Polish (Polish: Polska ['p? lska] Ã, ( listen ) ), officially Republic of Poland (Polish : Rzeczpospolita Polska [? t ?? p? 'sp? litaÃ,' p? lska] Ã, ( listen ) ), is a country located in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative subdivisions, covering an area of ​​312,679 square kilometers (120,726 sq mi), and has a moderately temperate climate. With a population of around 38.5 million people, Poland is the sixth largest member of the European Union. The capital of Poland and the largest metropolis is Warsaw. Other major cities include KrakÃÆ'³w, ÃÆ' Â ¢ ÃÆ' Â ¢ ?, Wroc? Aw, Pozna ?, Gda? Sk, and Szczecin.
The establishment of a Polish country can be traced back to A.D. 966, when Mieszko I, the ruler of the coextensive territory with the territory of Poland now, converted to Christianity. The Kingdom of Poland was founded in 1025, and in 1569 it strengthened its longstanding political relationship with the Great Empire of Lithuania by signing the Union of Lublin. This union formed the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, one of the largest (about 1 million km 2 ) and the most populous country in 16th and 17th centuries, with a unique liberal political system that adopted the first written national European constitution, Constitution of May 3, 1791.
More than a century after the Polish Partition at the end of the 18th century, Poland regained its independence in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles. In September 1939, World War II began with a Polish invasion by Germany, followed by the Soviet Union that invaded Poland in accordance with the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. More than six million Poles were killed in the war. In 1947, the Polish Republic was established as a satellite state under Soviet influence. In the aftermath of the 1989 Revolution, especially through the emergence of the Solidarity movement, Poland rebuilt itself as a democratic republic.
Poland is a growing market and a regional power. It has the eighth largest economy and one of the most dynamic in the EU, while achieving a very high ranking on the Human Development Index. In addition, the Polish Stock Exchange in Warsaw is the largest and most important in Central Europe. Poland is a developed and democratic country, which maintains a high-income economy along with very high standards of living, quality of life, safety, education, and economic freedom. According to the World Bank, Poland has a leading school education system in Europe. The country provides free university education, state-funded social security and universal health care systems for all citizens. Having a wide history, Poland has developed a rich cultural heritage, including a number of historic monuments. It has 15 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 14 of which are cultural. Poland is a member country of the European Union, Schengen Area, United Nations, NATO, OECD, the Three Sea Initiative, and the Visegrád Group.
Video Poland
Etimologi
The origin of the name "Poland" comes from the Western Slavic tribe, Polan ( Polanie ) who inhabited the Warta river valley in the historic, historic Polish region beginning in the 6th century. The origin of the name "Polanie" itself comes from the early Slavic word "polar" (field). In several languages, such as Hungarian, Lithuanian, Persian, and Turkish, the exonym for Poland is the Lechites (Lechici), derived from the name of a semi-legendary Polans ruler, Lech I.
Maps Poland
History
Prehistoric and protohistory
The Early Bronze Age in Poland began around 2400 BC, while the Iron Age began around 750 BC. During this time, the Lusatian culture, which included Bronze and Iron Age, became very prominent. The most famous archaeological finds of prehistoric and Polish prehistory are biscupine-fortified settlements (now reconstructed as open-air museums), derived from the early Lusatian Iron Age culture, around 700 BC. During the period of the Ancient, many different ethnic groups inhabited areas that are now Polish in an era dating from around 400 BC to 500 AD. These groups are identified as Celtic, Sarmatian, Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic. Also, recent archaeological finds in the Kujawy region, confirm the existence of the Roman Legion in Polish territory. This is the mission of the most likely expedition sent to protect the yellow trade. The exact time and route of the original migration and Slavic community settlement have no written record and can only be defined as fragmented. The Slavic tribes that would have formed Poland migrated to these areas in the second half of the fifth century. Until the creation of the Mieszko state and its conversion to Christianity in 966 AD, the main religion of the Slavic tribes inhabiting Poland's geographical region today is Slavic paganism. With the baptism of Poland, the Polish rulers accepted Christianity and religious authority from the Roman Church. However, the transition from paganism is not a smooth and instant process to the rest of the population as seen from pagan reactions in the 1030s.
Piast dynasty
Poland began to form a unified and territorial entity that could be recognized around the mid-10th century under the Piast dynasty. The historically documented first ruler of Poland, Mieszko I, accepted Christianity with Baptism of Poland in 966, as the new official religion of his people. Most of the population was converted in the course of the next few centuries. In 1000, Boleslaw the Brave, continued his father's policy, Mieszko, convened the Gniezno Congress and created the metropolis of Gniezno and the dioceses of KrakÃÆ'³w, Ko? Brbeg, and Wroc? Aw. However, the kafir riots led to the removal of the capital to KrakÃÆ'³w in 1038 by Casimir I the Restorer.
In 1109, Prince Boles? Aw III Wrymouth defeats the German King Henry V at the Battle of Hundsfeld, stopping the German march to Poland. The significance of this event is documented by Gallus Anonymus in his 1118 chronicle. In 1138, Poland split into small areas when Boles? Aw splits his land among his sons. In 1226, Konrad I of Masovia, one of the regional Piast dukes, invited the Teutonic Knights to help him against the Prussian pagans in the Baltic; decisions that led to centuries of warfare with the Knights. In 1264, the Statute of Kalisz or the General Charter of Jewish Freedom introduced many rights to Jews in Poland, leading to an almost autonomous "nation of nations".
In the middle of the 13th century, the Silesian branch of the Piast dynasty (Henry I the Bearded and Henry II the Pious, reigning 1238-41) almost succeeded in uniting Polish lands, but the Mongols invaded the country from the east and lost. Polish combined forces at the Battle of Legnica where Duke Henry II of Saleh died. In 1320, after a number of previous attempts failed by regional rulers to unite Poland's polity, W? Adys? Aw I consolidated his power, took the throne and became the first king of Poles reunited. His son, Casimir III (reigned 1333-70), had a reputation as one of the greatest Polish kings, and gained wide acclaim to improve the country's infrastructure. He also extended the protection of the kingdom to the Jews, and encouraged their immigration to Poland. Casimir III realized that the nation needed a class of educated people, especially lawyers, who could codify state laws and administer courts and offices. His efforts to create higher education institutions in Poland were finally rewarded when Pope Urban V gave him permission to open KrakÃÆ'³w University.
