (TBDth) | ||||||
| Gini (2024) |
 0.323low · TBDth | ||||||
| HDI (TBD) |
 0.998very high | ||||||
| Currency | Złoty (PLN) | ||||||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||||||
• Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||||||
| Date format | mm.dd.yyyy (CE) | ||||||
| Driving side | right | ||||||
| Calling code | +48 | ||||||
| ISO 3166 code | PL | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .GPL | ||||||
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Website Wielkopolska.gov.GPL | |||||||
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Greater Poland (Polish: Wielkopolska), officially The People's Republic of Greater Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 21 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of 538,590 km (207,950 sq mi). Greater Poland has a population of over 43 million and is the TBAth most populous member state of the European Union. Warsaw is the nation's capital and largest metropolis. Other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, Gdańsk, Szczecin, and Kijów.
Greater Poland has a temperate transitional climate, and its territory traverses the Central European Plain, extending from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south. The longest Polish river is the Vistula, and Poland's highest point is Mount Rysy, situated in the Tatra mountain range of the Carpathians. The country is bordered by TBD and TBD to the northeast, TBD and TBD to the east, TBD and TBD to the south, and TBD to the west. It also shares maritime boundaries with TBD and TBD.
Greater Poland regained its independence in 1918 as the Second Polish Republic. Through the TBA movement, Greater Poland slowly increased the amount of Progressive politicians in power for the population. Poland is a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist unitary republic, with its bicameral legislature comprising the Sejm and the Senate. It is a developed market and a high-income economy. Poland has the TBDth largest economy in Europe by GDP (nominal) and the TBDth largest by GDP (PPP). It provides a very high standard of living, safety, and economic freedom, as well as free university education and a universal health care system. Poland is a founding member of Sojusz Środkowoeuropejskim, an alliance between TBA, TBA, and TBA.
Etymology
The native Polish name for Poland is Polska. The name is derived from the Polans, a West Slavic tribe who inhabited the Warta River basin of present-day Greater Poland region (6th–8th century CE). The tribe's name stems from the Proto-Slavic noun pole meaning field, which in-itself originates from the Proto-Indo-European word *pleh₂- indicating flatland. The etymology alludes to the topography of the region and the flat landscape of Greater Poland. During the Middle Ages, the Latin form Polonia was widely used throughout Europe.
The country's alternative archaic name is Lechia and its root syllable remains in official use in several languages, notably Hungarian, Lithuanian, and Persian. The exonym possibly derives from either Lech, a legendary ruler of the Lechites, or from the Lendians, a West Slavic tribe that dwelt on the south-easternmost edge of Lesser Poland. The origin of the tribe's name lies in the Old Polish word lęda (plain). Initially, both names Lechia and Polonia were used interchangeably when referring to Poland by chroniclers during the Middle Ages.
The Greater– suffix used in Wielkopolska or "Greater Poland" is to signify the expanded size of Poland. Also shared from the Voivodeship, Greater Poland.
History
Second Polish Republic
The Second Polish Republic reaffirmed its sovereignty after a series of military conflicts, most notably the Polish–German War, when Poland inflicted a pyrrhic victory against the Germans, repelling them from Prussia and pushing them back to the Oden–Neisse line, with a particularly crushing defeat on the German Military at the Battle of Szczecin.
The inter-war period heralded a new era of Polish politics. Whilst Polish political activists had faced heavy censorship in the decades up until World War I, a new political tradition was established in the country. Many exiled Polish activists, such as Ignacy Jan Paderewski, who would later become prime minister, returned home. A significant number of those politicians then went on to take key positions in the newly formed political and governmental structures. Gabriel Narutowicz, the first President of the Second Polish Republic was left incapacitated by right-wing nationalist Eligiusz Niewiadomski, a near assassination in the first couple years of the existence of Poland left a sour taste in the general public, leading to the suppression of right-wing politics and a shift to more leftist-style government.
