Poland The land of the fields

The Polish landscape Poland is mostly plains, as the entire center of the country is part of the Northern European Plain. In the south the Tatra and the Sudety mountains rise high. Forests cover about ¼ of the landscape. There are many rivers such as the Bug, Vistula, and the Oder. Much of the north is bordered by the Baltic Sea. It is 312,685 square kilometers or 120,728 square miles, about the size of New Mexico.

Poland’s history The Polish people are descendants of Slavic people King Mieszko I adopted the Roman Catholic Religion Combined with Luthiana in the late Middle Ages, creating one of the strongest empires in Europe. Poland had the 2 nd constitution in the world, created in 1791, that was modeled off of the U.S. Constitution and gave freedom to serfs. Has been taken over many times. In 1772 Russia took the east, Austrian Empire the south, and Prussia takes Pomerania. In 1795 Poland was again taken over by Russia, and the Polish people helped Napoleon, who then liberates their country until his defeat at Waterloo, when it was again conquered by Russia. After once again gaining its freedom, Poland then gets attacked and defeated by Germany at the start of World War 2. Poland 1205

Polish Language, Religion, and Ethnicity 95% are Roman Catholic wile others are Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Jewish, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Atheist. Polish is the top language with U.S. English and German as the largest minorities. Most Poles are just that, Poles. Many new arrivals are German, Russian, American, and Austrian.

Visiting Many announced visits happen between friends, but are usually short. Planned ones are much longer and the host gives flowers. Even numbers of flowers are for sad occasions, while odd ones are happy occasions, or 3=,4= , and different flowers mean different things, such as white flowers for weddings. In many cities late parties start at 11P.M. and don’t get over until 8A.M. the next day, as in many cities trains do not run in that time frame.

Polish Meals Many Polish people have Breakfast between 6 and 8 A.M., Second Breakfast (A sandwich) around 10A.M. The Main Meal (Lunch) around 3P.M. and the Evening Meal (Dinner) from 6 to 9 P.M. While eating, many Poles put their arms on the table, but not their elbows. While eating it is customary to have your fork in your left hand and your knife in the right.

Polish Lifestyle An average family in the city has two children, while in the country it is common for a couple to have four children. The children often make their own meals and meals for younger siblings, and are taught to be very independent. Most banks are open from 8A.M. to 5 P.M., and stores are commonly open from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. In the city the main mode of transportation is the public transit, in the suburbs cars are becoming increasingly popular, but in the country road conditions can be very poor, so most families have horses to travel on when roads are frozen over or washed away. The TV and the telephone are becoming more and more common, though there is very limited internet. Most kids receive a free education until 18, when they either go to college or decide to do something else. Bank Zachodri