General information

Official name:	Republic of Poland
Population:	38,482,919 (July 2009 )
Capital city:	Warsaw - 1,711,466 inhabitants.
Other towns:	Kraków (756,583 inhabitants), Łódź (753,192), Wrocław (632,930), Poznań (567,932), Gdańsk (458,717)
Area:	312,679 km2.
Location and surface:	Poland is a country in Central Europe. Generally speaking, Poland is an unbroken plain reaching from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Carpathian Mountains in the south. Within that plain, terrain variations generally run in bands from east to west. The neighboring countries are Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian province of Kaliningrad to the northeast.
Climate:	The geographical location and surface features are the two most important factors determining the climate of Poland. The climate has transitional character between the maritime and continental climates. Winters are sometimes mild and sometimes cold, similarly the summers are cool and rainy or hot and dry. Generally, summer is usually warm and the most pleasant time to visit, but the plentiful sunshine is mixed together with rain. Spring starts in March with temperatures varying from -1 to +20 °C, until about April or May. July is the hottest month, but the rest of the summer is also quite warm with temperatures from 21 to 32 °C. Initially warm September is the beginning of Poland's autumn. Thereafter, the days become more cold until December, when winter begins and the temperature drops from a few degrees below zero to sometimes - 20 °C. Winter lasts from December to March and includes shorter or longer period of snow. In the high mountains snow lies till May.
Minority groups:	In Poland there are 13 national and ethnic minorities recognised by law. They constitute between 3 and 4% of the Polish population. The representatives of national minorities are: Germans, Ukrainians, Ormians, Belarussians, Russians, Latvians, Slovaks, Jews and Czechs. In Poland, there are also representatives of four ethnic minorities: Karaims, Łemkowie, Roma and Tatars. In addition, some areas of Pomorskie Voivoideship are inhabited by the Kashubian community, speaking the regional language. Polish law defines in detail the rights of national and ethnic minorities.
Religions:	Roman Catholic (89,8 %), Eastern Orthodox (about 506 000), Jehovah's Witnesses (about 220 000), Protestant (about 159 000, with about 76 000 in the largest Evangelical-Augsburg Church in Poland).
Official language:	Polish.
Administrative division:	The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. Poland is currently divided into 16 provinces known as voivodeships. Each voivodeship is divided into a number of smaller entities known as powiats (counties). The third level of administrative division is the gmina (also called commune or municipality).
Regional capitals:	Białystok, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Gdańsk, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Katowice, Kielce, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Olsztyn, Opole, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin, Warszawa, Wrocław
Currency:	Złoty, 1 Złoty = 100 groszy.
National holidays:	March 13 May 2 June 28 August 28 August 31 October 14 October 16	World's Day of Remembrance for Victims of Katyn Massacre Flag Day (since 2005) Day of Remembrance of the Poznań June 1956, on the anniversary of the Poznań 1956 protests Day of Polish Airforce Day of Solidarity and Freedom, on the anniversary of August Agreement from 1980 Day of National Education (formerly Day of the Teacher), on the anniversary of the founding of the Komisja Edukacji Narodowej (Commission of National Education) Day of Pope John Paul II

Podkarpackie voivodeship is situated in the south-eastern corner of Poland neighbouring both Slovakia and Ukraine. The region is known for its rich deposits of such natural resources as oil and natural gas as well as such mineral raw materials as sulphur, gypsum, sandstone and limestone being currently extracted in modern mines. In addition to the development of traditional sectors based on existing resources (agriculture, industry and mining), the food, pharmaceutical, aviation and IT sectors have also developed. Especially dynamic has been the growth of the IT industry and so called Aviation Valley which dominate the region’s modern economic image.

Investment opportunities

proximity of the emerging markets in the CEE
eastern border of the EU
Special Economic Zones, Technology Parks - business friendly areas
large potential and technical culture in the industrial machine and chemical sectors coupled with strong academic background
dynamically developing aviation cluster - the activity of the Aviation Valley Association
population age structure that ensures favourable economic development
well-developed network of NGOs supporting regional development
highly-skilled labour and relatively low employment costs
competitive prices of industrial land
well-developed transport network (road, railway and aviation connections)

Sectors with huge potential

Aviation
Information Technology
Founding

Local office Flanders Investment and Trade
Poland (Poznan)

Responsible

Mevr. Barbara Cabaj
Trade secretary

Responsible area

Dolnoslaskie, Lubuskie, Opolskie, Wielkopolski en Zachodnio-Pomorskie

Contact

E-mail: poznan@fitagency.com

Tel.: +48 61 865 38 13
Fax : +48 61 865 38 19

Address

Flanders Investment & Trade
WTC, ul. Bukowska 12, pok. 119
60-810 Poznan
Poland

Local office Flanders Investment and Trade
Poland (Warschau)

Responsible

Luc Strybol
Flemish Economic Representative

Responsible area

Kujakowsko-Pomorskie, Lodzkie, Lubelskie, Malopolski, Mazowieckie (behalve Sierpc, Zuromin, Mlawa, Ciechanow, Przasnysz, Makow, Mazowiecki, Ostroleka), Podlaskie, Pomorskie, Slaskie, Swietokrzyskie, Warminsko-Mazurskie en Wschnodnio-Malopolskie

Contact

E-mail: warsaw@fitagency.com

Tel.: +48 22 584 73 41
Fax : +48 22 827 81 36

Address

Ambasada Belgii
Przedstawicielstwo Ekonomiczne i Handlowe Flandrii
Flanders Investment & Trade Warsaw
Al. Ujazdowskie 51
00-536 Warszaw
Poland

User

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