Poland: landmarks, animals & facts for kids

Poland is a country in Central Europe with a coastline on the Baltic Sea. It borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and a part of Russia. Its capital and largest city is Warsaw. Poland is one of the larger countries in the European Union, with about 38 million people.

Poland is known for its old castles and rebuilt historic towns, deep forests, lakes and delicious dumplings called pierogi. On the globe you can find Malbork Castle, a gigantic red-brick fortress, and Wawel Castle in Kraków, home of Polish kings, as well as the white stork and the ancient Białowieża Forest.

Geography and nature

Most of Poland is flat or gently rolling; its name is thought to come from an old word for 'field'. In the north are sandy Baltic beaches and the Masurian Lake District, with thousands of lakes. In the south rise the Tatra Mountains, where Rysy, at 2,499 metres, is the country's highest point. The Vistula, Poland's longest river, flows through Kraków and Warsaw. Białowieża Forest, on the border with Belarus, is one of Europe's last old-growth forests and home to wild European bison.

People, languages and culture

Almost everyone speaks Polish, a Slavic language with sounds like 'sz' and 'cz'. Most people are Catholic, and holidays such as Christmas Eve, with its meatless supper, are very important. Popular foods include pierogi, bigos, a hunter's stew, and pączki doughnuts. Poland has given the world the composer Fryderyk Chopin, the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and the scientist Marie Skłodowska-Curie, who won two Nobel Prizes. Folk art includes paper cut-outs and painted Easter eggs.

History in a nutshell

Poland became a Christian kingdom in 966. Later, joined with Lithuania, it formed one of the largest states in Europe. At the end of the 1700s its neighbours divided it up, and Poland disappeared from the map for 123 years, returning in 1918. In 1939 the Second World War began with the invasion of Poland, and millions of its people died; Warsaw was almost completely destroyed and later rebuilt. After decades of communist rule, the Solidarity movement helped bring free elections in 1989. Poland joined the European Union in 2004.