A Polish American's Guide to Poland [antikvár]

I' i' I Poland in bri The name Potska (Poland) was derived from a Slavic tribe, the Po-lanians, which inhabited the territory of what is known as Great Poland (Wielkopolska, the present-day Poznart region) in the early Middle Ages. In the early 11th century, after the Polanians succeeded in uniting the lands in the basins of the Odra and Vistula rivers, the name Polska began being applied to the entire state. Since 1952 the country's official name has been the Polish People's Republic. TERRITORY Poland covers an area of 312,683 sq. km., or 120,733 sq. miles, which makes her the seventh largest country in Europe and 68th in the world. Poland's present frontiers encompass an area similar in shape and size to that of the year 990 when the Piast Dynasty had consolidated its state. Over the centuries the country's boundaries underwent frequent modifications and eastward shifts whereby Poland lost territory in the west while taking over ethnically alien lands in the east. The regaining of independence in 1918, after more than 120 years of partitions, did not mean a return to Poland's historic frontiers. Remaining outside of her borders were her western territories (a portion of Great Poland and Silesia were joined to Poland as a result of uprisings in 1918-21 and a plebiscite), while her northern territories were cut down to only the so-called Gdansk corridor. The country's eastern borderlands were inhabited mainly by Lithuanians, Byelorussians and Ukrainians. Following the decisions taken by the Allied Powers at Potsdam, Poland returned to her historic western lands, while the eastern frontier was drawn up on new principles along the "Curzon Line". These decisions confirmed the final and irreversible nature of Poland's post-war frontiers. POPULATION Poland has more than 36 million inhabitants, ranking seventh in Europe and 23rd in the world in terms of population. Polish society is among the youngest in Europe with one-third of the population being under 20 years of age, and more than half under 30. Over a half (59 per cent) of all Poles live in towns. Average population density is 44 inhabitants per sq. mile, with the highest population density being recorded in L6di (288 per sq. mile), followed by Warsaw (238) and Silesia (over 220). The most sparsely populated is Suwaiki Voivodship (15) in north-east Poland. Poland is an ethnically homogeneous country, with persons of