WEH Kanton

WEH Kanton © 2008
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:16:47 +0800
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Poland in Brief

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We are pleased to invite you to take a short tour around Poland, her wonderful past, riches of today and promise of tomorrow.
Poles - from the Heart of Europe

"It is necessary to have stamina and belief in oneself. It is necessary to believe that a person has a talent for something and will get it at any price."
Maria Sklodowska-Curie

"Only work offers the opportunity of revealing us to ourselves, to show ourselves what we really are and not just what we look like."
Jozef Korzeniowski (Joseph Conrad)

"To be defeated and not relent, that is victory; to be victorious and rest on one's laurels, that is defeat."
Jozef Pilsudski

	• Culture (7239)
	The style and personality of Polish life have been shaped over a thousand years. National culture was born of influences of the Latin and the Byzantine worlds, and from a dialogue between ethnic minorities in Poland. The Poles have always welcomed foreign artists and been eager to follow what was happening in other countries.
	• Economy (5118)
	Since the turning point of 1989 Poland has undergone great political, social and economic changes. The introduction of democratic structures, the move from the command economy to the free market, and wide-ranging systemic reforms are all achievements of which Poles can be proud.
	• People (3741)
	In 2001 Poland's population stood at 38,644,000. This figure makes it the 29th most populated country in the world and the 8th in Europe. Poles account for 5.3% of all Europeans and for 0.65% of the world's population.
	• Poland and the World (2763)
	After the Second World War, Poland became a Soviet dependency for over fifty years, deprived of the right to make any independent decisions regarding its political alliances. Poland's aspirations to play a substantial role in Western European culture or to participate in Euro-Atlantic structures became possible only after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. Subsequently, European integration became the pattern to follow, based on the observation of European democracy, the protection of human rights and market economy. European Union countries are Poland's main partners in establishing a free market and in forming new conditions for national security.
	• Poland in photos (2946)

	• Science and Education (3729)
	Poles are reputed to be romantic, and romantics often look to the sky. This is probably why Poland is famous for its astronomers. Nicolaus Copernicus was among the most distinguished of all astronomers. He formulated a revolutionary theory of the heliocentric structure of our planetary system. Aleksander Wolszczan, a contemporary scientist and follower of Copernicus, discovered a planetary system outside a heliocentric system. The traditions of Polish science date back to the Middle Ages. In 1364 the first Polish university was founded, the second in Central Europe after Prague. This was the Cracow Academy, now called the Jagiellonian University.
	• Territory (3897)
	Poland lies in the central part of the European continent, whose geometrical centre is near Warsaw. This is where the lines from Norway's Nordkyn to Greece's Matapan and from Portugal's Cabo da Roca to the central Urals intersect. The boundary between the East and West European continental blocs also runs across the country.