Poland

Coordinates: 52°N 20°E / 52°N 20°E / 52; 20
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Republic of Poland
Rzeczpospolita Polska (Polish)
Anthem: "
Ethnic groups
(2021)[2]
Religion
(2021[3])
Demonym(s)
GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential republic[9]
• President
Andrzej Duda
Donald Tusk
Legislature
Baptism of Poland[d]
14 April 966
18 April 1025
1 July 1569
11 November 1918
17 September 1939
22 July 1944
31 December 1989[11]
Area
• Total
312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi)[13][14] (69th)
• Water (%)
1.48 (2015)[12]
Population
• 2022 census
Neutral increase 38,036,118[15] (38th)
• Density
122/km2 (316.0/sq mi) (75th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $1.890 trillion[16] (20th)
• Per capita
Increase $51,628[16] (39th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $862.908 billion[16] (21st)
• Per capita
Increase $23,563[16] (45th)
Gini (2022)Positive decrease 26.3[17]
low inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.881[18]
very high (36th)
CurrencyZłoty (PLN)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (CEST)
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy (CE)
Drives onright
Calling code+48
ISO 3166 codePL
Internet TLD.pl [a]
  1. Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states

Poland,[e] officially the Republic of Poland,[f] is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia[g] to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to the south, and Germany to the west. The territory is characterised by a varied landscape, diverse ecosystems, and temperate transitional climate. Poland is composed of sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 million people, and the fifth largest EU country by land area, covering a combined area of 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi). The capital and largest city is Warsaw; other major cities include Kraków, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, and Gdańsk.

elective monarchy and a uniquely liberal political system, which adopted Europe's first modern constitution
in 1791.

With the passing of the prosperous Polish Golden Age, the country was partitioned by neighbouring states at the end of the 18th century. Poland regained its independence at the end of World War I in 1918 with the creation of the Second Polish Republic, which emerged victorious in various conflicts of the interbellum period. In September 1939, the invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union marked the beginning of World War II, which resulted in the Holocaust and millions of Polish casualties. Forced into the Eastern Bloc in the global Cold War, the Polish People's Republic was a founding signatory of the Warsaw Pact. Through the emergence and contributions of the Solidarity movement, the communist government was dissolved and Poland re-established itself as a democratic state in 1989, as the first of its neighbors.

Poland is a semi-presidential republic with its bicameral legislature comprising the Sejm and the Senate. Considered a middle power, it is a developed market and high-income economy that is the sixth largest in the EU by nominal GDP and the fifth largest by GDP (PPP). Poland enjoys a very high standard of living, safety, and economic freedom, as well as free university education and universal health care. The country has 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 15 of which are cultural. Poland is a founding member state of the United Nations and a member of the World Trade Organization, OECD, NATO, and the European Union (including the Schengen Area).

Etymology

The native

Proto-Slavic noun pole meaning field, which in-itself originates from the Proto-Indo-European word *pleh₂- indicating flatland.[21] The etymology alludes to the topography of the region and the flat landscape of Greater Poland.[22][23] During the Middle Ages, the Latin form Polonia was widely used throughout Europe.[24]

The country's alternative archaic name is

Old Polish word lęda (plain).[28] Initially, both names Lechia and Polonia were used interchangeably when referring to Poland by chroniclers during the Middle Ages.[29]

History

Prehistory and protohistory

A reconstruction of a Bronze Age, Lusatian culture settlement in Biskupin, 8th century BC

The first

anatomically modern humans coincided with the climatic discontinuity at the end of the Last Glacial Period (Northern Polish glaciation 10,000 BC), when Poland became habitable.[31] Neolithic excavations indicated broad-ranging development in that era; the earliest evidence of European cheesemaking (5500 BC) was discovered in Polish Kuyavia,[32] and the Bronocice pot is incised with the earliest known depiction of what may be a wheeled vehicle (3400 BC).[33]

The period spanning the

Late Bronze Age (mid-8th century BC).[36]

