This article is about Poles as an ethnic group. For Polish nationality law or citizenship, see
Polish nationality law. For Poles living outside Poland, see
Polish diaspora.
The population of self-declared Poles in Poland is estimated at 37,394,000 out of an overall population of 38,512,000 (based on the 2011 census),[40] of whom 36,522,000 declared Polish alone.[2][41][4] A wide-ranging Polish diaspora (the Polonia) exists throughout
Eurasia, the
Americas, and
Australasia. Today, the largest urban concentrations of Poles are within the
Warsaw metropolitan area and the
Katowice urban area.
Ethnic Poles are considered to be the descendants of the ancient West Slavic
Lechites and other tribes that inhabited the Polish territories during the
late antiquity period. Poland's
recorded history dates back over a thousand years to
c. 930–960 AD, when the
Western Polans – an influential tribe in the
Greater Poland region – united various Lechitic clans under what became the
Piast dynasty,[42] thus creating the first Polish state. The subsequent
Christianization of Poland by the
Catholic Church, in 966 CE, marked Poland's advent to the community of
Western Christendom. However, throughout its existence, the Polish state followed a tolerant policy towards minorities resulting in numerous ethnic and religious identities of the Poles, such as
Polish Jews.
The Polish
endonymPolacy is derived from the
Western Polans, a
Lechitic tribe which inhabited lands around the
River Warta in
Greater Poland region from the mid-6th century onward.[43] The tribe's name stems from the
Proto-Indo European*pleh₂-, which means flat or flatland and corresponds to the
topography of a region that the Western Polans initially settled.[44][45] The prefix pol- is used in most world languages when referring to
Poles (Spanish polaco, Italian polacche, French polonais, German Pole).
Among other foreign
exonyms for the Polish people are
LithuanianLenkai;
HungarianLengyelek;
TurkishLeh;
Armenian: ԼեհաստանLehastan; and
Persian: لهستان (Lahestān). These stem from
Lechia, the ancient name for Poland, or from the tribal
Lendians. Their names are equally derived from the
Old Polish term lęda, meaning plain or field.[46]
Polish is the native language of most Poles. It is a
West Slavic language of the
Lechitic group and the sole official language in the Republic of Poland. Its written form uses the
Polish alphabet, which is the basic
Latin alphabet with the addition of six
diacritic marks, totalling 32 letters. Bearing relation to
Czech and
Slovak, it has been profoundly influenced by
Latin,
German and other languages over the course of history.[51][52] Poland is linguistically homogeneous – nearly 97% of Poland's citizens declare Polish as their mother tongue.[53]
Polish-speakers use the language in a uniform manner throughout most of Poland, though numerous
dialects and a
vernacular language in certain regions coexist alongside
standard Polish. The most common
lects in Poland are
Silesian, spoken in
Upper Silesia, and
Kashubian, widely spoken in historic Eastern
Pomerania (
Pomerelia), today in the northwestern part of Poland.[54] Kashubian possesses its own status as a separate language.[55][56] The
Goral people in the mountainous south use their own nonstandard dialect, accenting and different
intonation.
The geographical distribution of the
Polish language was greatly affected by the border changes and population transfers that followed the
Second World War – forced
expulsions and resettlement during that period contributed to the country's current linguistic homogeneity.
The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year
history, and forms an important constituent in the
Western civilisation.[57] Strong ties with the Latinate world and the
Roman Catholic faith also shaped Poland's cultural identity.
Poland's
folk music, especially the
mazurka,
krakowiak and
polonaise, were popularized by Polish composer
Frédéric Chopin, and they soon spread across Europe and elsewhere.[62] Latin songs and religious hymns such as
Gaude Mater Polonia and
Bogurodzica were once chanted in churches and during patriotic festivities, but the tradition has faded.
Various regions in Poland such as
Greater Poland,
Lesser Poland,
Mazovia,
Silesia, and
Pomerania developed their own distinct cultures, cuisines, folk costumes and dialects. Also, Poland for centuries was a refuge to many
Jews and to
Armenians, who became an important part of Polish society and similarly developed their own unique cultures.
