USD to PLN Live Rate

North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico

Central Europe, east of Germany

38 00 N, 97 00 W

52 00 N, 20 00 E

North America

Europe

total: 9,833,517 sq km

land: 9,147,593 sq km

water: 685,924 sq km

note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia, no overseas territories (2010)

country comparison to the world: 4

total: 312,685 sq km

land: 304,255 sq km

water: 8,430 sq km

country comparison to the world: 71

about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union

total: 12,048 km

border countries (2): Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,155 km

note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28.5 km

total: 3,071 km

border countries (7): Belarus 418 km, Czech Republic 796 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 104 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 210 km, Slovakia 541 km, Ukraine 535 km

19,924 km

440 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: not specified

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

mean elevation: 760 m

elevation extremes: lowest point: Death Valley -86 m (lowest point in North America)

highest point: Denali (Mount McKinley) 6,190 m (highest point in North America)

note: the peak of Mauna Kea (4,205 m above sea level) on the island of Hawaii rises about 10,200 m above the Pacific Ocean floor; by this measurement, it is the world's tallest mountain - higher than Mount Everest (8,850 m), which is recognized as the tallest mountain above sea level

mean elevation: 173 m

elevation extremes: lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, rare earth elements, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber, arable land

note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

agricultural land: 44.5%

arable land 16.8%; permanent crops 0.3%; permanent pasture 27.4%

forest: 33.3%

other: 22.2% (2011 est.)

agricultural land: 48.2%

arable land 36.2%; permanent crops 1.3%; permanent pasture 10.7%

forest: 30.6%

other: 21.2% (2011 est.)

264,000 sq km (2012)

970 sq km (2012)

large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prairie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu

population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the Midwest and Southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development

volcanism: volcanic activity in the Hawaiian Islands, Western Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, and in the Northern Mariana Islands; both Mauna Loa (4,170 m) in Hawaii and Mount Rainier (4,392 m) in Washington have been deemed Decade Volcanoes by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior, worthy of study due to their explosive history and close proximity to human populations; Pavlof (2,519 m) is the most active volcano in Alaska's Aleutian Arc and poses a significant threat to air travel since the area constitutes a major flight path between North America and East Asia; St. Helens (2,549 m), famous for the devastating 1980 eruption, remains active today; numerous other historically active volcanoes exist, mostly concentrated in the Aleutian arc and Hawaii; they include: in Alaska: Aniakchak, Augustine, Chiginagak, Fourpeaked, Iliamna, Katmai, Kupreanof, Martin, Novarupta, Redoubt, Spurr, Wrangell, Trident, Ugashik-Peulik, Ukinrek Maars, Veniaminof; in Hawaii: Haleakala, Kilauea, Loihi; in the Northern Mariana Islands: Anatahan; and in the Pacific Northwest: Mount Baker, Mount Hood

flooding

large emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural freshwater resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification

decreased emphasis on heavy industry and increased environmental concern by post-communist governments has improved environment; air pollution remains serious because of emissions from coal-fired power plants and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes

party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94

world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Denali (Mt. McKinley) is the highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

326,625,791 (July 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

38,476,269 (July 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 36

noun: American(s)

adjective: American

noun: Pole(s)

adjective: Polish

white 72.4%, black 12.6%, Asian 4.8%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.9%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.2%, other 6.2%, two or more races 2.9% (2010 est.)

note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); an estimated 16.3% of the total US population is Hispanic as of 2010

Polish 96.9%, Silesian 1.1%, German 0.2%, Ukrainian 0.1%, other and unspecified 1.7%

note: represents ethnicity declared first (2011 est.)

English 79%, Spanish 13%, other Indo-European 3.7%, Asian and Pacific island 3.4%, other 1% (2015 est.)

note: data represent the language spoken at home; the US has no official national language, but English has acquired official status in 32 of the 50 states; Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii, and 20 indigenous languages are official in Alaska

Polish (official) 98.2%, Silesian 1.4%, other 1.1%, unspecified 1.3%

note: data represents the language spoken at home; shares sum to more than 100% because some respondents gave more than one answer on the census; Poland ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in 2009 recognizing Kashub as a regional language, Czech, Hebrew, Yiddish, Belarusian, Lithuanian, German, Armenian, Russian, Slovak, and Ukrainian as national minority languages, and Karaim, Lemko, Romani (Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma), and Tatar as ethnic minority languages (2011 est.)

Protestant 46.5%, Roman Catholic 20.8%, Jewish 1.9%, Mormon 1.6%, other Christian 0.9%, Muslim 0.9%, Jehovah's Witness 0.8%, Buddhist 0.7%, Hindu 0.7%, other 1.8%, unaffiliated 22.8%, don't know/refused 0.6% (2014 est.)