Throughout

Roman Legions sent to protect the amber trade.[38] The Polish tribes emerged following the second wave of the Migration Period around the 6th century AD;[24] they were Slavic and may have included assimilated remnants of peoples that earlier dwelled in the area.[39][40] Beginning in the early 10th century, the Polans would come to dominate other Lechitic tribes in the region, initially forming a tribal federation and later a centralised monarchical state.[41]

Kingdom of Poland

Baptism of Poland
marked the beginning of statehood in 966

Poland began to form into a recognisable unitary and territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the

martyrdom of Saint Adalbert, who was killed by Prussian pagans in 997 and whose remains were reputedly bought back for their weight in gold by Mieszko's successor, Bolesław I the Brave.[44]

In 1000, at the Congress of Gniezno, Bolesław obtained the right of investiture from Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor, who assented to the creation of additional bishoprics and an archdioceses in Gniezno.[44] Three new dioceses were subsequently established in Kraków, Kołobrzeg, and Wrocław.[46] Also, Otto bestowed upon Bolesław royal regalia and a replica of the Holy Lance, which were later used at his coronation as the first King of Poland in c. 1025, when Bolesław received permission for his coronation from Pope John XIX.[47][48] Bolesław also expanded the realm considerably by seizing parts of German Lusatia, Czech Moravia, Upper Hungary, and southwestern regions of the Kievan Rus'.[49]

Casimir III the Great is the only Polish king to receive the title of Great. He built extensively during his reign, and reformed the Polish army along with the country's legal code, 1333–70.

The transition from

Teutonic Knights to aid in combating the Baltic Prussians; a decision that later led to centuries of warfare with the Knights.[55]

In the first half of the 13th century,

Henry I the Bearded and Henry II the Pious aimed to unite the fragmented dukedoms, but the Mongol invasion and the death of Henry II in battle hindered the unification.[56][57] As a result of the devastation which followed, depopulation and the demand for craft labour spurred a migration of German and Flemish settlers into Poland, which was encouraged by the Polish dukes.[58] In 1264, the Statute of Kalisz introduced unprecedented autonomy for the Polish Jews, who came to Poland fleeing persecution elsewhere in Europe.[59]

In 1320,

Ruthenia in 1340 and imposed quarantine that prevented the spread of Black Death.[64][65] In 1364, Casimir inaugurated the University of Kraków, one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in Europe.[66] Upon his death in 1370, the Piast dynasty came to an end.[67] He was succeeded by his closest male relative, Louis of Anjou, who ruled Poland, Hungary, and Croatia in a personal union.[68] Louis' younger daughter Jadwiga became Poland's first female monarch in 1384.[68]

Kingdom of Poland
, 15 July 1410.

In 1386, Jadwiga of Poland entered a marriage of convenience with

Modern Era.[69] The partnership between Poles and Lithuanians brought the vast multi-ethnic Lithuanian territories into Poland's sphere of influence and proved beneficial for its inhabitants, who coexisted in one of the largest European political entities of the time.[70]

In the Baltic Sea region, the struggle of Poland and Lithuania with the

Poland was developing as a

General Sejm in 1505, transferred most of the legislative power from the monarch to the parliament, an event which marked the beginning of the period known as Golden Liberty, when the state was ruled by the seemingly free and equal Polish nobles.[75]

Wawel Castle in Kraków, seat of Polish kings from 1038 until the capital was moved to Warsaw in 1596

The 16th century saw

Calvinist denomination and became the co-founders of global Unitarianism.[77]

The European Renaissance evoked under Sigismund I the Old and Sigismund II Augustus a sense of urgency in the need to promote a cultural awakening.[26] During the Polish Golden Age, the nation's economy and culture flourished.[26] The Italian-born Bona Sforza, daughter of the Duke of Milan and queen consort to Sigismund I, made considerable contributions to architecture, cuisine, language and court customs at Wawel Castle.[26]

Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
at its greatest extent in 1619. At that time it was the largest country in Europe

The

Polonisation policies in newly acquired territories which were met with resistance from ethnic and religious minorities.[78]

In 1573,

Polish-Swedish union endured until 1599, when he was deposed by the Swedes.[85]

King John III Sobieski defeated the Ottoman Turks at the Battle of Vienna on 12 September 1683.