The Gold Freedom of the nobility began to flourish under the rule of Casimir, when in return for their military support, the king made a series of concessions to the nobility, and established their legal status as superior to the people of the city. When the Great Casimir died in 1370, leaving no legitimate male heirs, the Piast dynasty ended.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, Poland became a destination for Germany, Flemish, and to a lesser extent, migrants from the Walloon, Danish, and Scottish tribes. Also, Jews and Armenians began to settle and flourish in Poland during this era (see History of Jews in Poland and Armenia in Poland).
The Black Death, the plague that struck Europe from 1347-1351 did not significantly affect Poland, and the country was spared from a major outbreak of disease. The reason is the decision of Casimir Agung to quarantine the state border.
Jagiellon dynasty
The Jagiellon dynasty spanned the late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Era of Polish history. Beginning with the Grand Duke Jogaila of Lithuania (W? Adys? Aw II Jagie? O), the Jagiellon dynasty (1386-1572) formed the Polish-Lithuanian union. The partnership brought the territory of Lithuanian-controlled Rus into the sphere of Polish influence and proved beneficial to Poland and Lithuania, who coexisted and co-operated in one of the largest political entities in Europe over the next four centuries. In the region of the Baltic Sea the struggles of Poland and Lithuania with Teutonic Knights continued and culminated in the Battle of Grunwald (1410), where the combined Polish-Lithuanian army provided a decisive victory against the Teutonic Knights, allowing the territorial expansion of both countries to the far north of Livonia. In 1466, after the War of the Thirteen, King Casimir IV Jagiellon granted a royal permission to the Peace of Thorns, which created the future of the Prussian Duke, a Polish adherent. The Jagiellon dynasty at one point also established dynastic control over the Bohemian kingdom (1471 onwards) and Hungary. In the south, Poland faces the Ottoman Empire and the Crimean Tatars (by whom they were attacked on 75 separate occasions between 1474 and 1569), and in the east helped Lithuania against the Grand Duchy of Moscow. Some historians estimate that the cost of a Crimean slave robbery of the Polish-Lithuanian one million inhabitants between 1494 and 1694.
Poland developed as a feudal state, with a dominant agricultural economy and an increasingly powerful noble. The Nihil novi action adopted by the Polish Sejm (parliament) in 1505, transferred most of the legislative powers from the king to the Sejm, an event that marked the beginning of a period known as "Golden Liberty", when the state was ruled by Polish nobility "free and equal". The Protestant Reform Movement made a profound breakthrough into Polish Christianity, which resulted in the formation of policies that encouraged religious tolerance, unique in Europe at the time. This tolerance allowed the state to avoid most of the religious upheavals that were scattered in Europe during the 16th century.
The European Renaissance emerged at the end of the Jagiellon of Poland (the king of Sigismund I the Old and Sigismund II Augustus) a sense of urgency in the need to promote cultural revival, and during this period Polish culture and the nation's economy flourished. In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus, a Polish astronomer from Toru, published his work of De Revolutionibus orbium coelestium ( In the Celestial Spheres Revolution ), and thus became the first proponent of the predictive mathematical model which confirms the heliocentric theory, which became the accepted basic model for modern astronomical practice. Another major character associated with this era is the classical poet Jan Kochanowski.
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
1569 The Union of Lublin establishes the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, a federal state that is more closely united with the elective monarchy, but is ruled largely by the nobility, through a system of local assemblies with the central parliament. The Warsaw Confederation (1573) guarantees religious freedom to Polish nobles (Szlachta) and Burgesses (Mieszczanie) . However, the peasants (Ch? Opi) are still subject to the strict limitations imposed upon them by the nobility. The formation of the Commonwealth coincided with a period of stability and prosperity in Poland, with the union thereafter becoming a European power and a major cultural entity, occupying about one million square kilometers of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as agents for the spread of Western culture through Polonization into the modern Lithuanian region of Ukraine, Belarus , and Western Russia.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Poland suffered a number of dynastic crises during the reign of King Vasa Sigismund III and W? Adys? Aw IV and finds himself involved in major conflicts with Russia, Sweden and the Ottoman Empire, as well as a series of small Cossack rebellions. In 1610, the Polish army under the command of Hetman Stanis? Aw? ÃÆ'³? Kiewski seized Moscow after winning the Battle of Klushino. In 1611, the Russian Tsar saluted the King of Poland.
Following the signing of the Truce of Deulino, Poland in 1618-1621 covering an area of ​​about 1 million won 2 (390,000 sqÃ, mi).
From the mid-seventeenth century, the democracy of the nobles, who suffered from internal disturbances, gradually declined, leaving the formerly powerful Commonwealth vulnerable to foreign intervention. Beginning in 1648, the Cossack Khmelnytsky Rebellion struck south and east, eventually leaving the Ukraine divided, with the eastern part, defeated by the Commonwealth, becoming Russia's Tsardom dependence. This was followed by 'Deluge', a Swedish invasion of Poland, marching through the heart of Poland and destroying the country's population, culture and infrastructure - some four million out of eleven million Poles died in famine and epidemics throughout the 17th century. However, under John III Sobieski the Commonwealth military forces were re-established, and in 1683 Polish troops played a leading role in the Battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Army, led by Kara Mustafa, Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.
The Sobieski government marked the end of the golden age of the nation. Finding himself an almost constant target of war and suffering huge population losses as well as major damage to his economy, the Commonwealth fell into decline. Governments become ineffective as a result of large-scale internal conflicts (eg Lubomirski Rebellion against John II Casimir and confederate rebels) and corrupt legislative processes. Nobles fell under the control of a handful of magnats, and this, coupled with the relatively weak two kings of the Saxon Wettin dynasty, Augustus II and Augustus III, and the rise of Russia and Prussia after the Great North War only served to exacerbate the suffering Commonwealth. Nevertheless the Commonwealth Commonwealth-Saxony brought the emergence of the first Commonwealth reform movement, and laid the foundation for the Polish Enlightenment.
During the later part of the 18th century, the Commonwealth made an effort to carry out fundamental internal reforms; with the second half of the century bringing far better economies, significant population growth and far-reaching advances in education, intellectual life, art, and especially towards the end of the period, the evolution of social and political systems. The capital of the most populous of Warsaw replaces Gda? Sk (Danzig) as a leading trade center, and the role of more affluent citizens increases.
