POLAND

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Poland, officially the Republic of Poland is a country in Central Europe, bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukranie and Belarus to the east and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian enclave ans Lithuania to the north. The inhabitants are called "Poles" and the official language is Polish, Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages but in Poland other languages like  German are spoken.  
Poland is a democracy, with a president as a head of state, whose current constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a Prime Minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the Prime Minister, typically from the majority coalition in the Sejm. The president is elected by popular vote every five years.
Poland has a population of over 38.5 million people. The currency is the "zloty".

'Zloty'

The total area of Poland is 312.679 square kilometres making it the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe. The capital city is Warsaw, which is located on the Vistula River, other famous cities in Poland are Łódź, Glogowiec or Kraków.
One important historical fact is the Second World War. The Sanacja movement controlled 
Poland until the start of World War II in 1939, when Nazi  and Slovakia Invasion of
 Poland (1939) on 1 September and the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September, which
followed the breaking of the Soviet–Polish Non-Aggression Pact, occurred.
Some famous poles are:
Wislawa Szymborska: Poet and translator, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1996 at the age of seventy-three. 

Roman Polanski: One of the most famous Polish directors and an Oscar winner.

Witold Gombrowicz: Novelist, short-story writer, dramatist, and best known for the novel “Ferdydurke” (1937) and other absurdity satires.

Traditional Polish custom of blessing food on Holy Saturday. This Święconka basket contains: kiełbasa, boiled eggs, salt, pepper and bread. Decorated with bilberry leaves. Blessed food is eaten on Easter breakfast. 

Poland has been  a member of the EU since 2004.