Catholic 87.2% (includes Roman Catholic 86.9% and Greek Catholic, Armenian Catholic, and Byzantine-Slavic Catholic .3%), Orthodox 1.3% (almost all are Polish Autocephalous Orthodox), Protestant 0.4% (mainly Augsburg Evangelical and Pentacostal), other 0.4% (includes Jehovah's Witness, Buddhist, Hare Krishna, Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Muslim, Jewish, Mormon), unspecified 10.8% (2012 est.)

total dependency ratio: 51.2

youth dependency ratio: 29

elderly dependency ratio: 22.1

potential support ratio: 4.5 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio: 43.9

youth dependency ratio: 21.4

elderly dependency ratio: 22.5

potential support ratio: 4.5 (2015 est.)

total: 38.1 years

male: 36.8 years

female: 39.4 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 60

total: 40.7 years

male: 39 years

female: 42.4 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 47

0.81% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 129

-0.13% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 206

12.5 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 158

9.5 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 202

8.2 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 85

10.4 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 33

3.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 29

-0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 118

large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western tier states; mountainous areas, principally the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian chain, deserts in the southwest, the dense boreal forests in the extreme north, and the central prarie states are less densely populated; Alaska's population is concentrated along its southern coast - with particular emphasis on the city of Anchorage - and Hawaii's is centered on the island of Oahu

population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

urban population: 82% of total population (2017)

rate of urbanization: 0.99% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population: 60.5% of total population (2017)

rate of urbanization: 0.02% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

New York-Newark 18.593 million; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana 12.31 million; Chicago 8.745 million; Miami 5.817 million; Dallas-Fort Worth 5.703 million; WASHINGTON, D.C. (capital) 4.955 million (2015)

WARSAW (capital) 1.722 million; Krakow 760,000 (2015)

at birth: NA

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female

total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

26.4 years (2015 est.)

27.4 years (2014 est.)

14 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 138

3 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 182

total: 5.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 170

total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 182

total population: 80 years

male: 77.7 years

female: 82.2 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 43

total population: 77.8 years

male: 73.9 years

female: 81.8 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 67

1.87 children born/woman (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 143

1.35 children born/woman (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 215

74.1%

note: percent of women aged 15-44 (2011/13)

17.1% of GDP (2014)

country comparison to the world: 1

6.4% of GDP (2014)

country comparison to the world: 97

2.57 physicians/1,000 population (2014)

2.29 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

2.9 beds/1,000 population (2013)

6.5 beds/1,000 population (2013)

improved:

urban: 99.4% of population

rural: 98.2% of population

total: 99.2% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0.6% of population

rural: 1.8% of population

total: 0.8% of population (2015 est.)

improved:

urban: 99.3% of population

rural: 96.9% of population

total: 98.3% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0.7% of population

rural: 3.1% of population

total: 1.7% of population (2015 est.)

improved:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

improved:

urban: 97.5% of population

rural: 96.7% of population

total: 97.2% of population

unimproved:

urban: 2.5% of population

rural: 3.3% of population

total: 2.8% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

36.2% (2016)

country comparison to the world: 12

23.1% (2016)

country comparison to the world: 69

0.5% (2012)

country comparison to the world: 136

5% of GDP (2014)

country comparison to the world: 63

4.9% of GDP (2014)

country comparison to the world: 65

total: 17 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2014)

total: 16 years

male: 16 years

female: 17 years (2013)

total: 10.4%

male: 11.4%

female: 9.3% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 127

total: 20.8%

male: 20.7%

female: 20.9% (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 62

degree of risk: intermediate

vectorborne disease: tickborne encephalitis (2016)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.8%

male: 99.9%

female: 99.7% (2015 est.)

conventional long form: United States of America

conventional short form: United States

abbreviation: US or USA

etymology: the name America is derived from that of Amerigo VESPUCCI (1454-1512) - Italian explorer, navigator, and cartographer - using the Latin form of his name, Americus, feminized to America

conventional long form: Republic of Poland

conventional short form: Poland

local long form: Rzeczpospolita Polska

local short form: Polska

etymology: name derives from the Polanians, a west Slavic tribe that united several surrounding Slavic groups (9th-10th centuries A.D.) and who passed on their name to the country; the name of the tribe likely comes from the Slavic "pole" (field or plain), indicating the flat nature of their country

constitutional federal republic

parliamentary republic

name: Washington, DC

geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W

time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

note: the 50 United States cover six time zones

name: Warsaw

geographic coordinates: 52 15 N, 21 00 E

time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming

16 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Dolnoslaskie (Lower Silesia), Kujawsko-Pomorskie (Kuyavia-Pomerania), Lodzkie (Lodz), Lubelskie (Lublin), Lubuskie (Lubusz), Malopolskie (Lesser Poland), Mazowieckie (Masovia), Opolskie (Opole), Podkarpackie (Subcarpathia), Podlaskie, Pomorskie (Pomerania), Slaskie (Silesia), Swietokrzyskie (Holy Cross), Warminsko-Mazurskie (Warmia-Masuria), Wielkopolskie (Greater Poland), Zachodniopomorskie (West Pomerania)

American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island

note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political entities: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)

4 July 1776 (declared independence from Great Britain); 3 September 1783 (recognized by Great Britain)

11 November 1918 (republic proclaimed); notable earlier dates: 966 (adoption of Christianity, traditional founding date), 1 July 1569 (Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created)

Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)

previous 1781 (Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union); latest drafted July - September 1787, submitted to the Congress of the Confederation 20 September 1787, submitted for states' ratification 28 September 1787, ratification completed by nine states 21 June 1788, effective 4 March 1789; amended many times, last in 1992 (2016)

history: several previous; latest adopted 2 April 1997, approved by referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997

amendments: proposed by at least one-fifth of Sejm deputies, by the Senate, or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote in the Sejm and absolute majority vote in the Senate; amendments to articles relating to sovereignty, personal freedoms, and constitutional amendment procedures also require passage by majority vote in a referendum; amended 2006, 2009, 2015 (2016)

common law system based on English common law at the federal level; state legal systems based on common law except Louisiana, which is based on Napoleonic civil code; judicial review of legislative acts

civil law system; judicial review of legislative, administrative, and other governmental acts; constitutional law rulings of the Constitutional Tribunal are final

withdrew acceptance of compulsory ICJ jurisdiction in 2005; withdrew acceptance of ICCt jurisdiction in 2002

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent: yes

dual citizenship recognized: no, but the US government acknowledges such situtations exist; US citizens are not encouraged to seek dual citizenship since it limits protection by the US

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

citizenship by birth: no

citizenship by descent only: both parents must be citizens of Poland

dual citizenship recognized: no

residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

18 years of age; universal

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2017); Vice President Michael R. PENCE (since 20 January 2017); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2017); Vice President Michael R. PENCE (since 20 January 2017)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, approved by the Senate

elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by the Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state; president and vice president serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 10 November 2020)

election results: Donald J. TRUMP elected president; electoral vote - Donald J. TRUMP (Republican Party) 304, Hillary D. CLINTON (Democratic Party) 227, other 7; percent of direct popular vote - Hillary D. CLINTON 48.2%, Donald J. TRUMP 46.1%, other 5.7%

chief of state: President Andrzej DUDA (since 6 August 2015)

head of government: Prime Minister Mateusz MORAWIECKI (since 11 December 2017); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and National Heritage Piotr GLINSKI (since 16 November 2015), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and Higher Education Jaroslaw GOWIN (since 16 November 2015), Beata SZYDLO, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Policy (since 11 December 2017)

cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, appointed by the president, and approved by the Sejm

elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 May 2015 with a second round on 24 May 2015 (next to be held in May 2020); prime minister, deputy prime ministers, and Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the Sejm

election results: Andrzej DUDA elected president in second round; percent of vote - Andrzej DUDA (independent) 51.5%, Bronislaw KOMOROWSKI (independent) 48.5%

description: bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats; 2 members directly elected in each of the 50 state constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia and Louisiana which require an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 6-year terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote except in Georgia which requires an absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 2-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 6 November 2018); House of Representatives - last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 6 November 2018)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 24, Democratic Party 10; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Republican Party 241, Democratic Party 194,

note: in addition to the regular members of the House of Representatives there are 6 non-voting delegates elected from the District of Columbia and the US territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands; these are single seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote to serve a 2-year term (except for the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico who serves a 4-year term); the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a “full floor” House vote; election of delegates last held on 8 November 2016 (next to be held on 6 November 2018)

description: bicameral legislature consists of the Senate or Senat (100 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) and the Sejm (460 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote with a 5% threshold of total votes cast for a party to gain a seat; members serve 4-year terms); note - the designation National Assembly or Zgromadzenie Narodowe is only used on those rare occasions when the 2 houses meet jointly

note: all minorities are exempt from the 5% threshold requirement for seats to the Sejm

elections: Senate - last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in October or November 2019); Sejm - last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in October or November 2019)

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PiS 61, PO 34, PSL 1, independent 4; Sejm - percent of vote by party - PiS 37.6%, PO 24.1%, K15 8.8%, N 7.6%, PSL 5.1% other 16.8%; seats by party - PiS 235, PO 138, K15 42, N 28, PSL 16, German minority 1

highest court(s): US Supreme Court (consists of 9 justices - the chief justice and 8 associate justices)

judge selection and term of office: president nominates and, with the advice and consent of the Senate, appoints Supreme Court justices; justices appointed for life

subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (includes the US Court of Appeal for the Federal District and 12 regional appeals courts); 94 federal district courts in 50 states and territories

note: the US court system consists of the federal court system and the state court systems; although each court system is responsible for hearing certain types of cases, neither is completely independent of the other, and the systems often interact

highest court(s): Supreme Court or Sad Najwyzszy (consists of the president of the Supreme Court and 116 justices organized in criminal, civil, labor and social insurance, and military chambers)

judge selection and term of office: president of the Supreme Court nominated by the General Assembly of the Supreme Court and selected by the president of Poland; other judges nominated by the 25-member National Judiciary Council, and appointed by the president of Poland; judges appointed until retirement, usually at age 65, but tenure can be extended

subordinate courts: Constitutional Tribunal; State Tribunal; administrative courts; regional and appellate courts subdivided into military, civil, criminal, labor, and family courts

Democratic Party [Tom PEREZ]

Green Party [collective leadership]

Libertarian Party [Nicholas SARWARK]

Republican Party [Ronna Romney MCDANIEL]

Civic Platform or PO [Grzegorz SCHETYNA]