Partition
The election of the kingdom in 1764 resulted in the rise of Stanis? Aw II August (a Polish nobleman connected to the Czartoryski family faction of the great figures) to the monarchy. However, as a private admirer of once-Empress Catherine II of Russia, the new king spent most of his reign split between his desire to carry out the reforms necessary to save his nation, and his perceived need to remain in political relations with his Russian sponsors. This led to the establishment of the Confederation Bar 1768, a rebellion of szlachta directed against the king of Poland and his sponsorship of Russia, aimed at defending Poland's independence and the traditional rights of szlachta. Efforts at reform provoked union neighbors, and in 1772, the Common First Separation by Prussia, Russia and Austria took place; an action that "Partition Sejm", under great pressure, was eventually "ratified" fait accompli . Despite this loss, in 1773 the king established the National Education Commission, the first governmental education authority in Europe. The physical punishment of children was officially prohibited in 1783.
The Great Sejm organized by Stanis? Aw II August of 1788 successfully adopted May 3 Constitution, the first set of the highest national law in Europe. However, this document, accused by its critics of a revolutionary sympathy, resulted in strong opposition from the Commonwealth and conservatives of the Commonwealth as well as from Catherine II, who, determined to prevent the rebirth of the mighty Commonwealth, set about the final cutting plan of the Polish-Lithuanian State. Russia was assisted in reaching its goal when the Confederacy of Targowica, a Polish noble organization, appealed to the Empress to ask for help. In May 1792, Russian troops crossed the Commonwealth border, thus starting the Polish-Russian War.
The defensive war fought by Poland ended prematurely when the King, convinced of the futility of the resistance, surrendered and joined the Confederacy of Targowica. The Confederacy then took over the government. Russia and Prussia, feared the existence of a Polish state, arranged for, and in 1793 were executed, the Second Partition of the Commonwealth, which caused the country to lose so much territory that it practically could not afford independent existence. Finally, in 1795, after Ko's failure? Ciuszko failed, the Commonwealth was partitioned for the last time by his three more powerful neighbors, and with this, effectively no longer exists.
Insurrection era
Poland revolted several times against the parties, especially towards the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. An unsuccessful attempt at defending Polish sovereignty occurred in 1794 during the Koiuszko Rebellion, in which a famous and famous general Tadeusz Kosciuszko, who several years earlier served under Washington in the American Revolutionary War, led the Polish rebels against Russian troops who were numerically superior. Despite the victory in the Battle of Rac? Awice, his primary defeat ended the independent existence of Poland for 123 years.
In 1807, Napoleon I of France temporarily re-created the Polish state as the Duchy of Warsaw, after the success of the Great Polish Uprising in 1806 against the Prussian government. However, after the failed Napoleonic Wars, Poland was once again divided between the winning forces at the Vienna Congress of 1815. The eastern part was ruled by the Russian czars as the Polish Congress, which had a very liberal constitution. However, over time the Russian king reduced the freedom of Poland, and Russia annexed the country in almost all names. Meanwhile, the Prussian-controlled territory of Poland is under increasing Germanization. Thus, in the 19th century, only Galicia was ruled by Austria, and in particular the Free City of KrakÃÆ'³w, which allowed free Polish culture to flourish.
During the period of the partition, Polish political and cultural oppression led to the organization of a number of uprisings against the authorities of the Russian, Prussian and Austrian governments which occupied. In 1830, the November Uprising began in Warsaw when, led by Lieutenant Piotr Wysocki, a young officer not assigned to the Cadet Cadet School in Warsaw rebelled. They join a large segment of Polish society, and together force Russian garrison Warsaw to retreat north of the city.
Over the next seven months, Polish troops defeated Russian Field Marshal Hans Karl von Diebitsch and other Russian commanders; However, finding themselves in a position not supported by other foreign powers, saving faraway France and the newly born United States, and with Prussia and Austria refusing to allow import of military supplies through their territory, Poland accepts that the rebellion is doomed to failure. After Warsaw's surrender to General Ivan Paskievich, many Polish troops, who felt that they could not continue, retreated to Prussia and there lay their hands. After the defeat, Poland's semi-independent Congress lost its constitution, army and legislative council, and was closely integrated with the Russian Empire.
During the Spring of the Nation (a series of revolutions that swept Europe), Poland took up arms in the Greater Poland Revolt of 1848 against the Prussian government. Initially, the rebellion manifested itself in the form of civil disobedience, but eventually turned into an armed struggle when the Prussian military was sent to calm the region. Finally, after several battles, the rebellion was suppressed by the Prussians, and the Great Duchy of Posen was more fully incorporated into Prussia.
In 1863, a new Polish uprising against Russian rule began. The January uprising started as a spontaneous protest by young Poles against conscription into the Russian Imperial Army. However, the rebels, though joining Polish-Lithuanian high-ranking officers and many politicians, are still very outnumbered and lacking in foreign support. They were forced into guerrilla warfare tactics and failed to win a major military victory. After that there was no great uprising witnessed in the Russian-controlled Polish Congress, and Poland instead promoted economic and cultural development.
Despite the political unrest experienced during the partition period, Poland benefited from a large-scale industrialization and modernization program, institutionalized by the occupying power, which helped it develop into a more coherent and economically viable entity. This is especially true in the Great Poles, Silesia and Pomerania Timur controlled by Prussia (later part of the German Empire); the areas ultimately, largely thanks to the Great Poland Rebellion of 1918 and the Silesian Uprising, were reshaped as part of the Second Polish Republic, becoming the most prosperous territory in the country.
Reconstruction
During World War I, all the Allies agreed on the Polish reconstitution that US President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in Point 13 of the Fourteen Points. A total of 2 million Polish troops fought with soldiers from three occupying powers, and 450,000 people were killed. Shortly after the truce with Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic ( II Rzeczpospolita Polska ). This affirms its independence after a series of military conflicts, most notably the Polish-Soviet War (1919-21) when Poland caused a devastating defeat in the Red Army at the Battle of Warsaw, an event that was deemed to have halted the progress of Communism to Europe and forced Vladimir Lenin to rethink its goal of achieving global socialism. The show is often referred to as "The Miracle of the Vistula".
