Religions:
Seventh-Day Adventist 100%
Languages:
English (official), Pitkern (mixture of an 18th century English
dialect and a Tahitian dialect)
Literacy:
NA
Government ::Pitcairn Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands
conventional short form: Pitcairn Islands
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Adamstown
geographic coordinates: 25 04 S, 130 05 W
time difference: UTC-9 (4 hours behind Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Constitution:
30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940;
further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964
Legal system:
local island by-laws
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal with three years residency
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by UK High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor
(nonresident) of the Pitcairn Islands George FERGUSSON (since April
2006); Commissioner (nonresident) Leslie JAQUES (since September
2003) serves as liaison between the governor and the Island Council
head of government: Governor George FERGUSSON (since April 2006);
Mayor and Chairman of the Island Council Mike WARREN (since 1
January 2008)
cabinet: NA
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor and commissioner
appointed by the monarch; island mayor elected by popular vote for a
three-year term; election last held December 2007 (next to be held
in December 2010)
election results: Mike WARREN elected mayor and chairman of the
Island Council
Legislative branch:
unicameral Island Council (10 seats; 5 members elected by popular
vote, 1 nominated by the 5 elected members, 2 appointed by the
governor including 1 seat for the Island Secretary, the Island
Mayor, and a commissioner liaising between the governor and council;
elected members serve one-year terms)
elections: last held 24 December 2008 (next to be held in 24
December 2009)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents
Judicial branch:
Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; judicial
officers are appointed by the governor
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
SPC, UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the Pitcairn Islander coat of arms centered on the outer half of the
flag; the coat of arms is yellow, green, and light blue with a
shield featuring a yellow anchor
Economy ::Pitcairn Islands
Economy - overview:
The inhabitants of this tiny isolated economy exist on fishing,
subsistence farming, handicrafts, and postage stamps. The fertile
soil of the valleys produces a wide variety of fruits and
vegetables, including citrus, sugarcane, watermelons, bananas, yams,
and beans. Bartering is an important part of the economy. The major
sources of revenue are the sale of postage stamps to collectors and
the sale of handicrafts to passing ships. In October 2004, more than
one-quarter of Pitcairn's small labor force was arrested, putting
the economy in a bind, since their services were required as lighter
crew to load or unload passing ships.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$NA
Labor force:
15 able-bodied men (2004)
country comparison to the world: 221
Labor force - by occupation:
note: no business community in the usual sense; some public works;
subsistence farming and fishing
Budget:
revenues: $746,000
expenditures: $1.028 million (FY04/05)
Agriculture - products:
honey; wide variety of fruits and vegetables; goats, chickens, fish
Industries:
postage stamps, handicrafts, beekeeping, honey
Electricity - production:
NA kWh; note - electric power is provided by a small diesel-powered
generator
Exports:
$NA
Exports - commodities:
fruits, vegetables, curios, stamps
Imports:
$NA
Imports - commodities:
fuel oil, machinery, building materials, flour, sugar, other
foodstuffs
Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars (NZD) per US dollar - 1.4151 (2008 est.), 1.3811
(2007), 1.5408 (2006), 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004)
Communications ::Pitcairn Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
1 (there are 17 telephones on one party line); (2004)
country comparison to the world: 230
Telephone system:
general assessment: satellite phone services
domestic: domestic communication via radio (CB)
international: country code - 872; satellite earth station - 1
(Inmarsat)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (15 ham radio operators (VP6)) (2004)
Internet country code:
.pn
Internet hosts:
26 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 213
Transportation ::Pitcairn Islands
Ports and terminals:
Adamstown (on Bounty Bay)
Military ::Pitcairn Islands
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues ::Pitcairn Islands
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Poland (Europe)
Introduction ::Poland
Background:
Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of
the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century.
During the following century, the strengthening of the gentry and
internal disorders weakened the nation. In a series of agreements
between 1772 and 1795, Russia, Prussia, and Austria partitioned
Poland amongst themselves. Poland regained its independence in 1918
only to be overrun by Germany and the Soviet Union in World War II.
It became a Soviet satellite state following the war, but its
government was comparatively tolerant and progressive. Labor turmoil
in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union
"Solidarity" that over time became a political force and by 1990 had
swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A "shock therapy"
program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its
economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland
still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment,
underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural
underclass. Solidarity suffered a major defeat in the 2001
parliamentary elections when it failed to elect a single deputy to
the lower house of Parliament, and the new leaders of the Solidarity
Trade Union subsequently pledged to reduce the Trade Union's
political role. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in
2004. With its transformation to a democratic, market-oriented
country largely completed, Poland is an increasingly active member
of Euro-Atlantic organizations.