Democratic Left Alliance or SLD [Wlodzimierz CZARZASTY]

German Minority of Lower Silesia or MNSO [Ryszard GALLA]

Kukiz 15 or K15 [Pawel KUKIZ]

Law and Justice or PiS [Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI]

Liberty (formerly the Coalition for the Renewal of the Republic-Liberty and Hope or KORWiN) [Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE]

Nowoczesna ("Modern") or N [Katarzyna LUBNAUER]

Polish People's Party or PSL [Wladyslaw KOSINIAK-KAMYSZ]

Razem (Together) [collective leadership]

environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PACs; health groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies

All Poland Trade Union Alliance or OPZZ [Jan GUZ] (trade union)

Independent Self-Governing Trade Union or Solidarity [Piotr DUDA]

Roman Catholic Church [Archbishop Wojciech POLAK, Archbishop Stanislaw GADECKI]

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CD, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CICA (observer), CP, EAPC, EAS, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SELEC (observer), SICA (observer), SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNSC (permanent), UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CD, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; the blue stands for loyalty, devotion, truth, justice, and friendship; red symbolizes courage, zeal, and fervency, while white denotes purity and rectitude of conduct; commonly referred to by its nickname of Old Glory

note: the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico

two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; colors derive from the Polish emblem - a white eagle on a red field

note: similar to the flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white

bald eagle; national colors: red, white, blue

white crowned eagle; national colors: white, red

name: "The Star-Spangled Banner"

lyrics/music: Francis Scott KEY/John Stafford SMITH

note: adopted 1931; during the War of 1812, after witnessing the successful American defense of Fort McHenry in Baltimore following British naval bombardment, Francis Scott KEY wrote the lyrics to what would become the national anthem; the lyrics were set to the tune of "The Anacreontic Song"; only the first verse is sung

name: "Mazurek Dabrowskiego" (Dabrowski's Mazurka)

lyrics/music: Jozef WYBICKI/traditional

note: adopted 1927; the anthem, commonly known as "Jeszcze Polska nie zginela" (Poland Has Not Yet Perished), was written in 1797; the lyrics resonate strongly with Poles because they reflect the numerous occasions in which the nation's lands have been occupied

chief of mission: Ambassador Piotr Antoni WILCZEK (since 18 January 2017)

chancery: 2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 499-1700

FAX: [1] (202) 328-6271

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Wayne JONES (since 7 October 2015)

embassy: Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31 00-540 Warsaw

mailing address: American Embassy Warsaw, US Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5010 (pouch)

telephone: [48] (22) 504-2000

FAX: [48] (22) 504-2688

consulate(s) general: Krakow

The US has the most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $59,500. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers, pharmaceuticals, and medical, aerospace, and military equipment; however, their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. Based on a comparison of GDP measured at purchasing power parity conversion rates, the US economy in 2014, having stood as the largest in the world for more than a century, slipped into second place behind China, which has more than tripled the US growth rate for each year of the past four decades.

In the US, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, businesses face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets.

Long-term problems for the US include stagnation of wages for lower-income families, inadequate investment in deteriorating infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, energy shortages, and sizable current account and budget deficits.

The onrush of technology has been a driving factor in the gradual development of a "two-tier" labor market in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. But the globalization of trade, and especially the rise of low-wage producers such as China, has put additional downward pressure on wages and upward pressure on the return to capital. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. Since 1996, dividends and capital gains have grown faster than wages or any other category of after-tax income.

Imported oil accounts for more than 50% of US consumption and oil has a major impact on the overall health of the economy. Crude oil prices doubled between 2001 and 2006, the year home prices peaked; higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets and many individuals fell behind in their mortgage payments. Oil prices climbed another 50% between 2006 and 2008, and bank foreclosures more than doubled in the same period. Besides dampening the housing market, soaring oil prices caused a drop in the value of the dollar and a deterioration in the US merchandise trade deficit, which peaked at $840 billion in 2008. Because the US economy is energy-intensive, falling oil prices since 2013 have alleviated many of the problems the earlier increases had created.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis, falling home prices, investment bank failures, tight credit, and the global economic downturn pushed the US into a recession by mid-2008. GDP contracted until the third quarter of 2009, the deepest and longest downturn since the Great Depression. To help stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and industrial corporations, much of which had been returned to the government by early 2011. In January 2009, Congress passed and former President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus to be used over 10 years - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover. In 2010 and 2011, the federal budget deficit reached nearly 9% of GDP. In 2012, the Federal Government reduced the growth of spending and the deficit shrank to 7.6% of GDP. US revenues from taxes and other sources are lower, as a percentage of GDP, than those of most other countries.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required major shifts in national resources from civilian to military purposes and contributed to the growth of the budget deficit and public debt. Through FY 2018, the direct costs of the wars will have totaled more than $1.9 trillion, according to US Government figures.

In March 2010, former President OBAMA signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), a health insurance reform that was designed to extend coverage to an additional 32 million Americans by 2016, through private health insurance for the general population and Medicaid for the impoverished. Total spending on healthcare - public plus private - rose from 9.0% of GDP in 1980 to 17.9% in 2010.