During this period, Poland managed to integrate the territories of three previous dividing forces into a cohesive state of togetherness. The train was restructured to drive traffic to Warsaw, not the former imperial capital, a new network of national roads gradually built and the main port opened on the Baltic Coast, thus allowing Polish exports and imports to cut politically cost-free. City of Danzig.
The interwar period was heralded in a new era of Polish politics. While Polish political activists faced severe censorship in decades until the First World War, the country now finds itself trying to build a new political tradition. For this reason, many exiled Polish activists, such as Ignacy Paderewski (who later became prime minister) returned home to help; a large number of them then proceeded to assume a key position in the newly formed political and governmental structure. The tragedy occurred in 1922 when Gabriel Narutowicz, the prime holders of the presidency, was murdered in the Zach Gallery? Ta in Warsaw by the painter and right-wing nationalist Eligiusz Niewiadomski.
In 1926, a May coup, led by the hero of Poland's independence campaign Marshal JÃÆ'³zef Pi? Sudski, transformed the government of the Second Polish Republic into the non-partisan Sanacja movement (Healing ) in an effort to prevent radical political organizations left and right from state instability. This movement functioned integrally until Pi's death? Sudski in 1935. After the death of Marshall Pi? Sudski, Sanation split into several competing factions. In the late 1930s, the Polish government became increasingly rigid; with a number of radical political parties that threaten the stability of the country such as the Polish Communist Party is banned.
As a further result of the Munich Agreement in 1938, Czechoslovakia was handed over to Poland's small Zaolzie region of 350 square miles. The area was a point of contention between the Polish and Czechoslovakia governments in the past and the two countries fought in a brief seven-day war over it in 1919.
World War II
The formal beginnings of World War II were marked by the Nazi German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, followed by the Soviet invasion of Poland on 17 September. On September 28, 1939, Warsaw surrendered. As previously agreed in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Poland was divided into two zones, one occupied by Nazi Germany, the other, including all Kresy, fell under the control of the Soviet Union. In 1939-41, the Soviets deported hundreds of thousands of Poles to distant parts of the Soviet Union. Soviet NKVD secretly executed thousands of Polish prisoners of war (among other Katyn massacre) ahead of Operation Barbarossa. The German planner in November 1939 called for the "total destruction" of all Poles and their fates, as well as many other Slavs, elaborated in the genocide of the <Â> Generalplan Ost .
Poland made the contribution of the fourth largest force in Europe and its forces served both the Polish Government in Exile in the west and the Soviet leadership in the east. In the west, the Polish expeditionary corps played a prominent role in the Italian and North African Campaign and specifically remembered for the Battle of Monte Cassino. In the east, the Soviet-backed Polish 1 army distinguished itself in battles for Warsaw and Berlin.
Polish warriors are also active in the maritime and air war theater; During the Battle of Britain Polish squadrons such as the 303 "Ko? Ciuszko" fighter squadron achieved great success, and by the end of the Polish Air Force exiled wars could claim 769 confirmed victims. Meanwhile, the Polish Navy is active in the protection of convoys in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
The domestic underground resistance movement, Armia Krajowa ( Army House ), fought against the German occupation. The wartime resistance movement in Poland is one of the three largest resistance movements of the whole war, and includes vast clandestine activities, which serve as a subterranean state complete with universities providing degrees and court systems. The resistance was loyal to the exiled government and generally hated the idea of ​​a Polish communist; for this reason, in the summer of 1944 they started Operation Tempest, the Warsaw Uprising which began on August 1, 1944 was the best known operation. The purpose of the uprising was to drive the German invaders from the city and help with the greater struggle against the Germans and the Axis powers. The secondary motive was to see Warsaw freed before the Soviets could reach the capital, so as to underline Poland's sovereignty by empowering Polish Underground States before the Soviet-backed Polish National Maintenance Committee could take over the reins. The lack of Allied support and Stalin's reluctance to allow the 1st Army to help their compatriots take over the city led to the failure of the uprising and the subsequent city destruction plan.
German troops under direct command of Adolf Hitler erected six slaughter camps, all of which operated in the heart of Poland. They include Treblinka, Majdanek and Auschwitz. Germany transported the condemned Jews of the Third Reich and throughout occupied Europe to kill them in the death camps established in the Polish annexed territory of Nazi Germany.
Germany killed 2.9 million Polish Jews, and 2.8 million Polish, including Polish academics, doctors, lawyers, nobles, priests, and many others. It is estimated that, from Polish Jews before the war, about 90% were killed. Throughout the occupation, many members of Armia Krajowa, backed by the Polish government in exile, and millions of ordinary Poles - at great risk for themselves and their families - were involved in saving Jews from Nazi Germany. Grouped by nationality, Poland represents the greatest number of people who saved Jews during the Holocaust. To date, 6,620 Poles have been awarded the title of "Righteous Among the Nations" by the State of Israel â € "more than any other country. Some estimates say the number of Poles involved in the rescue effort reached up to 3 million, and gave Poland credit by protecting up to 450,000 Jews.
About 150,000 Polish civilians were killed by Soviet Communists between 1939 and 1941 during the occupation of the Soviet Union in eastern Poland (Kresy), and an estimated 100,000 other Poles were killed by the Ukrainian Rebel Army (UPA) in the Woore region? and East Galicia between 1943 and 1944 in what is known as Wo? y? Massacre. The massacre was part of a cruel ethnic clause campaign by Ukrainian nationalists against local Polish citizens in the occupied East German region.
At the conclusion of the war, in 1945 the Polish border shifted westward, resulting in considerable territorial losses. More than 2 million Polish resident Kresy was expelled along the Curzon Strip in accordance with Stalin's agreement. The western border was moved to the Oder-Neisse line. As a result, the Polish region is reduced by 20%, or 77,500 square kilometers (29,900 sq mi). The shift forced the migration of millions of others, many of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews. Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: more than 6 million people died - nearly a fifth of the Polish population - half of them Polish Jews. More than 90% of deaths are non-military. The population did not recover until the 1970s.
post-war Communism
At the urging of Joseph Stalin, the Yalta Conference approved the formation of a new provisional pro-Communist coalition government in Moscow, which disregarded the Polish government in exile based in London; a move that angered many Poles who regarded it as a betrayal by the Allies. In 1944, Stalin had assured Churchill and Roosevelt that he would defend Polish sovereignty and allow democratic elections to take place. However, after reaching victory in 1945, elections held by occupying Soviet rulers were forged and used to provide a veneer of 'legitimacy' to Soviet hegemony over Polish affairs. The Soviet Union instituted a new communist government in Poland, analogous to most of the other Eastern Bloc. Like elsewhere in Communist Europe, Soviet occupation of Poland met with armed resistance from the beginning that continued into the fifties.