Geography ::Poland
Location:
Central Europe, east of Germany
Geographic coordinates:
52 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references:
Europe
Area:
total: 312,685 sq km
country comparison to the world: 69
land: 304,255 sq km
water: 8,430 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 3,047 km
border countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 615 km, Germany 456
km, Lithuania 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 432 km, Slovakia
420 km, Ukraine 428 km
Coastline:
440 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties
Climate:
temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent
precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Terrain:
mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
highest point: Rysy 2,499 m
Natural resources:
coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable
land
Land use:
arable land: 40.25%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 58.75% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
63.1 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.73 cu km/yr (13%/79%/8%)
per capita: 304 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
flooding
Environment - current issues:
situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry
and increased environmental concern by post-Communist governments;
air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide
emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain
has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and
municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous
wastes; pollution levels should continue to decrease as industrial
establishments bring their facilities up to EU code, but at
substantial cost to business and the government
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
Geography - note:
historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the
lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain
People ::Poland
Population:
38,482,919 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 2,964,995/female 2,802,278)
15-64 years: 71.6% (male 13,713,078/female 13,845,251)
65 years and over: 13.4% (male 1,966,406/female 3,190,911) (2009
est.)
Median age:
total: 37.9 years
male: 36.1 years
female: 39.7 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.047% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Birth rate:
10.04 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
Death rate:
10.05 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Net migration rate:
-0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
Urbanization:
urban population: 61% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 172
male: 7.52 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.63 years
country comparison to the world: 75
male: 71.65 years
female: 79.85 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.28 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
20,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea
vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Pole(s)
adjective: Polish
Ethnic groups:
Polish 96.7%, German 0.4%, Belarusian 0.1%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other
and unspecified 2.7% (2002 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 89.8% (about 75% practicing), Eastern Orthodox 1.3%,
Protestant 0.3%, other 0.3%, unspecified 8.3% (2002)
Languages:
Polish 97.8%, other and unspecified 2.2% (2002 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.7% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.5% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 51
Government ::Poland
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Poland
conventional short form: Poland
local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form: Polska
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Warsaw
geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie
(Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie,
Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland),
Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie, Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia),
Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie,
Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater
Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)
Independence:
11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)
Constitution:
adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997; passed by national
referendum 25 May 1997; effective 17 October 1997
Legal system:
based on a mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and
holdover Communist legal theory; changes being gradually introduced
as part of broader democratization process; limited judicial review
of legislative acts, but rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are
final; court decisions can be appealed to the European Court of
Justice in Strasbourg; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lech KACZYNSKI (since 23 December 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Donald TUSK (since 16 November
2007); Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar PAWLAK (since 16 November 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers responsible to the prime minister and
the Sejm; the prime minister proposes, the president appoints, and
the Sejm approves the Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 9 and 23 October
2005 (next to be held in the fall 2010); prime minister and deputy
prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm
election results: Lech KACZYNSKI elected president; percent of
popular vote - Lech KACZYNSKI 54%, Donald Tusk 46%
Legislative branch:
bicameral legislature consists of an upper house, the Senate or
Senat (100 seats; members are elected by a majority vote on a
provincial basis to serve four-year terms), and a lower house, the
Sejm (460 seats; members are elected under a complex system of
proportional representation to serve four-year terms); the
designation of National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only
used on those rare occasions when the two houses meet jointly
elections: Senate - last held 21 October 2007 (next to be held by
October 2011); Sejm elections last held 21 October 2007 (next to be
held by October 2011)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PO 60, PiS 39, independents 1; Sejm - percent of vote by
party - PO 41.5%, PiS 32.1%, LiD 13.2%, PSL 8.9%, other 4.3%; seats
by party - PO 209, PiS 166, LiD 53, PSL 31, German minorities 1;
note - seats by parliamentary grouping as of February 2009 - PO 208,
PiS 156, Left 42, PSL 31, SDPL-New Left 5, Polska XXI 6, Democratic
Caucus 3, German minorities 1, nonaffiliated 8
note: one seat is assigned to ethnic minority parties in the Sejm
only
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an
indefinite period); Constitutional Tribunal (judges are chosen by