In 1609, Sigismund

invaded Russia which was engulfed in a civil war,[26] and a year later the Polish winged hussar units under Stanisław Żółkiewski occupied Moscow for two years after defeating the Russians at Klushino.[26] Sigismund also countered the Ottoman Empire in the southeast; at Khotyn in 1621 Jan Karol Chodkiewicz achieved a decisive victory against the Turks, which ushered the downfall of Sultan Osman II.[86][87]

Sigismund's long reign in Poland coincided with the

Ottoman Army into Europe at the Battle of Vienna.[93] The Saxon era, under Augustus II and Augustus III, saw neighboring powers grow in strength at the expense of Poland. Both Saxon kings faced opposition from Stanisław Leszczyński during the Great Northern War (1700) and the War of the Polish Succession (1733).[94]

Partitions

King of Poland
, reigned from 1764 until his abdication on 25 November 1795.

The

Catherine II of Russia.[96] The new king maneuvered between his desire to implement necessary modernising reforms, and the necessity to remain at peace with surrounding states.[97] His ideals led to the formation of the 1768 Bar Confederation, a rebellion directed against the Poniatowski and all external influence, which ineptly aimed to preserve Poland's sovereignty and privileges held by the nobility.[98] The failed attempts at government restructuring as well as the domestic turmoil provoked its neighbours to invade.[99]

In 1772, the

In 1791,

3 May Constitution, the first set of supreme national laws, and introduced a constitutional monarchy.[104] The Targowica Confederation, an organisation of nobles and deputies opposing the act, appealed to Catherine and caused the 1792 Polish–Russian War.[105] Fearing the reemergence of Polish hegemony, Russia and Prussia arranged and in 1793 executed, the Second Partition, which left the country deprived of territory and incapable of independent existence. On 24 October 1795, the Commonwealth was partitioned for the third time and ceased to exist as a territorial entity.[106][107] Stanisław Augustus, the last King of Poland, abdicated the throne on 25 November 1795.[108]

Era of insurrections

The partitions of Poland, carried out by the Kingdom of Prussia (blue), the Russian Empire (brown), and the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy (green) in 1772, 1793 and 1795

The Polish people rose several times against the partitioners and occupying armies. An unsuccessful attempt at defending Poland's sovereignty took place in the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising, where a popular and distinguished general Tadeusz Kościuszko, who had several years earlier served under George Washington in the American Revolutionary War, led Polish insurgents.[109] Despite the victory at the Battle of Racławice, his ultimate defeat ended Poland's independent existence for 123 years.[110]

In 1806, an

Free City of Kraków.[112]

Tadeusz Kościuszko was a veteran and hero of both the Polish and American wars of independence.[109]

In 1830,

pogroms of the Polish-Jewish population. Towards the end of the 19th century, Congress Poland became heavily industrialised; its primary exports being coal, zinc, iron and textiles.[116][117]

Second Polish Republic

Chief of State Marshal Józef Piłsudski
was a hero of the Polish independence campaign and the nation's premiere statesman from 1918 until his death on 12 May 1935.

In the aftermath of

armistice with Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic.[120]

The Second Polish Republic reaffirmed its sovereignty after a series of military conflicts, most notably the Polish–Soviet War, when Poland inflicted a crushing defeat on the Red Army at the Battle of Warsaw.[121]

The inter-war period heralded a new era of Polish politics. Whilst Polish political activists had faced heavy censorship in the decades up until

Zachęta Gallery in Warsaw by a painter and right-wing nationalist Eligiusz Niewiadomski.[122]

In 1926, the

Sanacja (Healing) movement to prevent radical political organisations on both the left and the right from destabilizing the country.[123] By the late 1930s, due to increased threats posed by political extremism inside the country, the Polish government became increasingly heavy-handed, banning a number of radical organisations, including communist and ultra-nationalist political parties, which threatened the stability of the country.[124]

World War II

Polish Army 7TP tanks on military manoeuvres shortly before the invasion of Poland in 1939