Despite widespread objections, the new Polish government accepted the Soviet annexation of the pre-war region of Poland (especially the towns of Wilno and LwÃÆ'³w) and approved the permanent garrison of the Red Army units in Polish territory. The military reconciliation in the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War occurred as a direct result of changes in Polish political culture and in the European arena came to characterize the integration of Poland into the communist nation's fraternity.
The Polish Republic ( Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa ) was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956, after the death of Boles? Aw Bierut, rà ©  © gim W? Adys? Aw Gomu? Ka became temporarily more liberal, liberating many people from prison and expanding personal freedom. Collectivization in the Polish Republic fails. A similar situation recurred in 1970 under Edward Gierek, but most of the time the persecution of anti-communist opposition groups persisted. Nonetheless, Poland at the time was regarded as one of the most oppressive countries of the Soviet Bloc.
Labor unrest in 1980 led to the formation of an independent trade union "Solidarity" ("Solidarno"), which from time to time became a political force. Despite the persecution and imposition of martial law in 1981, it eroded the dominance of the Polish Unity Workers' Party and in 1989 had won the first free and democratic parliamentary elections since Poland since the end of the Second World War. Lech Wa ?? sa, a Solidarity candidate, finally won the presidency in 1990. The Solidarity Movement heralded the collapse of communist regimes and parties across Europe.
1990s to present
The shock therapy program, initiated by Leszek Balcerowicz in the early 1990s enabled the country to turn its planned socialist economy into a market economy. Like other post-communist countries, Poland suffered a setback in social and economic standards, but it became the first post-communist country to reach the pre-1989 level of GDP, achieved in 1995 primarily thanks to a booming economy.
Most obviously, there are many improvements in human rights, such as free speech, internet freedom (no censorship), civil liberties (class 1) and political rights (class 1), as rated by non-governmental organizations Freedom House. In 1991, Poland became a member of the Visegrád Group and joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance in 1999 along with the Czech Republic and Hungary. Poland then voted to join the EU in a referendum in June 2003, with Poland becoming a full member on May 1, 2004. Poland joined the Schengen Territory in 2007, as a result, the country's borders with other member states of the European Union have been dismantled, allowing full freedom of movement in most of the EU. In contrast to this, part of the eastern border of Poland is now an external EU border with Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The borders have become increasingly well-protected, and have caused part of the coining of the expression 'European Fortress', in connection with the apparent 'impossibility' to enter the EU for former Soviet citizens.
In an effort to strengthen military cooperation with neighboring countries, Poland formed the Battlegroup Visegrád with Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with a total of 3,000 troops ready to be deployed. Also, in eastern Poland created the battle group LITPOLUKRBRIG with Lithuania and Ukraine. These battle groups will operate outside NATO and within the framework of European defense initiatives.
On April 10, 2010, President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Kaczy? Ski, along with 89 other Polish high officials, were killed in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia. The presidential party is on its way to attend the annual memorial service for Katy victims? massacre when the tragedy occurred.
In 2011, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council granted to Poland. The same year parliamentary elections take place in the Senate and Sejm. They were won by the ruling Civic Platform. Poland joins the European Space Agency in 2012, as well as organizes UEFA Euro 2012 (together with Ukraine). In 2013, Poland is also a member of the Development Assistance Committee. In 2014, Polish Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, was elected President of the Council of Europe, and resigned as prime minister. The 2015 election was won by the opposition Law and Justice Party (PIS).
Geography
The Polish region extends across several geographical regions, between latitudes 49 °, 55 ° and 55 °, and ° longitude 14 ° and 25 ° E. The northwest is the Baltic coast, extending from the Gulf of Pomerania to the Gda Bay? sk. The coast is characterized by some spit, coastal lakes (formerly broken bays from the sea), and sand dunes. The coastline is largely straightforwardly nicknamed by Laguna Szczecin, Teluk Keping, and Vistula Lagoon.
The central and northern parts of the country are located in the Northern European Plains. Riding over this lowland is a geographical region consisting of four hilly districts of Moraine's moraines and lakes that formed during and after the Pleistocene ice age. This lake district is the Pomeranian Lake District, the Great Lakes District of Poland, the Lake Kashubian District, and the Masurian Lakes District. Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and covers most of northeastern Poland. The lake district forms part of the Baltic Ridge, a series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea.
The North of the Northern European Plains is the area of ​​Lusatia, Silesia and Masovia, which is characterized by icy river valleys. Further south is the mountainous region, including Sudetes, Kraków-Cz? Stochowa Uplands, Mountains? Tokrzyskie, and the Carpathian Mountains, including Beskids. The highest part of the Carpathians is the Tatra Mountains, along the southern border of Poland.
Geology
The geological structure of Poland has been shaped by European and African continental collisions over the past 60 million years and, more recently, by the glorification of the Northern Quarter of Europe. Both processes form the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains. The moraine landscape in northern Poland contains mostly sand or clay soil, while the icy river basin in the south often contains loess. The Polish Jurassa, Pieniny, and Western Tatras are composed of limestone, while the High Tatras, Beskids, and Karkonosze consist mainly of granite and basalt. Jura Chain Poland has some of the oldest rock formations on the continent of Europe.
Poland has 70 mountains over 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) in altitude, all on the Tatras. The Polish Tatras, consisting of the High Tatras and the Western Tatras, are the highest Polish mountain group and the entire Carpathian range. In the High Tatras is located the highest point of Poland, the northwestern peak of Rysy, 2,499 meters (8,199 feet) in altitude. At its feet is the mountain lake Czarny Staw pod Rysami (Black Lake under Mount Rysy) and Morskie Oko (Sea Eye).