the Sejm for nine-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Civic Platform or PO [chairman Donald TUSK; parliamentary caucus
leader Grzegorz SCHETYNA]; Democratic Caucus of the Democratic Party
(SD) or DKP SD [parliamentary caucus leader Bogdan LIS]; Democratic
Left Alliance or SLD [chairman Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Democratic
Party or PD [chairwoman Brygida KUZNIAK]; Democratic Party or SD
[chairman Pawel PISKORSKI]; German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO
[representative Henryk KROLL]; Law and Justice or PiS [chairman
Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI; parliamentary caucus leader Przemyslaw
GOSIEWSKI]; League of Polish Families or LPR [acting chairman Arnold
MASIN]; Left (Democratic Left Alliance and independents)
[parliamentary caucus leader Grzegorz NAPIERALSKI]; Polish People's
Party or PSL [chairman Waldemar PAWLAK; parliamentary caucus leader
Stanislaw ZELICHOWSKI]; Polska XXI (political grouping of former PiS
members; not officially registered) [chairman Jaroslaw SELLIN;
parliamentary caucus leader Kazimierz Michal UJAZDOWSKI]; Samoobrona
or SO [chairman Andrzej LEPPER]; Social Democratic Party of Poland
or SDPL [chairman Wojciech FILEMONOWICZ]; Social Democratic Party of
Poland-New Left (SDPL-New Left) [parliamentary caucus leader Marek
BOROWSKI]; Union of Labor or UP [chairman Waldemar WITKOWSKI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ (trade union) [Jan GUZ];
Roman Catholic Church [Cardinal Stanislaw DZIWISZ, Archbishop Jozef
MICHALIK]; Solidarity Trade Union [Janusz SNIADEK]
International organization participation:
Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer),
CBSS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA (cooperating state), EU,
FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,
MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen
Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO,
WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert KUPIECKI
chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 234-3800 through 3802
FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Victor ASHE
embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw
mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)
telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000
FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688
consulate(s) general: Krakow
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the
flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white
Economy ::Poland
Economy - overview:
Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization since 1990
and today stands out as a success story among transition economies.
In 2008, GDP grew an estimated 4.8%, based on rising private
consumption, a jump in corporate investment, and EU funds inflows.
GDP per capita is still much below the EU average, but is similar to
that of the three Baltic states. Since 2004, EU membership and
access to EU structural funds have provided a major boost to the
economy. Unemployment is falling rapidly, though at roughly 9.7% in
2008, it remains above the EU average. In 2008 inflation reached
4.3%, more than the upper limit of the National Bank of Poland's
target range, but has been falling due to global economic slowdown.
Poland's economic performance could improve further if the country
addresses some of the remaining deficiencies in its business
environment. An inefficient commercial court system, a rigid labor
code, bureaucratic red tape, and persistent low-level corruption
keep the private sector from performing up to its full potential.
Rising demands to fund health care, education, and the state pension
system present a challenge to the Polish Government's effort to hold
the consolidated public sector budget deficit under 3.0% of GDP, a
target which was achieved in 2007-08. The PO/PSL coalition
government which came to power in November 2007 plans to further
reduce the budget deficit with the aim of eventually adopting the
euro by 2012. The new government has also announced its intention to
enact business-friendly reforms, reduce public sector spending
growth, lower taxes, and accelerate privatization. The government,
however, has moved slowly on major reforms. Pension and health-care
bills passed through the legislature, but the legislature failed to
overturn a presidential veto.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$670.7 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
$638.8 billion (2007 est.)
$598.1 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$527.9 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89
6.8% (2007 est.)
6.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$17,400 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71
$16,600 (2007 est.)
$15,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4.5%
industry: 31.2%
services: 64.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
17.01 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 17.4%
industry: 29.2%
services: 53.4% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
9.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123
12.8% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
17% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 27.2% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.9 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 87
31.6 (1998)
Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
Budget:
revenues: $105.5 billion
expenditures: $115.7 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
45.2% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44
49.9% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.2% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 70
2.5% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
5% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 105
5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.99% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 135
5.72% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$118.2 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 10
$137.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$109 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 21
$93.98 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$258.3 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 27
$223.2 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$90.23 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 38
$207.3 billion (31 December 2007)
$149.1 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy
Industries:
machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals,
shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
4.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 53
Electricity - production:
149.1 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
Electricity - consumption:
129.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
Electricity - exports:
9.703 billion kWh (2008)
Electricity - imports: