    
POLAND
Land area: 117,571 sq mi (304,509 sq km); total area: 120,728 sq mi (312,685 sq km)
Population (2009 est.): 38,482,919 (growth rate: 0.0%); birth rate: 10.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 6.8/1000; life expectancy: 75.6; density per sq mi: 328
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Warsaw, 2,201,900 (metro. area), 1,607,600 (city proper)
Other large cities: Lodz, 778,200; Krakow, 733,100; Wroclaw, 632,200; Poznan, 581,200; Gdansk, 456,700; Szczecin, 415,700
Monetary unit: Zloty
Poland is in north-central Europe. Most of the country is a plain with no natural boundaries except the Carpathian Mountains in the south and the Oder and Neisse rivers in the west. Other major rivers, which are important to commerce, are the Vistula, Warta, and Bug.
Language: Polish 98% (2002)
Ethnicity/race: Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belorussian 0.1% Ukrainian 0.1%, other 2.7% (2002)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1%, Protestant and other (2002)
Literacy rate: 100% (2003 est.)
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