In July 2010, the former president signed the DODD-FRANK Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a law designed to promote financial stability by protecting consumers from financial abuses, ending taxpayer bailouts of financial firms, dealing with troubled banks that are "too big to fail," and improving accountability and transparency in the financial system - in particular, by requiring certain financial derivatives to be traded in markets that are subject to government regulation and oversight.

In December 2012, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) announced plans to purchase $85 billion per month of mortgage-backed and Treasury securities in an effort to hold down long-term interest rates, and to keep short-term rates near zero until unemployment dropped below 6.5% or inflation rose above 2.5%. The Fed ended its purchases during the summer of 2014, after the unemployment rate dropped to 6.2%, inflation stood at 1.7%, and public debt fell below 74% of GDP. In December 2015, the Fed raised its target for the benchmark federal funds rate by 0.25%, the first increase since the recession began. With continued low growth, the Fed opted to raise rates several times since then, and in December 2017, the target rate stood at 1.5%.

In December 2017, Congress passed and President Donald TRUMP signed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which, among its various provisions, reduces the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%; lowers the individual tax rate for those with the highest incomes from 39.6% to 37%, and by lesser percentages for those at lower income levels; changes many deductions and credits used to calculate taxable income; and eliminates in 2019 the penalty imposed on taxpayers who do not obtain the minimum amount of health insurance required under the ACA. The new taxes took effect on 1 January 2018; the tax cut for corporations are permanent, but those for individuals are scheduled to expire after 2025. The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) under the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the new law will reduce tax revenues and increase the federal deficit by about $1.45 trillion over the 2018-2027 period. This amount would decline if economic growth were to exceed the JCT’s estimate.

Poland has the sixth-largest economy in the EU and has long had a reputation as a business-friendly country with largely sound macroeconomic policies. Since 1990, Poland has pursued a policy of economic liberalization. During the 2008-09 economic slowdown Poland was the only EU country to avoid a recession, in part because of the government’s loose fiscal policy combined with a commitment to rein in spending in the medium-term Poland is the largest recipient of EU development funds and their cyclical allocation can significantly impact the rate of economic growth.

The Polish economy performed well during the 2014-17 period, with the real GDP growth rate generally exceeding 3%, in part because of increases in government social spending that have helped to accelerate consumer-driven growth. However, since 2015, Poland has implemented new business restrictions and taxes on foreign-dominated economic sectors, including banking and insurance, energy, and healthcare, that have dampened investor sentiment and has increased the government’s ownership of some firms. The government reduced the retirement age in 2016 and has had mixed success in introducing new taxes and boosting tax compliance to offset the increased costs of social spending programs and relieve upward pressure on the budget deficit. Some credit ratings agencies estimate that Poland during the next few years is at risk of exceeding the EU’s 3%-of-GDP limit on budget deficits, possibly impacting its access to future EU funds. Poland’s economy is projected to perform well in the next few years in part because of an anticipated cyclical increase in the use of its EU development funds and continued, robust household spending.

Poland faces several systemic challenges, which include addressing some of the remaining deficiencies in its road and rail infrastructure, business environment, rigid labor code, commercial court system, government red tape, and burdensome tax system, especially for entrepreneurs. Additional long-term challenges include diversifying Poland’s energy mix, strengthening investments in innovation, research, and development, as well as stemming the outflow of educated young Poles to other EU member states, especially in light of a coming demographic contraction due to emigration, persistently low fertility rates, and the aging of the Solidarity-era baby boom generation.

$19.36 trillion (2017 est.)

$18.95 trillion (2016 est.)

$18.67 trillion (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

country comparison to the world: 3

$1.111 trillion (2017 est.)

$1.07 trillion (2016 est.)

$1.042 trillion (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

country comparison to the world: 25

$19.36 trillion (2017 est.)

$510 billion (2017 est.)

2.2% (2017 est.)

1.5% (2016 est.)

2.9% (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 144

3.8% (2017 est.)

2.6% (2016 est.)

3.9% (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 78

$59,500 (2017 est.)

$58,600 (2016 est.)

$58,200 (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

country comparison to the world: 20

$29,300 (2017 est.)

$28,200 (2016 est.)

$27,400 (2015 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

country comparison to the world: 66

17.5% of GDP (2017 est.)

18% of GDP (2016 est.)

19.4% of GDP (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 105

19% of GDP (2017 est.)

19.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

19.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 96

household consumption: 69.1%

government consumption: 17.2%

investment in fixed capital: 16.3%

investment in inventories: 0.3%

exports of goods and services: 12.2%

imports of goods and services: -15.1% (2017 est.)

household consumption: 58.8%

government consumption: 18.1%

investment in fixed capital: 17.8%

investment in inventories: 0.8%

exports of goods and services: 56.2%

imports of goods and services: -51.8% (2017 est.)

agriculture: 0.9%

industry: 18.9%

services: 80.2%

(2017 est.)

agriculture: 2.4%

industry: 40.2%

services: 64.3% (2017 est.)

wheat, corn, other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish; forest products

potatoes, fruits, vegetables, wheat; poultry, eggs, pork, dairy

highly diversified, world leading, high-technology innovator, second-largest industrial output in the world; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining

machine building, iron and steel, coal mining, chemicals, shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles

1.8% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 144

4.2% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 64

160.4 million

note: includes unemployed (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

17.6 million (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 37

farming, forestry, and fishing: 0.7%

manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts: 20.3%

managerial, professional, and technical: 37.3%

sales and office: 24.2%

other services: 17.6%

note: figures exclude the unemployed

(2009 est.)

agriculture: 11.5%

industry: 30.4%

services: 57.6% (2015 est.)