World War II began with the

Nazi German invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September. On 28 September 1939, Warsaw fell. As agreed in the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was split into two zones, one occupied by Nazi Germany, the other by the Soviet Union. In 1939–1941, the Soviets deported hundreds of thousands of Poles. The Soviet NKVD executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war (among other incidents in the Katyn massacre) ahead of Operation Barbarossa.[125] German planners had in November 1939 called for "the complete destruction of all Poles" and their fate as outlined in the genocidal Generalplan Ost.[126]

, October 1940

Poland made the fourth-largest troop contribution in Europe,

atomic bomb. In the east, the Soviet-backed Polish 1st Army distinguished itself in the battles for Warsaw and Berlin.[133]

The

Armia Krajowa (Home Army), fought against German occupation. It was one of the three largest resistance movements of the entire war, and encompassed a range of clandestine activities, which functioned as an underground state complete with degree-awarding universities and a court system.[134] The resistance was loyal to the exiled government and generally resented the idea of a communist Poland; for this reason, in the summer of 1944 it initiated Operation Tempest, of which the Warsaw Uprising that began on 1 August 1944 is the best-known operation.[133][135]

extermination camps are marked with white skulls in black squares. The border in 1941 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union
is marked in red.

Nazi German forces under orders from

half of them Polish Jews.[147][148][149] About 90% of deaths were non-military in nature.[150]

In 1945, Poland's borders

Oder-Neisse line. As a result, Poland's territory was reduced by 20%, or 77,500 square kilometres (29,900 sq mi). The shift forced the migration of millions of other people, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews.[152][153][154]

Post-war communism

At High Noon, 4 June 1989—political poster featuring Gary Cooper to encourage votes for the Solidarity party in the 1989 elections

At the insistence of

As elsewhere in Communist Europe, the Soviet influence over Poland was met with armed resistance from the outset which continued into the 1950s.[155]

Despite widespread objections, the new Polish government accepted the Soviet annexation of the pre-war eastern regions of Poland

Lwów) and agreed to the permanent garrisoning of Red Army units on Poland's territory. Military alignment within the Warsaw Pact throughout the Cold War came about as a direct result of this change in Poland's political culture. In the European scene, it came to characterise the full-fledged integration of Poland into the brotherhood of communist nations.[157]

The new communist government took control with the adoption of the

was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956, after the death of Bolesław Bierut, the régime of Władysław Gomułka became temporarily more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. Collectivisation in the Polish People's Republic failed. A similar situation repeated itself in the 1970s under Edward Gierek, but most of the time persecution of anti-communist opposition groups persisted. Despite this, Poland was at the time considered to be one of the least oppressive states of the Eastern Bloc.[158]

Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union "Solidarity" ("Solidarność"), which over time became a political force. Despite persecution and imposition of martial law in 1981 by General Wojciech Jaruzelski, it eroded the dominance of the Polish United Workers' Party and by 1989 had triumphed in Poland's first partially free and democratic parliamentary elections since the end of the Second World War. Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity movement heralded the collapse of communist regimes and parties across Europe.[159]

Third Polish Republic

death of Poland's top government officials
in a plane crash on 10 April 2010

A

Soviet-style planned economy into a market economy.[160] As with other post-communist countries, Poland suffered temporary declines in social, economic, and living standards,[161] but it became the first post-communist country to reach its pre-1989 GDP levels as early as 1995, although the unemployment rate increased.[162] Poland became a member of the Visegrád Group in 1991,[163] and joined NATO in 1999.[164] Poles then voted to join the European Union in a referendum in June 2003,[165] with Poland becoming a full member on 1 May 2004, following the consequent enlargement of the organisation.[166]

Poland joined the

In 2011, the ruling Civic Platform won parliamentary elections.[169] In 2014, the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, was chosen to be President of the European Council, and resigned as prime minister.[170] The 2015 and 2019 elections were won by the national-conservative Law and Justice Party (PiS) led by Jarosław Kaczyński,[171][172] resulting in increased Euroscepticism and increased friction with the European Union.[173] In December 2017, Mateusz Morawiecki was sworn in as the Prime Minister, succeeding Beata Szydlo, in office since 2015. President Andrzej Duda, supported by Law and Justice party, was re-elected in the 2020 presidential election.[174] As of November 2023, the Russian invasion of Ukraine had led to 17 million Ukrainian refugees crossing the border to Poland.[175] As of November 2023, 0.9 million of those had stayed in Poland.[175] In October 2023, the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party won the largest share of the vote in the election, but lost its majority in parliament. In December 2023, Donald Tusk became the new Prime Minister leading a coalition made up of Civic Coalition, Third Way, and The Left. Law and Justice became the leading opposition party.[176]

Geography

Topographic map of Poland

Poland covers an administrative area of 312,722 km2 (120,743 sq mi), and is the

elevation above the sea level is estimated at 173 metres.[177]

The country has a coastline spanning 770 km (480 mi); extending from the shores of the Baltic Sea, along the

sand dune fields or coastal ridges and is indented by spits and lagoons, notably the Hel Peninsula and the Vistula Lagoon, which is shared with Russia.[180] The largest Polish island on the Baltic Sea is Wolin, located within Wolin National Park.[181] Poland also shares the Szczecin Lagoon and the Usedom island with Germany.[182]

The mountainous belt in the extreme south of Poland is divided into two major

Mount Śnieżka at 1,603.3 metres (5,260 ft), shared with the Czech Republic.[185] The lowest point in Poland is situated at Raczki Elbląskie in the Vistula Delta, which is 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) below sea level.[177]

Morskie Oko alpine lake in the Tatra Mountains. Poland has one of the highest densities of lakes in the world.

Poland's

Bug.[177] The country also possesses one of the highest densities of lakes in the world, numbering around ten thousand and mostly concentrated in the north-eastern region of Masuria, within the Masurian Lake District.[186] The largest lakes, covering more than 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi), are Śniardwy and Mamry, and the deepest is Lake Hańcza at 108.5 metres (356 ft) in depth.[177]

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Poland

The climate of Poland is

Precipitation is more frequent during the summer months, with highest rainfall recorded from June to September.[188]

There is a considerable fluctuation in day-to-day weather and the arrival of a particular season can differ each year.[187] Climate change and other factors have further contributed to interannual thermal anomalies and increased temperatures; the average annual air temperature between 2011 and 2020 was 9.33 °C (48.8 °F), around 1.11 °C higher than in the 2001–2010 period.[189] Winters are also becoming increasingly drier, with less sleet and snowfall.[187]

Biodiversity

wisent, one of Poland's national animals, is commonly found at the ancient and UNESCO-protected Białowieża Forest
.

The

migratory birds and hosts around one quarter of the global population of white storks.[196]

Around 315,100 hectares (1,217 sq mi), equivalent to 1% of Poland's territory, is protected within 23

landscape parks, along with numerous nature reserves and other protected areas under the Natura 2000 network.[198]

Government and politics

Andrzej Sebastian Duda
President
Andrzej Duda
since 6 August 2015
Donald Franciszek Tusk
Prime Minister
Donald Tusk
since 13 December 2023

Poland is a

prime minister who acts as the head of government.[199] The council's individual members are selected by the prime minister, approved by parliament and sworn in by the president.[199] The head of state is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.[200] The current president is Andrzej Duda and the prime minister is Donald Tusk
.

Poland's

first-past-the-post electoral system, with one senator being returned from each of the one hundred constituencies.[203] 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.[204]

The Sejm is the lower house of the parliament of Poland.

With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only candidates of political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter the Sejm.[203] Both the lower and upper houses of parliament in Poland are elected for a four-year term and each member of the Polish parliament is guaranteed parliamentary immunity.[205] Under current legislation, a person must be 21 years of age or over to assume the position of deputy, 30 or over to become senator and 35 to run in a presidential election.[205]

Members of the Sejm and Senate jointly form the

National Assembly of the Republic of Poland.[206] The National Assembly, headed by the Sejm Marshal, is formed on three occasions – when a new president takes the oath of office; when an indictment against the president is brought to the State Tribunal; and in case a president's permanent incapacity to exercise his duties due to the state of his health is declared.[206]

Administrative divisions

Poland is divided into 16 provinces or states known as voivodeships.[207] As of 2022, the voivodeships are subdivided into 380 counties (powiats), which are further fragmented into 2,477 municipalities (gminas).[207] Major cities normally have the status of both gmina and powiat.[207] The provinces are largely founded on the borders of historic regions, or named for individual cities.[208] Administrative authority at the voivodeship level is shared between a government-appointed governor (voivode), an elected regional assembly (sejmik) and a voivodeship marshal, an executive elected by the assembly.[208]

Voivodeship Capital city Area Population
in English in Polish km2[209] 2021[209]
Greater Poland Wielkopolskie Poznań 29,826 3,496,450
Kuyavian-Pomeranian
Kujawsko-Pomorskie Bydgoszcz & Toruń 17,971 2,061,942
Lesser Poland Małopolskie Kraków 15,183 3,410,441
Łódź Łódzkie Łódź 18,219 2,437,970
Lower Silesian Dolnośląskie Wrocław 19,947 2,891,321
Lublin Lubelskie Lublin 25,123 2,095,258
Lubusz Lubuskie Gorzów Wielkopolski &
Zielona Góra
13,988 1,007,145
Masovian Mazowieckie Warsaw 35,559 5,425,028
Opole Opolskie Opole 9,412 976,774
Podlaskie Podlaskie Białystok 20,187 1,173,286
Pomeranian Pomorskie Gdańsk 18,323 2,346,671
Silesian Śląskie Katowice 12,333 4,492,330
Subcarpathian Podkarpackie Rzeszów 17,846 2,121,229
Holy Cross Świętokrzyskie Kielce 11,710 1,224,626
Warmian-Masurian
Warmińsko-Mazurskie Olsztyn 24,173 1,416,495
West Pomeranian Zachodniopomorskie Szczecin 22,905 1,688,047

Law

Constitution of 3 May
adopted in 1791 was the first modern constitution in Europe.

The

medical experimentation, torture or corporal punishment, and acknowledges the inviolability of the home, the right to form trade unions, and the right to strike.[211]

The

National Council of the Judiciary and are appointed for life by the president.[213] With the approval of the Senate, the Sejm appoints an ombudsman for a five-year term to guard the observance of social justice.[203]

Poland has a low

congenital disorder and stillbirth are not covered by the law, prompting some women to seek abortion abroad.[216]

Historically, the most significant Polish legal act is the

democratic movements across the globe.[217][218][219] In 1918, the Second Polish Republic became one of the first countries to introduce universal women's suffrage.[220]

Foreign relations

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, located in Warsaw

Poland is a

ODIHR, one of the principal institutions of the OSCE.[223][224] Apart from the European Union, Poland has been a member of NATO, the United Nations, and the WTO
.

In recent years, Poland significantly strengthened its relations with the United States, thus becoming one of its closest allies and strategic partners in Europe.[225] Historically, Poland maintained strong cultural and political ties to Hungary; this special relationship was recognised by the parliaments of both countries in 2007 with the joint declaration of 23 March as "The Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship".[226]

Military

F-16s, a single-engine multirole fighter aircraft

The Polish Armed Forces are composed of five branches – the

Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Poland.[227] However, its commander-in-chief in peacetime is the president, who nominates officers, the Minister for National Defence and the chief of staff.[227] Polish military tradition is generally commemorated by the Armed Forces Day, celebrated annually on 15 August.[228] As of 2022, the Polish Armed Forces have a combined strength of 114,050 active soldiers, with a further 75,400 active in the gendarmerie and defence force.[229]

Poland ranks

SIPRI, the country exported €487 million worth of arms and armaments to foreign countries in 2020.[233]

Compulsory

military exercises.[229] Since 1953, the country has been a large contributor to various United Nations peacekeeping missions,[235] and currently maintains military presence in the Middle East, Africa, the Baltic states and southeastern Europe.[229]

Security, law enforcement and emergency services

State Police Service
(Policja)