The second highest mountain group in Poland is Beskids, whose highest peak is Babia GÃÆ'³ra, at 1,725 ​​meters (5,659 feet). The next highest mountain group is Karkonosze in Sudetes, the highest point of which is? Nie? Ka at 1,603 meters (5,259 ft), and the Mountains? Nik, the highest point of which is? Nie? Nik at 1.425 meters (4.675Ã, ft).
Other notable highlands include the Table Mountains, which are noted for their attractive rock formations, the Bieszczady Mountains at the southeastern tip of the country, where Poland's highest peak is Tarnica at 1,346 meters (4,416 ft), Gorce Gorge in the National Park, the highest is Turbacz at 1310 meters (4,298 feet), Pieniny in Pieniny National Park, the highest point of which is Wysokie Ska? Ki (Wysoka) at 1,050 meters (3,445Ã, ft), and? ? tokrzyskie Mountains in? wi? tokrzyski National Park, which has two equally high peaks :? ysica at 612 meters (2,008Ã, ft) and? ysa GÃÆ'³ra at 593 meters (1,946Ã, ft).
The lowest point in Poland - at 1.8 meters (5.9Ã, ft) below sea level - is at Raczki Elbl? Skie, near Elbl? G at the Vistula Delta.
In Zag region ?? bie D? Browskie (Coal Territory in D? Browa) in Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland is an area with a rare vegetation stretch known as Desert BÃ ¢ â,‰ "¢ dÃÆ'³w. It covers an area of ​​32 square kilometers (12 m²). It is not a natural desert but the result of human activity from the Middle Ages and beyond.
Baltic Sea Activity in S? Owi? Ski National Park creates sand dunes that in the course of time separating the bay from the sea creates two lakes. When the waves and winds carry sand to the land, the sand dunes slowly move, at a rate of 3 to 10 meters (9.8 to 32.8 feet) per year. Some dunes reach a height of up to 30 meters (98 feet). The highest peak of the park is Rowokol (115 meters or 377 feet above sea level).
Waters
The longest river is the Vistula (Polish: Wis? A ), 1,047 kilometers (651 mi) long; Oder (Polish: Odra ) which is part of the western border of Poland, 854 kilometers (531 mi) in length; son of the river, Warta, 808 kilometers (502 mi) long; and Bug, a tributary of the Vistula, along 772 kilometers (480 mi). Vistula and Oder flows to the Baltic Sea, as are the many small rivers in Pommern.
Yna and Angrapa flow through Pregolya to the Baltic Sea, and Czarna Ha? Cza flows into the Baltic Sea via Neman. While most of the Polish rivers flow into the Baltic Sea, the Polish Beskids are the source of several tributaries over from the Orava, which flow through the VÃÆ'¡h and the Danube to the Black Sea. Eastern Beskids is also the source of several streams that flow through the Dniester to the Black Sea.
The Polish River has been used since the earliest times for navigation. Vikings, for example, travel to Vistula and Oder with their longships. In the Middle Ages and in early modern times, when the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was a European bread carcass; shipping of grain and other agricultural products to Vistula to Gda and so on to other parts of Europe is very important.
In Pilica river valley in TomaszÃÆ'³w Mazowiecki there is a unique natural karst spring containing calcium salt, which is the object of protection in Niebieskie? RÃÆ'³d? A Nature Reserve at SulejÃÆ'³w Landscape Park. The origin of the Niebieskie backup name? RÃÆ'³d? A , that means Blue Springs , comes from the fact that red waves are absorbed by water and only blue and green are reflected from the bottom of the spring, giving an unusual color.
With nearly ten thousand covered bodies of water covering over 1 hectare (2.47 hectares) each, Poland has one of the highest lakes in the world. In Europe, only Finland has greater lake density. The largest lake, which covers more than 100 square kilometers (39 m²), is Lake? Niardwy and Lake Mamry in Masuria, and Lake? Ebsko and Lake Drawsko in Pomerania.
In addition to the northern lake districts (in Masuria, Pomerania, Kashubia, Lubuskie, and Greater Poland), there are also a number of mountain lakes in the Tatras, where Morskie Oko is the largest in the area. The lake with the largest depth - over 100 meters (328 feet) - is Lake Ha? Cza in Wigry Lake District, east of Masuria in Podlaskie Voivodeship.
Among the first lakes on which the edge is restored are those in the Great Lakes District of Poland. The settlement of the stage house of Biskupin, occupied by more than a thousand inhabitants, was established before the 7th century BC by the people of the Lusatian culture.
The lake has always played an important role in Polish history and continues to be of great importance to modern Polish society today. The Polish ancestors of today, Polanie, built their first fortress on the islands of this lake. The legendary Prince Popiel ruled from the Kruszwica tower set up at Lake Gop? The first documented Polish ruler, Duke Mieszko I, owns his palace on an island on the Warta River in Pozna. Today the lakes in Poland provide a location to pursue water sports such as yachting and windsurfing.
The Baltic coast of Poland has a length of about 528 kilometers (328 miles) and extends from? Winouj? Cie on the islands of Usedom and Wolin in the west to Krynica Morska in Vistula Spit in the east. For the most part, Poland has a smooth coastline, which has been shaped by the continuous movement of sand by currents and winds. This continuous erosion and sediment has formed cliffs, sand dunes, and saliva, many of which have migrated to the mainland to cover the former lagoon, such as Lake Ebsko in S? Owi? Ski National Park.
The biggest spit is Hel Peninsula and Vistula Spit. Coastlines vary also by Szczecin and Vistula Lagoons and some lakes, for example? ebsko and jamno. Poland's largest Baltic island is called Wolin famous for its Wolin National Park. The largest seaport is Szczecin, "winouj? Cie, Gda? Sk, Gdynia, Police and Ko? Obrzeg and the main beach resort -? Winouj? Cie, Mi? Dzydzdroje, Ko? Obrzeg, Eba, Sopot, W? Adys? Awowo and Hel Peninsula.
Land use
Poland is the fourth most forested country in Europe. The forests cover about 30.5% of Poland's land area by international standards. The overall percentage is still increasing. Polish forests are managed by a national reforestation program (KPZL), which aims to increase forest cover to 33% by 2050. Polish forests (according to SoEF 2011 statistics) are more than twice the European average (with Germany and France at top), containing 2.304 billion cubic meters of trees. The largest forest complex in Poland is the Lower Silesian Desert.