4.4% (2017 est.)

4.9% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 60

4.8% (2017 est.)

6.2% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 65

15.1% (2010 est.)

17.6% (2015 est.)

lowest 10%: 2%

highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 23.9% (2015 est.)

45 (2007 est.)

40.8 (1997 est.)

country comparison to the world: 41

30.8 (2015 est.)

33.7 (2008 est.)

country comparison to the world: 126

revenues: $3.336 trillion

expenditures: $3.991 trillion

note: for the US, revenues exclude social contributions of approximately $1.0 trillion; expenditures exclude social benefits of approximately $2.3 trillion (2017 est.)

revenues: $90.8 billion

expenditures: $102.2 billion (2017 est.)

17.2% of GDP

note: excludes contributions for social security and other programs; if social contributions were added, taxes and other revenues would amount to approximately 22% of GDP (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 176

17.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 171

-3.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 128

-2.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 93

77.4% of GDP (2017 est.)

76.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover only what the United States Treasury denotes as "Debt Held by the Public," which includes all debt instruments issued by the Treasury that are owned by non-US Government entities; the data include Treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by individual US states, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of Treasury borrowings from surpluses in the trusts for Federal Social Security, Federal Employees, Hospital and Supplemental Medical Insurance (Medicare), Disability and Unemployment, and several other smaller trusts; if data for intra-government debt were added, "gross debt" would increase by about one-third of GDP

country comparison to the world: 43

46.2% of GDP (2017 est.)

48.4% of GDP (2016 est.)

note: data cover general government debt, and includes debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities, the data include subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions

country comparison to the world: 115

1 October - 30 September

calendar year

2.1% (2017 est.)

1.3% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 97

1.9% (2017 est.)

-0.6% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 87

0.5% (31 December 2010 est.)

0.5% (31 December 2009 est.)

country comparison to the world: 134

1.5% (31 December 2017 est.)

2% (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 123

4.3% (31 December 2017 est.)

3.51% (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 156

4.8% (31 December 2017 est.)

4.74% (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 148

$3.627 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$3.25 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

$255.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$195.1 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 21

$14 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$12.84 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

$374.2 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$300.6 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 30

$21.59 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$20.24 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

$413.8 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$336.7 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 31

$25.07 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)

$26.33 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$24.03 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

$261.5 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$277.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$351.7 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 30

$-462 billion (2017 est.)

$-451.7 billion (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 201

$-4.958 billion (2017 est.)

$-959 million (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 175

$1.576 trillion (2017 est.)

$1.456 trillion (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

$221.4 billion (2017 est.)

$195.7 billion (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 26

agricultural products (soybeans, fruit, corn) 9.2%, industrial supplies (organic chemicals) 26.8%, capital goods (transistors, aircraft, motor vehicle parts, computers, telecommunications equipment) 49.0%, consumer goods (automobiles, medicines) 15.0% (2008 est.)

machinery and transport equipment 37.8%, intermediate manufactured goods 23.7%, miscellaneous manufactured goods 17.1%, food and live animals 7.6% (2012 est.)

Canada 18.3%, Mexico 15.9%, China 8%, Japan 4.4% (2016)

Germany 27.3%, UK 6.6%, Czech Republic 6.6%, France 5.4%, Italy 4.8%, Netherlands 4.5% (2016)

$2.352 trillion (2017 est.)

$2.208 trillion (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

$221.8 billion (2017 est.)

$193.6 billion (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 21

agricultural products 4.9%, industrial supplies 32.9% (crude oil 8.2%), capital goods 30.4% (computers, telecommunications equipment, motor vehicle parts, office machines, electric power machinery), consumer goods 31.8% (automobiles, clothing, medicines, furniture, toys) (2008 est.)

machinery and transport equipment 38%, intermediate manufactured goods 21%, chemicals 15%, minerals, fuels, lubricants, and related materials 9% (2011 est.)

China 21.1%, Mexico 13.4%, Canada 12.7%, Japan 6%, Germany 5.2% (2016)

Germany 28.3%, China 7.9%, Netherlands 6%, Russia 5.8%, Italy 5.3%, France 4.2%, Czech Republic 4.1% (2016)

$117.3 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

$117.6 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 22

$115 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$114.4 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 23

$17.91 trillion (31 March 2016 est.)

$17.85 trillion (31 March 2015 est.)

note: approximately 4/5ths of US external debt is denominated in US dollars; foreign lenders have been willing to hold US dollar denominated debt instruments because they view the dollar as the world's reserve currency

country comparison to the world: 1

$362 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$347.8 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 32

$4.084 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$3.614 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

$235.7 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$224.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 27

$5.644 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$5.352 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

$68.22 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$64.52 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 39

British pounds per US dollar: 0.7836 (2017 est.), 0.738 (2016 est.), 0.738 (2015 est.), 0.607 (2014 est), 0.6391 (2013 est.)

