Population
The population of Poland was 38.2 million in May 2005, which ranks Poland 8th in Europe and 29th in the world, with the average population density of 122 persons per km2.
Capital City
The Capital City of Poland is Warsaw. It is Poland's largest city with a population of 1.7 million in May 2005.
Language
Polish is the principal language of the country. English is widely spoken in the cities and is the principal foreign language taught in Polish schools. Russian is still widely understood, especially by those over 35. There is a small ethnic German minority, and German is widely understood in western Poland.
Principal Religions
The main faith in Poland is Roman Catholicism
The International dialling code for Poland is 00 48
Local currency
Poland's currency is the zloty (zl or PLN) divided into 100 groszy.
Weights and measures
Poland has a Metric system
Electricity supply
The electricity supplied in Poland is 220 volts AC (domestic) 50Hz; 380 volts AC (industrial). Screw-type light fittings and 2-pin plugs are generally in use.
Standard time
Poland belongs to Central European Time: GMT + 1 h
European Summer Time begins (clocks go forward) at 01.00 UTC on
27 March 2005
26 March 2006
25 March 2007
30 March 2008
European Winter Time begins (clocks go back) at 01.00 UTC on
30 October 2005
29 October 2006
28 October 2007
26 October 2008
To convert the time zone:
-9 h:Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles
-7 h:Chicago
-6 h:Nowy Jork, Toronto
-5 h:Buenos Aires
-4 h:Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
-1 h:Londyn, Dublin, Lagos, Lizbona
+1 h:Helsinki, Moskwa, Ateny, Tel Aviv, Kair, Johannesburg
+2 h:Abu Dhabi, Erewañ
+7 h:Pekin, Manila
+8 h:Tokyo, Adelaide
+9 h:Sydney, Canberra
+10 h:Auckland
Public holidays 2006
New Year - 1 January
Easter - 16-17 April
Labour Day - 1 May
National / Constitution Day - 3 May
Corpus Christi - 19 June
Assumption - 15 August
All Saints Day - 1 November
Independence Day - 11 November
Christmas Day - 25 December
St Szczepan's Day - 26 December
Climatic conditions
Geographic coordinates of Kraków Balice:
Height above sea level: Hs= 237 m
Latitude: 50o 05' N
Longitude: 19o 48' E
Geographic coordinates of Aleksandrowice- Bielsko Biała:
Height above sea level Hs= 398 m
Latitude: 49o 48' N
Longitude: 19o 00' E
Geographic coordinates of Szczyrk:
Height above sea level Hs= 520 m
Latitude: 49o 43' N
Longitude: 19o 02' E
The long-term mean of chosen characteristics in second half of February.
|
Parameter
|
Kraków-Balice
|
Aleksandrowice
|
Szczyrk
|
|
Average temperature - °C
(15-29 luty) and temperature range
|
-0,5°C
(1,1-2,3°C)
|
-0,9°C
(-1,6-0,1°C)
|
-2,3°C
|
|
Average maximum temperature - °C
(15-29 February)
|
3,3°C
(5,0-1,3oC)
|
2,7°C
(2,0-3,4°C)
|
|
|
Average minimum temperature - °C
(15-29 February)
|
-3,8°C
(-2,3-5,5°C)
|
-3,9oC
(-4,4-3,4°C)
|
|
|
Relative humidity (%)
|
82(80-85)
|
|
|
|
Atmospheric pressure - hPa
|
989,1(988,3-989,9)
|
|
|
|
Vapour pressure - hPa
|
4,6(4-4,8)
|
|
|
|
Absolute maximum - °C
|
18,5°C
|
|
|
|
Absolute minimum °C
|
-25,0°C
|
|
|
|
Average sum of precipitation in February - mm
|
15*
|
48
|
76
|
|
Average days number of snow cover
|
|
18
|
24
|
Travel routes to Poland
Poland may be reached by the following means of transport:
Air
Most European and many international airlines now operate a service to Warsaw and to other Polish cities such as Gdansk and Krakow. There are several flights daily between european countries and Poland.
Car
Poland may be reached by car via border crossings along all of its borders. New high-speed road links are being built to traverse the country north-south and east-west. International petroleum retailers now operate service stations within the country including sales of unleaded petrol. These are more frequent in and around cities.
Rail
Rail services run from many European destinations to Poland.
Boat
Boat services are available between Poland and other countries around the Baltic. Longer distance ferries are also in operation.
How to get to & from the airport
The journey time between Cracow Airport and the centre of Cracow is approximately 30 minutes.
Travelling in Poland
Travel in Poland is possible by aeroplane, train, bus and car.
Air
Due to the size of Poland, air travel within the country is a practical cost effective time-saving method of travel.
Rail
There is a comprehensive and inexpensive rail service throughout Poland with stations in most towns. Train tickets are only valid on the day for which they are issued.
Bus
The buses in Poland are relatively inexpensive and very efficient, particularly for short trips. Outside towns, drivers will often make unscheduled stops on request.
Car
The speed limits on Polish roads are as follows:
Town - 50 km per hour
Outside town - 90 km per hour
Highway - 130 km per hour
Seatbelts must be worn by drivers and all passengers.
Rent a Car in Krakow:
NATIONAL - (+48 12) 639-32-86; AVIS - (+48 12) 421-10-66, (+48 12) 639-32-89; BUDGET - (+48 12) 285-50-25; EUROPCAR - (+48 12) 285-50-45; HERTZ - (+48 12) 285-50-84
In most major cities there are efficient public transport systems.
Tourism
Tourism is well catered for in Poland, which has a variety of scenic and interesting areas that are well worth visiting. Further details about Malopolska Region can be obtained from the websites:
http://www.mcit.pl/
e-mail: info@mcit.pl
tel. (+48 12) 421 77 06, 421 30 51
fax: (+48 12) 421 30 36
Important telephones:
Turist Information Centre tel: (+48 22) 94 - 86
Emergency road service tel: (+48 22) 96 - 37
The Railway Information PKP tel: (+48 22) 94 - 36
The Bus Information PPKS tel: (+48 22) 94 - 33
Flight information PLL LOT tel.: 0801 703 703
The Customs Information tel: (+48 22) 811 - 01 - 28