More than 1% of the Polish region, 3,145 square kilometers (1,214Ã, sqÃ, mi), is protected in 23 Polish national parks. Three other national parks are projected for Masuria, Polish Jurassic, and eastern Beskid. In addition, wetlands along lakes and rivers in central Poland are legally protected, as are the coastal areas in the north. There are more than 120 lands designated as landscape parks, along with many nature reserves and other protected areas (eg Natura 2000).
Since Poland's access to the EU in 2004, Polish agriculture has performed very well and the country has more than two million private farms. It is Europe's leading producer of potatoes and wheat (the world's second largest in 1989) the world's largest triticale producer, and one of the more important wheat, wheat, sugar beet, hemp, and fruit producers. Poland is the fourth largest supplier of EU pigs after Germany, Spain and France.
Biodiversity
Phytogeographically, Poland belongs to the Central European province of the Circumboreal Region within the Kingdom of Boreal. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Polish region belongs to three Palearctic Ecoregions of continental forests that stretch across broad-leafed Central and North Europe and mixed forests, as well as the montane Carpathian coniferous forest.
Many animals that die in other parts of Europe still survive in Poland, like the wise men in the ancient forest of Bia? Owie? A Forest and in Podlaskie. Other species like a brown bear in Bia? Owie? A, in the Tatras, and in the Beskids, gray wolves and Eurasia lynx in various forests, deer in northern Poland, and beavers in Masuria, Pomerania, and Podlaskie.
In the forest there are game animals, such as red deer, roe deer and wild boar. In eastern Poland there are a number of ancient forests, such as Bia? Owie? Forest, which has never been cleaned or disturbed by many people. There is also a large forest area in the mountains, Masuria, Pomerania, Lubusz Land and Lower Silesia.
Poland is the most important breeding ground for various European migratory birds. A quarter of the global white heron population (40,000 breeding pairs) lives in Poland, mainly in the lake and wetland districts along Biebrza, Narew, and Warta, which are part of nature reserves or national parks.
Poland has historically been home to two of the largest mammalian species in Europe - wise (? Ubr ) and aurochs ( tour ). Both survived in Poland longer than elsewhere. The last aurochs of Europe became extinct in 1627, in the JaktorÃÆ'³w Forest, while European wood bison survived until the 20th century only in Bia? Owie? A Forest, but has been reintroduced to other countries since.
Climate
The climate is mostly moderate across the country. The climate of the oceans in the north and west and gradually becomes warmer and continental to the south and east. The summers are generally warm, with temperatures average between 18 and 30 Â ° C (64.4 and 86.0 Â ° F) depending on the region. The winters are somewhat cooler, with temperatures averaging around 3Ã, Â ° C (37.4Ã, Â ° F) in the northwest and -6Ã, Â ° C (21Ã, Â ° F) in the northeast. Rainfall falls year-round, though, especially in the east, winter is drier than summer.
The warmest region in Poland is Lower Silesia in the southwest of the country, where temperatures in summer averaged between 24 and 32 Â ° C (75 and 90 Â ° F) but can be as high as 34 to 39 Â ° C (93.2 to 102.2 Â ° F) on some days in the hottest months of July and August. The hottest cities in Poland are TarnÃÆ'³w in Lesser Poland, and Wroc? Aw in Lower Silesia. Average temperature in Wroc? Aw is 20 Â ° C (68 Â ° F) in summer and 0 Â ° C (32.0 Â ° F) in winter, but TarnÃÆ'³w has the longest summer in all of Poland, which lasts for 115 days, from mid May to mid September. Poland's coldest region is in the northeast at Podlaskie Voivodeship near the border with Belarus and Lithuania. Usually the coolest city is Suwa? Ki. Climate is influenced by cold fronts coming from Scandinavia and Siberia. The winter average temperature in Podlaskie ranges from -6 to -4 Â ° C (21 to 25 Â ° F). The greatest impact of the ocean climate observed in? Winouj? Cie and Baltic Sea coastal area from Police to S? Upsk.
Politics
Poland is a representative democracy, with the president as head of state, whose current constitution originated from 1997. Poland occupies the top 20 percent of the world's most peaceful nation, according to the Global Peace Index. The structure of government is centered on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The President appoints the cabinet according to the prime minister's proposal, usually from the majority coalition in Sejm. The President is elected by popular vote every five years. The current President is Andrzej Duda and the prime minister is Mateusz Morawiecki.
Polish voters voted for a bicameral parliament consisting of 460 lower house members (Sejm) and the Senate of 100 members (Senate). Sejm was chosen by proportional representation according to the d'Hondt method, a method similar to that used in many parliamentary political systems. The Senate, on the other hand, was chosen by the first passing polling method, with one senator returned from each of the 100 constituents.
With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only political party candidates who receive at least 5% of the total national vote may enter Sejm. While sitting in a joint session, members of Sejm and the Senate formed the National Assembly ( Zgromadzenie Narodowe ). The National Assembly is formed on three occasions: when a new president takes an oath of office; when the indictment against the President of the Republic was brought to the State Court ( Trybuna? Stanu ); and when the permanent inability of a president to carry out his duties because of the state of his health is declared. For now only the first instance happens.
The judicial branch plays an important role in decision making. Its main institutions include the Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland ( S? D Najwy? Szy ); Supreme Administrative Court of the Republic of Poland ( Naczelny S? D Administracyjny ); Constitutional Court of the Republic of Poland ( Trybuna? Konstytucyjny ); and the State Court of the Republic of Poland ( Trybuna? Stanu ). With the approval of the Senate, Sejm also appointed an ombudsman or Commissioner for the Protection of Civil Rights (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich ) for a period of five years. The Ombudsman has the duty of maintaining the observance and exercise of the rights and freedoms of Polish citizens and citizens, the laws and principles of public life and social justice.
Legal
The Polish Constitution is the highest law in contemporary Poland, and the Polish legal system is based on the principle of civil rights, governed by the Code of Civil Law. Historically, Poland's most famous law is the Constitution of May 3, 1791. Historian Norman Davies describes it as the first of its kind in Europe. The Constitution was instituted as a Government Act (Poland: Ustawa rz Dowa ) and was then adopted on May 3, 1791 by Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Especially, it was designed to correct the old political defects of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and its Gold Freedom. Previously only Henrican articles signed by each elected king of Poland can perform the function of a set of basic laws.
