History

 

 

Map of Poland

 

Located in the central part of Europe, Poland (officially known as the Republic Of Poland) is surrounded by other countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. The Polish state is over 1 000 years old. During the 16th century, Poland was one of the most powerful countries in Europe. With victory at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, King Jan III Sobieski of Poland was able to break the Ottoman siege of Vienna and end the threat of a possible occupation of western Europe*.


Poland's Flag

Poland became more known during World War I, when the allies decided to constitutionalize it as a country again as a border to keep Germany and Russia from going on an outbreak. This idea came from the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson with his famous Fourteen Point Speech. Poland was able to regain its independence from the rule of the other countries.
In World War II, Poland was Invaded by Germany as a way to create six major concentration camps, most notably the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The camps were made by Adolf Hitler, who took over Germany during the 1930s. Many of the Jews were taken there by the Germans to keep them as hostages and kill them. In the mid-1940s, there was the Warsaw Uprising, which liberated the Jews in the concentration by the U.S., along with the allied forces.
Today, Poland is a democratic regime. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The 460 members of the lower house of parliament (the Sejm) and the 100 members of the senate, are directly elected by a system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The Polish are famous for their people: astronomer Copernicus, scientist Maria Curie-Sklodowska, and the late pope, John-Paul II.



Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1989%E2%80%93present)
http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/poland/index_en.htm