Poland

A nation with a proud cultural heritage, Poland can trace its roots back over 1,000 years. Positioned at the centre of Europe, it has known turbulent and violent times.

There have been periods of independence as well as periods of domination by other countries. Several million people, half of them Jews, died in World War II.

A new era began when Poland became an EU member in May 2004, five years after joining Nato and 15 years after the end of Communist rule.

It was the birthplace of the former Soviet bloc's first officially recognized independent mass political movement when strikes at the Gdansk shipyard in August 1980 led to agreement with the authorities on the establishment of the Solidarity trade union.

The shoots of political freedom were trampled again 16 months later when Communist leader Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law. But the movement for change was irreversible. Elections in summer 1989 ushered in Eastern Europe's first post-Communist government.

The presence in the Vatican of Polish Pope John-Paul II was an important influence on the Solidarity movement throughout the 1980s. The Roman Catholic Church remains a very potent force in Polish life.

In the years between the end of Communism and EU accession, power in Poland switched between centre-right and centre left. Successive governments faced sleaze allegations.

The country has achieved some success in creating a market economy and attracting foreign investment but unemployment is painfully high while incomes and growth remain very low.

Poland still has a huge farming sector which is unwieldy and very inefficient. Poverty is particularly widespread in rural areas.

Poland's profile on the international stage was raised by its support for the US-led military campaign in Iraq. A Polish-led international force, including 2,500 Polish troops, took on peacekeeping responsibilities in south-central Iraq in September 2003. Public criticism of the deployment has since mounted and the former government announced that the bulk of Polish forces would be withdrawn in 2006.