Canadian dollars per US dollar: 1, 1.308 (2017 est.), 1.3256 (2016 est.), 1.3256 (2015 est.), 1.2788 (2014 est.), 1.0298 (2013 est.)

Chinese yuan per US dollar: 1, 6.7588 (2017 est.), 6.6445 (2016 est.), 6.2275 (2015 est.), 6.1434 (2014 est.), 6.1958 (2013 est.)

euros per US dollar: 0.885 (2017 est.), 0.903 (2016 est.), 0.9214(2015 est.), 0.885 (2014 est.), 0.7634 (2013 est.)

Japanese yen per US dollar: 111.10 (2017 est.), 108.76 (2016 est.), 108.76 (2015 est.), 121.02 (2014 est.), 97.44 (2013 est.)

zlotych (PLN) per US dollar -

3.75 (2017 est.)

3.95 (2016 est.)

3.95 (2015 est.)

3.77 (2014 est.)

3.15 (2013 est.)

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

4.088 trillion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

152.1 billion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 27

3.911 trillion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

141.3 billion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 25

9.695 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 25

12.02 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 19

80.66 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

14.02 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 18

1.074 billion kW (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

37.32 million kW (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 29

70.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 103

77.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 92

9.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 18

0% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 164

7.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 124

1.6% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 142

10.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 69

18.8% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 34

8.853 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

20,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 68

590,900 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 21

4,520 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 64

7.85 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

490,300 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 19

36.52 billion bbl (1 January 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 11

137.8 million bbl (1 January 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 69

20.08 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

557,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 30

19.69 million bbl/day (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

578,200 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 33

4.67 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

135,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 38

2.205 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

173,500 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 37

766.2 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

6.132 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 48

773.2 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 1

26.78 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 39

50.52 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 7

56 million cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 50

76.96 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

12.12 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 25

8.714 trillion cu m (1 January 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

81.66 billion cu m (1 January 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 58

5.402 billion Mt (2013 est.)

country comparison to the world: 2

296 million Mt (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 22

total subscriptions: 121.53 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 38 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

total subscriptions: 8,143,145

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 23

total: 395.881 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 121 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

total: 53,001,776

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 138 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 28

general assessment: a large, technologically advanced, multipurpose communications system

domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries every form of telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile telephone traffic throughout the country

international: country code - 1; multiple ocean cable systems provide international connectivity; satellite earth stations - 61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and Atlantic Ocean regions) (2016)

general assessment: modernization of the telecommunications network has accelerated with market-based competition; fixed-line service, dominated by the former state-owned company, is dwarfed by the growth in mobile-cellular services

domestic: several nation-wide networks provide mobile-cellular service; coverage is generally good; fixed-line service lags in rural areas

international: country code - 48; international direct dialing with automated exchanges; satellite earth station - 1 with access to Intelsat, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik (2015)

4 major terrestrial TV networks with affiliate stations throughout the country, plus cable and satellite networks, independent stations, and a limited public broadcasting sector that is largely supported by private grants; overall, thousands of TV stations broadcasting; multiple national radio networks with many affiliate stations; while most stations are commercial, National Public Radio (NPR) has a network of some 600 member stations; satellite radio available; overall, nearly 15,000 radio stations operating (2008)

state-run public TV operates 2 national channels supplemented by 16 regional channels and several niche channels; privately owned entities operate several national TV networks and a number of special interest channels; many privately owned channels broadcasting locally; roughly half of all households are linked to either satellite or cable TV systems providing access to foreign television networks; state-run public radio operates 5 national networks and 17 regional radio stations; 2 privately owned national radio networks, several commercial stations broadcasting to multiple cities, and many privately owned local radio stations (2007)

.us

.pl

total: 246,809,221

percent of population: 76.2% (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 4

total: 28,237,820

percent of population: 73.3% (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 28

number of registered air carriers: 92

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 6,817

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 798.23 million

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 37.219 billion mt-km (2015)

number of registered air carriers: 6

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 92

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 4,841,128

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 120,016,466 mt-km (2015)

N (2016)

SP (2016)

13,513 (2013)

country comparison to the world: 1

126 (2013)

country comparison to the world: 47

total: 5,054

over 3,047 m: 189

2,438 to 3,047 m: 235

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1,478

914 to 1,523 m: 2,249

under 914 m: 903 (2013)

total: 87

over 3,047 m: 5

2,438 to 3,047 m: 30

1,524 to 2,437 m: 36

914 to 1,523 m: 10

under 914 m: 6 (2017)

total: 8,459

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 140

914 to 1,523 m: 1,552

under 914 m: 6,760 (2013)

total: 39

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 17

under 914 m: 21 (2013)

5,287 (2013)

