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Capital: Warsaw

Population: 38,635,144 (July 2005 est.)

Languages: Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)

Religions: Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)

Currency: zloty (PLN)

Timezone: GMT+1

Poland is a large country located in Central Europe, to the east of Germany, with the Baltic Sea to the north. It also has borders with a number of other eastern European states. Geographically it consists of three distinct regions, a gently undulating, partly forested area with many lakes in the north of the country, a flat central agricultural region and mountains in the southern border region.

Previously a communist country, Poland was Eastern Europe's first post-communist state, electing a democratic government in 1989. Despite an initial period of political and economic instability, Poland has successfully made the transition to a mainly privatized market economy. The country has benefited considerably from joining the EU from May 2004, taking advantage of the increased opportunities for exporting to other EU countries. However, Poland still has high levels of poverty and a relatively high unemployment rate. Development is being hampered by the existence of a vast, largely inefficient agricultural sector, and by the continuing fiscal pressures of the post-communist reforms in public services.