The new constitution introduces political equality between city dwellers and nobles ( szlachta), and places the peasants under government protection. The Constitution abolished destructive parliamentary institutions such as the liberal veto, which at one time had placed at the mercy of any deputies who may elect, or be bribed by foreign interests or powers, to annul all laws which has been endorsed by that segm. The May 3 Constitution seeks to replace the existing anarchy fostered by some of the country's reactionaries, with a more egalitarian and democratic constitutional monarchy. The adoption of the constitution is treated as a threat by Polish neighbors. In Prussia's response, Austria and Russia formed an anti-Polish alliance and over the next decade collaborated with each other to partition their weaker neighbors and destroy the Polish state. In the words of two of his co-authors, Ignacy Potocki and Hugo Ko ??? taj, the constitution represents "the last will and testimony of an expired Homeland." Nonetheless, the text affects many democratic movements later in the world. In Poland, freedom of expression is guaranteed by Article 25 (part I. of the Republic) and Article 54 (part II of the Freedom, Rights and Duties of Persons and Citizens) of the Polish Constitution.
Feminism in Poland began in the 1800s in the era of foreign Partitions. The precursor of Polish feminism, Narcyza? Michowska, founded the Right of Select group in 1842. Prior to the final Separation in 1795, women taxpayers were allowed to take part in political life. Since 1918, after returning to independence, all women can vote. Poland is a 15th (12th sovereign) country to introduce universal women's suffrage. Currently, in Poland abortion is only allowed under special circumstances, such as when a woman's life or health is threatened by the continuation of pregnancy, when pregnancy is the result of a criminal act, or when the fetus is seriously disabled. Homosexuality in Poland was ascertained legal in 1932. Also, Poland recognized gender change. Trafficking in women is 'illegal and rare' (top results worldwide).
The Polish Constitution is currently adopted by the Polish National Assembly on 2 April 1997, approved by a national referendum on 25 May 1997, and came into force on 17 October 1997. It guarantees a multi-party state, religious freedom, speech and assembly, and specifically throwing away a lot of Communist idealism to create a 'free market economy system'. This requires public officials to pursue environmentally sound policies and recognize inviolability of homes, the right to form trade unions, and to strike while at the same time prohibiting the practice of forced medical, torture and corporal punishment.
Foreign relations
In recent years, Poland has expanded its responsibilities and positions in European and international affairs, supporting and building friendly relations with other European countries and a large number of 'developing' nations.
Poland is a member of the European Union, NATO, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Organization for Cooperation and Economic Development (OECD), the European Economic Area, the International Energy Agency, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the International Atomic Energy Agency, European Space Agency, G6, State Council of the Baltic Sea, Visegrád Group, Weimar Triangle and Schengen Agreement.
In 1994, Poland became a member of the European Union (EU) association and defense arm, the Western European Union (WEU), after submitting initial documentation for full membership in 1996, formally joined the EU in May 2004, along with other members of Visegrale group. In 1996, Poland gained full OECD membership, and at the 1997 Madrid Summit was invited to join the NATO Organization in the first wave of policy expansion that eventually became a full member of NATO in March 1999.
As a change since the fall of communism in 1989 has redrawn the map of Europe, Poland has tried to forge a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with its seven new neighbors, this mainly includes signing a 'friendship treaty' to replace links that were cut off by the collapse of the Warsaw Pact. Poland has established a special relationship with Ukraine, with whom he hosts the UEFA Euro 2012 football tournament, in an effort to explicitly link the country in the Western world and provide it with an alternative to harmonize with the Russian Federation. Despite many positive developments in the region, Poland has found itself in a position where it must seek to defend Polish ethnic rights living in the former Soviet Union; this is especially true for Belarus, where in 2005 the regime of Lukashenko launched a campaign against ethnic Polish minorities.
Poland is the sixth most populous member of the EU and has a total of 51 representatives in the European Parliament. Since joining the unions in 2004, successive Polish governments have pursued policies to enhance the role of the state in European and regional affairs.
Administrative division
Poland's current province (province) is largely based on the country's historic territory, while the areas of the past two decades (to 1998) have been centered and named for each city. The new unit range is in an area of ​​less than 10,000 square kilometers (3,900 sq. M) for Opole Voivodeship to over 35,000 square kilometers (14,000 sq. Mi) for the Masovian Voivodeship. The administrative authority at the voivodeship level is divided between the designated government (governor), a select regional assembly ( sejmik ) and an executive elected by the assembly.
Voivodeship is divided into powiats (commonly referred to in English as district), and this is subdivided into gminas (also known as communes or municipalities). Big cities usually have good status gmina and powiat . Poland has 16 voivodeships, 379 powiats (including 65 cities with powiat status), and 2,478 gminas .
Military
The Polish armed forces consist of four branches: Land Army ( Wojska L? Dowe ), Navy ( Marynarka Wojenna ), Air Force ( Si? Y Powietrzne ), Special Forces ( Wojska Specjalne ) and Territorial Defense Force - the military component of the Polish armed forces created in 2016. The plan calls for a once-over, active force to consist of 53,000 people to be trained and equipped to counter the potential threat of hybrid warfare. The military is under the Ministry of National Defense. However, the chief commander was the President of the Republic.
The size of the Polish army is estimated at about 101,500 troops (2016). The Polish Navy mainly operates in the Baltic Sea and conducts operations such as maritime patrol, search and rescue for the Baltic part under Polish sovereignty, as well as hydrographic measurement and research. Also, the Polish Navy played a more international role as part of the 2003 Iraq invasion, providing logistical support to the United States Navy. The position of the Polish Air Force is now almost the same; has routinely taken part in Baltic Air Baltic assignments, but on the contrary, with the exception of a number of units serving in Afghanistan, has seen no active fighting. In 2003, F-16C Block 52 was chosen as a new common multi-role combat aircraft for the air force, the first deliveries took place in November 2006.
The most important mission of the armed forces is the defense of Polish territorial integrity and Polish interests abroad. Poland's national security goal is to better integrate with NATO and the European defense, economy, and political institutions through its modernization and military reorganization. The armed forces are being rearranged in accordance with NATO standards, and since 201
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