Poland (Polish: Polska), officially the Republic of Poland (), is a country located in Central Europe. It is bordered by Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania, and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) to the north. Poland shares a maritime border with Denmark in the Baltic Sea. The country has been a member state of the European Union since May 1 2004.

The Polish state was formed more than 1,000 years ago under the Piast dynasty, and reached its golden age near the end of the 16th century under the Jagiellonian dynasty, when Poland was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most powerful countries in Europe. In 1791 the Sejm of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth adopted the Constitution of May 3, Europe's first modern codified constitution, and the second in the world after the Constitution of the United States. Soon afterwards, the country ceased to exist after being partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria, and Prussia. It regained independence in 1918 in the aftermath of the First World War as the Second Polish Republic. Following the Second World War it became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union known as the People's Republic of Poland. In 1989 the first partially-free elections in Poland's post-World War II history concluded the Solidarity (Solidarność) movement's struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat of Poland's communist rulers. The current Third Polish Republic was established, followed a few years later by the drafting of a new constitution in 1997. In 1999 Poland acceded to NATO, and in 2004 it joined the European Union.

Officially the country is known as Republic of Poland, in Polish Rzeczpospolita polska#Adjective. The word Rzeczpospolita is the historic name that has been used continuously since the 16th century during the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which was an elective monarchy. The term Rzeczpospolita can mean "commonwealth" or also "republic", whereas the Polish translation for the English term "republic" is republika. During communist rule from 1952 to 1989 the country's official name was the People's Republic of Poland (Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa), which was the only break in the historical official designation.

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Poland votes against UN adoption of Goldstone Report
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:38:01 -0500
The resolution however was won convincingly with 118 nations voting for the report’s adoption.
India, EU to resolve generic drug dispute, says Anand Sharma
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:50:02 -0500
New Delhi, Nov 7 : Trade Minister Anand Sharma has said that India will resolve a dispute with the European Union over generic drugs in an amicable way.
Giant dominoes form tribute to Berlin Wall's fall
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:54:19 -0500
BERLIN -- Massive colorful dominoes painted by German students were placed Saturday along the former path of the Berlin Wall to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the barrier that divided th...
Medvedev says not all hopes realized after fall of Berlin Wall
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 05:48:12 -0500
MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - The fall of the Berlin Wall was a positive event, but not all the hopes that arose after it came down were realized, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev told German me...
Simon Calder returns to East Germany
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:00:36 -0500
For a citizen of one of the most ludicrous nations ever invented East Germany there was one sure way to get across the fearsome frontier dividing the German Democratic Republic from West Germany: die....
Wall's fall bought joy to Berlin, confusion to authorities - Feature
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:20:18 -0500
Berlin - The fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989 is universally remembered as a night of euphoria and joy in Berlin. But for the city's police forces, it's also remembered as the night they pl...

Poland News

Polish students change mind to shoot a film depicting Shusha as Armenian city
Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:35:50 -0000
Following an article titled "Polish students make a film about Shusha City of Karabakh" posted in Regnum.ru news portal, Azerbaijani embassy in Poland had a meeting with Mateush Vayda and Pavel Zelmitski, students of Polish National Film, Television and Theater School in Lodz to discuss their alleged Shusha trip.
Time to Remember
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:56:52 -0000
People across west Wiltshire and Corsham will pay their respects to those who have served in wars gone by and those who are still fighting for their country today, as Remembrance Day services are held across the area this weekend.
Polish President Auctions off Faulty Lisbon Treaty Pen
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:20:45 -0000
A view of the Treaty of Lisbon ratification document after the signing ceremony at Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, 10 October 2009.
Two men on trial charged with murder of Noel Smith
Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:04:20 -0000
Polish duo "relentlessly kicked in the head" 49-year-old man A man was "relentlessly kicked in the head" in the centre of Bedford by two drunk Polish men, a court has heard.
Polish Jewish cemetery defaced with anti-Semitic...
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:01:10 -0000
Unknown vandals defaced tombstones and spray-painted anti-Semitic and anti-Israel graffiti at the Jewish cemetery in the Polish seaside resort city of Sopot, near Gdansk.
Critic of Polish president buys pen that refused to sign EU treaty
Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:54:07 -0000
A critic of President Lech Kaczynski has bought a fountain pen that malfunctioned when the Polish leader signed the European Union reform treaty.

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