Global Understanding

Introduction
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Poland << Please vote!
Poland


Poland is a country in central Europe. Its capital is Warsaw, it has over 38 million inhabitants and the official language is Polish. It is the 34th most populous country in the world and the 69th largest country in the world.

History
Under the Jagiellon dynasty Poland forged a union with its neighbour, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army inflicted a decisive defeat on the Teutonic Knights who were in control of the Baltic States. The Knight’s state became a Polish vassal. The Jagiellon established dynastic control over the kingdoms of Bohemia and Hungary in the 15th century making Poland one of the biggest countries in Europe. Polish culture and economy flourished and famous people out of this time are the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and poet Jan Kochanowski. Poland was exceptional tolerant towards religious differences. That’s how Poland didn’t became part of the religious turmoil that spread over Western Europe at that time.
The Polish Golden Age followed in the 16th century when the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth was created. Many people were in the nobility and they were proud that they had lots of freedom and a parliamentary system. Poland expanded it’s borders and it became the largest country in Europe. The Golden Age ended after the Swedish Invasion, the uprising in Ukraine and the wars with Russia.


Poland at it’s biggest in 1635

Nazi Germany attacked Poland on the 1st of September, 1939. Polish troops fought bravely but the Nazis were too strong and the Soviet Union invaded Poland as well. Poland was split up in 2 until the Warsaw-pact was broken. Poland made a big war effort on the allied side. After the war was over the west border of Poland was moved to the Oder-Neisse line and the eastern border to the Curzon line, making the country 20% smaller and causing a big migration.



Landscape
The landscape of Poland is very diverse. The Baltic coast, big cities, big rivers, lakes, mountains and even a desert.


The Tatras mountain range



Interviews
Sadness, Vodka, spontaneity, quarrelsome, patriotic and being inventive are typically Polish things. The 11th of November is the Polish Independence day. Poland is different from other countries because the people are really nice, especially towards foreigners, their history, attitude to life, mentality, their loyalty and they never give up. Nearly all people are proud of their country because of their culture, history, military acts and the Polish who changed the world. Most Polish dislike Germany and Russia because of a history of occupation. Brother nations of Poland are the Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary. Sometimes Ukraine, Lithuania, Croatia & Georgia are mentioned. You could compliment Polish by saying something nice about their country such as history, culture or even women. There is a mixed opinion about whether you should have a business talk in an informal or formal way. They like how their eCountry is run, except the economy could be better. People don’t really care about the United Netherlands. They hardly know anything about it and they just see us as a tiny country. Some say they respect that we help our allies.
Typically Polish food:
-Bigos - http://ujeb.pl?yf1QEiEMsS
-Rolada
-Pierogi Ruskie
-Kiszona Kapusta
-kotlet schabowy
-Pork chop, potatoes and cabbage salad
-[url=ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gołąbki]Gołąbki[/url]
-Pierogi
-żurek
-grochówka
-fasolka po bretońsku
-Schabowy
-dumplings
-red borsch

Choice enough!

Funfacts
-Poland has a high unemployment rate
-Poland has a high emigration rate, especially towards Western European countries
- The most popular name for a dog in Poland is Burek which translates to: “brownish-grey color”.
- In Poland, bananas are peeled from the blossom end, not from the stem end.
- Polish toilet paper is made of crepe.
- Amongst all the members of the European Union, the residents of Poland marry the youngest.