Poland
Europe Β· Capital: Warsaw
How it is run: Poland is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
Poland is home to 36.4 million people in Central Europe, where people speak Polish.
Numbers that tell a story π’
π₯ People
36.4 million people
That is 0.4% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
πΊοΈ Land
312,679 kmΒ²
Bigger than Texas β a long road trip from one side to the other.
ποΈ How crowded
About 117 people per square kilometre β busy towns with countryside in between.
π Size in its region
8th most people in Europe
9th largest by land in Europe.
π£οΈ Official languages
Polish
π° Money
Polish zΕoty (zΕ)
Life here today π©Ί
These come from World Bank open data β the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
β€οΈ How long people live
78.4 years on average
One of the healthier countries β good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
πΌ Money made per person each year
about US$28,420
An upper-middle-income country: growing cities, and more families joining the middle class.
π’ Living in cities
60.1% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
π Kids under 15
14.5% of the population
An older country β there are more grandparents than schoolchildren.
Everyday details π§
π Phone code
+48
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
π Websites end in
.pl
π§ People here are called
Polish
π·οΈ Name at home
Polska
Also written: Republic of Poland, Rzeczpospolita Polska.
π Coast or inland
Has a coastline
ποΈ UN voting group
Eastern European Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders π€
Poland touches 7 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world π£οΈ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Polonia
French
Pologne
Arabic
Ψ¨ΩΩΩΨ―Ψ§
Chinese
ζ³’ε °
Japanese
γγΌγ©γ³γ
Russian
ΠΠΎΠ»ΡΡΠ°
Portuguese
PolΓ³nia
German
Polen
Put it in perspective π
- Russia β the most populated country in Europe β has about 3.9Γ as many people as Poland.
- Poland covers roughly 2,978 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in Poland lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 18,218 km.
Flags through time π
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch Poland change.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
A huge shared state ruled by an elected king.
Modern Poland
White over red, from the white eagle on the old royal shield.
Fast facts π§
Fact of the day: Poland sits in Central Europe, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
π·οΈ Official name
Republic of Poland
ποΈ Capital
Warsaw
π Region
Europe Β· Central Europe
π€ Country code
PL
ποΈ UN status
UN member state
π© Independence
Independent country
More about Poland π
KrakΓ³w Main Square
One of Europe's biggest medieval squares. Every hour a trumpeter plays from the church tower and stops mid-note, remembering a guard shot in 1241.
See it in Street Viewπ§ Where on the map
52.0Β° N, 20.0Β° E
π Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
π°οΈ Clock check
Roughly UTC+1 β when it is noon in London it is about 13:00 in Warsaw.
- π΅π± is the flag of Poland. Its country code β the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics β is PL.
- Poland is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly β the same as every other member, big or small.
- Poland is close to the line of 0Β° longitude, so its clocks are near the world's reference time (UTC).
- Poland sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- Poland sits in Central Europe, in the northern and eastern half of the globe.
Countries nearby π€
Talk about it π¬
- Poland has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- Poland can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If Poland spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz π§ͺ
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of Poland?
Warsaw
Which money do people spend in Poland?
Polish zΕoty (zΕ)
How many countries share a land border with Poland?
7 β Belarus, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine.
Roughly how many people live in Poland?
36.4 million people
Keep researching π
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further β and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here β kid-friendly encyclopedias π
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ποΈ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy π°
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card π«
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians β all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.