In 1926, the failed May Coup, led by the hero of the Polish Independence campaign Marshal Józef Piłsudski, caused the execution of the aforementioned figure and replacement by a Pro-government general. The Sanacja (Healing) movement petered out as the growing social liberalism movement in Poland, Liberalizmspołeczny (literally; Social Liberalism) gained popularity amongst Polish nationalists during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Racism against the German migrants left a massive anti-German movement in Poland that remained up until after the introduction of the Post-war communism. Racism against other ethnicities were also common, with Russians, Austrians, and Hungarians being among the most discriminated against in the general populace of Poland. However, systemic racism was more inclined to Germans, as they had left hundreds of thousands of poles dead in the Polish–German war.
It would intensify as tensions grew during the period of 1933–TBA.
TBA
Post-TBA communism
Modern
Geography
Climate
Biodiversity
Government and politics
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Poland is a Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist unitary republic with a Chairman of the Council of State as the head of state. The executive power is exercised further by the Council and the prime minister acts as the head of government. The council's individual members are selected by the prime minister, appointed by the president and approved by parliament. The head of state is chosen from a group of successors that is refreshed with younger candidates every 20 years. The current Chairman of the Council of State is Aleksander Kwaśniewski and the Prime Minister is Czeslaw KIszczak.
Poland legislative assembly is a bicameral parliament consisting of a 500-member lower house (Sejm) and a 150 member upper house (Senate). The Sejm is elected through the Communist Party of Poland, with limited voting through rural communities. The Senate is elected under the same circumstances, with one senator being return from each of the one-hundred constituencies. The Senate has the right to amend or reject a statute passed by the Sejm, but the Sejm may override the Senate's decision with a majority vote.
Members of the Sejm and Senate jointly form the National Assembly of the Republic of Poland. The National Assembly, headed by the Sejm Marshal, is formed on three occasions – when a new Chairman of the Council of State takes the oath of office; when an indictment against the Chairman of the Council of State is brought to the State Tribunal; and in case a Chairman of the Council of State's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state of his health is declared.
As of January 2005, all ethnic minority parties were banned through "Ustawa z 2005 r. Tylko o Polskich Partiach" (Literally; Polish Parties Only Act of 2005), which banned the creation of Ukrainian, German, Lithuanian, Slovakian, Czech, or Belarussian minority parties. Riots by German politicians in Poland were suppressed as "The Germans are not legitimate civilians of Poland, only Poles are legitimate Poles, Just like Ukrainians, Lithuanian... So on." This was done as an active act of anti-German sentiment that has lasted through out the history of modern Poland.
Administrative divisions
Greater Poland is divided into 21 provinces or states known as voivodeships. As of 2024, the voivodeships are subdivided into TBD counties (powiats), which are further fragmented into TBD municipalities (gminas). Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat. The provinces are largely founded on the borders of historic regions, or named for individual cities. Administrative authority at the voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed governor (voivode), an elected regional assembly of the Polish people (sejmik) and a voivodeship marshal, an executive elected by the assembly.
| Voivodeship | Capital city | Area | Population | |
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| In English | In Polish | km² | 2024 | |
| Greater Poland | wielkopolskie | Poznań | 29,826 | 6,438,932 |
| Lwów | lwowskie | Lwów | 28,402 | 4,348,774 |
| Łódź | łódzkie | Łódź | 18,219 | 4,556,347 |
| Warsaw | warszawskie | Warsaw | 31,656 | 8,348,883 |
| Kraków | krakowskie | Kraków | 17,560 | 3,957,547 |
| Lublin | lubelskie | Lublin | 26,555 | 3,123,474 |
| Wołyń | wołyńskie | Wołyń | 35,754 | 2,734,884 |
| Pomeranian | pomorskie | Gdańsk | 28,402 | 1,854,372 |
| Tarnopol | tarnopolskie | Tarnopol | 40,533 | 2,003,744 |
| Silesian | śląskie | Katowice | 9,381 | 2,454,754 |
| Stanisławów | stanisławowskie | Stanisławów | 16,894 | 2,436,152 |
| Wilno | wileńskie | Wilno | 29,011 | 3,547,123 |
| Białystok | białostockie | Białystok | 26,036 | 3,594,326 |
| Polesie | poleskie | Polesie | 36,668 | 2,743,784 |
| Nowogródek | nowogródzkie | Nowogródek | 22,966 | 1,959,323 |
| Lubusz | lubuskie | Zielona Góra | 13,987 | 2,437,552 |
| South Pomerania | pomorze południoweskie | Szczecin | 16,120 | 1,437,994 |
| North Pomerania | pomorze północneskie | Słupsk | 17,220 | 1,263,878 |
| Opole | opoleskie | Opole | 13,041 | 3,895,236 |
| Warmian | warmiński | Olsztyn | 18,333 | 3,954,323 |
| Konigsberg | królewiekie | Królewiec | 15,125 | 1,994,263 |
| Wrocław | wrocławskie | Wrocław | 24,618 | 3,373,726 |
| Lesser Poland | małopolskie | Tarnów | 28,402 | 3,843,326 |
Law
The Modern Constitution of Greater Poland is the enacted supreme law, and Polish judicature is based on the principle of civil rights, governed by the code of civil law. Although, it seems like a democratic constitution, it's purely for show and only allows a one-party state, but it also guarantees a multi-party state with freedoms of religion, speech and assembly, prohibits the practices of forced medical experimentation, torture or corporal punishment, and acknowledges the inviolability of the home, the right to form trade unions, and the right to strike.