6 (2013)

natural gas 1,984,321 km; petroleum products 240,711 km (2013)

gas 14,198 km; oil 1,374 km; refined products 2,483 km (2016)

total: 293,564.2 km

standard gauge: 293,564.2 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 1

total: 19,231 km

broad gauge: 395 km 1.524-m gauge

standard gauge: 18,836 km 1.435-m gauge (11,874 km electrified) (2016)

country comparison to the world: 15

total: 6,586,610 km

paved: 4,304,715 km (includes 76,334 km of expressways)

unpaved: 2,281,895 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 1

total: 420,000 km

paved: 291,000 km (includes 1,492 km of expressways, 1,559 of motorways)

unpaved: 129,000 km (2016)

country comparison to the world: 17

41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce; Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, is shared with Canada) (2012)

country comparison to the world: 5

3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2009)

country comparison to the world: 27

total: 3,611

by type: bulk carrier 5, container ship 61, general cargo 114, oil tanker 66, other 3,365 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 5

total: 152

by type: container ship 1, general cargo 13, oil tanker 7, other 131 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 73

cargo ports: Baton Rouge, Corpus Christi, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Plaquemines (LA), Tampa, Texas City

container port(s) (TEUs): Hampton Roads (2,549,000), Houston (2,131,000), Long Beach (7,192,000), Los Angeles (8,160,000), New York/New Jersey (6,372,000), Oakland (2,278,000), Savannah (3,737,000), Seattle (3,531,000) (2015)

cruise departure ports (passengers): Miami (2,032,000), Port Everglades (1,277,000), Port Canaveral (1,189,000), Seattle (430,000), Long Beach (415,000) (2009)

oil terminal(s): LOOP terminal, Haymark terminal

LNG terminal(s) (import): Cove Point (MD), Elba Island (GA), Everett (MA), Freeport (TX), Golden Pass (TX), Hackberry (LA), Lake Charles (LA), Neptune (offshore), Northeast Gateway (offshore), Pascagoula (MS), Sabine Pass (TX)

LNG terminal(s) (export): Kenai (AK)

major seaport(s): Gdansk, Gdynia, Swinoujscie

river port(s): Szczecin (River Oder)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Swinoujscie

3.29% of GDP (2016)

3.3% of GDP (2015)

3.51% of GDP (2014)

3.83% of GDP (2013)

4.24% of GDP (2012)

country comparison to the world: 25

1.99% of GDP (2017)

1.99% of GDP (2016)

2.14% of GDP (2015)

1.9% of GDP (2014)

1.77% of GDP (2013)

country comparison to the world: 49

United States Armed Forces: US Army, US Navy (includes Marine Corps), US Air Force, US Coast Guard; note - Coast Guard administered in peacetime by the Department of Homeland Security, but in wartime reports to the Department of the Navy (2017)

Polish Armed Forces: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Special Forces, Territorial Defense Force (2017)

note: Territorial Defense Force only began recruitment in winter 2016

18 years of age (17 years of age with parental consent) for male and female voluntary service; no conscription; maximum enlistment age 42 (Army), 27 (Air Force), 34 (Navy), 28 (Marines); 8-year service obligation, including 2-5 years active duty (Army), 2 years active (Navy), 4 years active (Air Force, Marines); all military occupations and positions open to women (2016)

18-28 years of age for male and female voluntary military service; conscription phased out in 2009-12; professional soldiers serve on a permanent basis (for an unspecified period of time) or on a contract basis (for a specified period of time); initial contract period is 18 months; women serve in the military on the same terms as men (2018)

the US has intensified domestic security measures and is collaborating closely with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico, to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across the international borders; abundant rainfall in recent years along much of the Mexico-US border region has ameliorated periodically strained water-sharing arrangements; 1990 Maritime Boundary Agreement in the Bering Sea still awaits Russian Duma ratification; Canada and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; The Bahamas and US have not been able to agree on a maritime boundary; US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease; Haiti claims US-administered Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other states; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island; Tokelau included American Samoa's Swains Island among the islands listed in its 2006 draft constitution

as a member state that forms part of the EU's external border, Poland has implemented the strict Schengen border rules to restrict illegal immigration and trade along its eastern borders with Belarus and Ukraine

refugees (country of origin): the US admitted 53,716 refugees during FY2017 including: 9,377 (Democratic Republic of the Congo); 6,886 (Iraq); 6,557 (Syria); 6,130 (Somalia); 5,078 (Burma); 3,550 (Bhutan); 2,577 (Iran)

note: more than 46,000 Venezuelans have claimed asylum since 2014 because of the economic and political crisis (2017)

refugees (country of origin): 71,302 applicants for forms of legal stay other than asylum (Ukraine) (2015); 9,864 (Russia) (2016)

stateless persons: 10,825 (2016)

world's largest consumer of cocaine (shipped from Colombia through Mexico and the Caribbean), Colombian heroin, and Mexican heroin and marijuana; major consumer of ecstasy and Mexican methamphetamine; minor consumer of high-quality Southeast Asian heroin; illicit producer of cannabis, marijuana, depressants, stimulants, hallucinogens, and methamphetamine; money-laundering center

despite diligent counternarcotics measures and international information sharing on cross-border crimes, a major illicit producer of synthetic drugs for the international market; minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe