Wikijunior:Europe/Poland
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Poland is a large country in central Europe. It shares borders with Germany, Russia (Kaliningrad), Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia and Czech Republic. The capital city is Warsaw. Other big cities are Krakow and Gdansk. The currency of Poland is the zloty.
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[edit] Poland's History
Poland has changed many times in history and the latest borders were settled at the end of World War 2. Between 1945 and 1989 Poland had a communist government. Since 2004 Poland has been a member of the European Union.
[edit] Poland's Geography
Poland is a large country about the size of the United Kingdom and Ireland. The highest mountain is Rysy at 2499m. Poland has more than 9,000 lakes and two large mountain ranges: the Sudetes (in the south west) and the Carpathian mountains (in the south and south east).
[edit] Poland's People
The national language of Poland is Polish which is spoken by 98% of the population. Small minorities of people speak German and Ukrainian. Poland is home to about 38 million people. In the past 4 years almost 1 million Poles have moved to the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden.
[edit] Poland's Sights
Poland is a popular destination for tourists. The majority of foreign tourists visit the historical cities of Krakow and Wroclaw and the capital, Warsaw. The mountains near Krakow are popular in the winter for skiing holidays.