Popular everyday foods in Poland include pork cutlets (
kotlet schabowy), schnitzels,
kielbasa sausage, potatoes,
coleslaw and salads, soups (
barszcz,
tomato or
meat broth),
pierogi dumplings, and
bread rolls. Traditional Polish cuisine is hearty and Poles are one of the more obese nations in Europe – approximately 58% of the adult population was overweight in 2019, above the EU average.[64] According to data from 2017,
meat consumption per capita in Poland was one of the highest in the world, with
pork being the most in demand.[65]Alcohol consumption is relatively moderate compared to other European states;[66] popular alcoholic beverages include Polish-produced
beer,
vodka and
ciders.
Poles have traditionally adhered to the Christian faith; an overwhelming majority belongs to the
Roman Catholic Church,[67] with 87.5% of Poles in 2011 identifying as
Roman Catholic.[68] According to
Poland's Constitution, freedom of religion is ensured to everyone. It also allows for national and ethnic minorities to have the right to establish educational and cultural institutions, institutions designed to protect religious identity, as well as to participate in the resolution of matters connected with their cultural identity.
Religious organizations in the Republic of Poland can register their institution with the
Ministry of Interior and Administration creating a record of churches and other religious organizations who operate under separate Polish laws. This registration is not necessary; however, it is beneficial when it comes to serving the freedom of religious practice laws.[citation needed]
Slavic Native Faith (Rodzimowiercy) groups, registered with the Polish authorities in 1995, are the
Native Polish Church (Rodzimy Kościół Polski), which represents a pagan tradition going back to
Władysław Kołodziej's 1921 Holy Circle of Worshippers of
Światowid (Święte Koło Czcicieli Światowida), and the Polish Slavic Church (Polski Kościół Słowiański). There is also the
Native Faith Association (Zrzeszenie Rodzimej Wiary, ZRW), founded in 1996.[70]
Polish people are the sixth-largest national group in the
European Union (EU).[71] Estimates vary depending on source, though available data suggest a total number of around 60 million people worldwide (with roughly 18-20 million living outside of Poland, many of whom are not of Polish descent, but are Polish nationals).[72] There are almost 38 million Poles in Poland alone. There are also strong Polish communities in neighbouring countries, whose territories were once occupied or part of Poland –
Czech Republic,
Slovakia,
Lithuania,
Latvia, western
Ukraine, and western
Belarus.
The term "
Polonia" is usually used in Poland to refer to people of Polish origin who live outside Polish borders. There is a notable Polish
diaspora in the
United States,
Brazil, and
Canada. France has a historic relationship with Poland and has a relatively large Polish-descendant population. Poles have lived in France since the 18th century. In the early 20th century, over a million Polish people settled in
France, mostly during world wars, among them Polish émigrés fleeing either
Nazi occupation (1939–1945) or
Communism (1945/1947–1989).
In the United States, a significant number of Polish immigrants settled in
Chicago (billed as the world's most Polish city outside of Poland), Milwaukee, Ohio, Detroit,
New Jersey, New York City,
Orlando,
Pittsburgh,
Buffalo, and
New England. The highest concentration of
Polish Americans in a single New England municipality is in
New Britain, Connecticut. The majority of Polish Canadians have arrived in Canada since World War II. The number of Polish immigrants increased between 1945 and 1970, and again after the
end of Communism in Poland in 1989. In Brazil, the majority of Polish immigrants settled in
Paraná State. Smaller, but significant numbers settled in the states of
Rio Grande do Sul, Espírito Santo and
São Paulo (state). The city of
Curitiba has the second largest Polish diaspora in the world (after Chicago) and
Polish music,
dishes and
culture are quite common in the region.
A recent large migration of Poles took place following Poland's accession to the
European Union in 2004 and with the opening of the EU's labor market; an approximate number of 2 million, primarily young, Poles taking up jobs abroad.[73] It is estimated that over half a million Polish people went to work in the United Kingdom from Poland. Since 2011, Poles have been able to
work freely throughout the EU where they have had full working rights since Poland's
EU accession in 2004. The Polish community in
Norway has increased substantially and has grown to a total number of 120,000, making Poles the largest immigrant group in Norway. Only in recent years has the population abroad decreased, specifically in the UK with 116.000 leaving the UK in 2018 alone. There is a large minority of
Polish people in Ireland that makes up approximately 2.57% of the population.[74]
^
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