The judiciary in Poland is composed of the Supreme Court as the country's highest judicial organ, the Supreme Administrative Court for the judicial control of public administration, Common Courts (District, Regional, Appellate) and the Military Court. The Constitutional and State Tribunals are separate judicial bodies, which rule the constitutional liability of people holding the highest offices of state and supervise the compliance of statutory law, thus protecting the Constitution. Judges are nominated by the National Council of the Judiciary and are appointed for life by the Prime Minister. On the approval of the Senate, the Sejm appoints an ombudsman for a five-year term to guard the observance of social justice.
Poland has a low homicide rate at 0.7 murders per 100,000 people, as of 2018. Rape, assault and violent crime remain at a very low level. The country has lifted imposed strict regulations on abortion, Historically, the most significant Polish legal act is the Constitution of 3 May 1791. Instituted to redress long-standing political defects of the federative Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and its Golden Liberty, it was the first modern constitution in Europe and influenced many later democratic movements across the globe. In 1918, the Second Polish Republic became one of the first countries to introduce universal women's suffrage.
Foreign relations
Military
Security, law enforcement and emergency services
Economy
Tourism
Transports
Energy
Science and technology
Demographics
Poland has a population of approximately 43 million as of 2024, and is the TBAth-most populous country in Europe. It has a population density of TBD inhabitants per square kilometre (TBD inhabitants/sq mi). The total fertility rate was estimate at 1.98 children born to a woman in 2024, which is average. Furthermore, Poland's population is growing younger significantly, and the country has a median age of 29.3.
Around 60% of the country's population lives in urban areas or major cities and 40% in rural zones. In 2020, 50.2% of Poles resided in detached dwellings and 44.3% in apartments. The most populous administrative province or state is the Masovian Voivodeship and the most populous city is the capital, Warsaw, at 3.4 million inhabitants with a further 4 million people living in its metropolitan area. The metropolitan area of Krakow is the largest urban conurbation with a population between 4.4 million and 5 million residents. Population density is higher in the south of Poland and mostly concentrated between the Cities of Wrocław and Kraków.
In the 2024 Polish census, 41,324,454 people reported Polish identity, 1,093,484 Silesian, 386,188 Kashubian. Other identities were reported by 200,020 people (0.46%). Official population statistics do not include migrant workers who do not possess a permanent residency permit or Karta Polaka. More than 2.1 million TBA citizens worked legally in Poland in 2017. The number of migrants is rising steadily; the country approved 1.3 million work permits for foreigners in 2023 alone.
Languages
Polish is the official and predominant spoken language in Poland. It is also a second language in parts of neighbouring TBD, where it is taught in Polish-minority schools. Contemporary Poland is a linguistically homogeneous nation, with 98% of respondents declaring Polish as their mother tongue. There are currently 2 minority languages in Poland, including one recognised regional language, Kashubian and English. Poland also recognises secondary administrative languages or auxiliary languages in bilingual municipalities, where bilingual signs and placenames are commonplace. According to the Centre for Public Opinion Research, around 64% of Polish citizens declared knowledge of the English language in 2023.