Take a PTE Academic test in or nearby Poland

About Poland

Poland is one of the largest countries in the Eastern Europe. Its size is comparable with Italy and it borders Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. It has a population of over 38 million people, which makes it the sixth most populated member of the European Union. Living in Poland is living in the heart of Europe. You drive only a few hours and you can be in another country.

The Baltic Sea, the Masurian Lake District, the Tatra Mountains, vibrant cities, lovely towns, picturesque villages - in Poland everything is at hand! Natural, cultural and historical diversity are remarkable and unique. Warsaw – the capital, a financial and political centre, Cracow - full of Polish history with wonderful monuments or Gdansk where you can taste not only the city life but also relax on the beach.

Great (north) Poland was founded in 966. The tribes of southern Poland then formed Little Poland. Poland merged with Lithuania by royal marriage in 1386. The Polish-Lithuanian state reached the peak of its power between the 14th and 16th centuries, scoring military successes against the (Germanic) Knights of the Teutonic Order, the Russians, and the Ottoman Turks.

Lack of a strong monarchy enabled Russia, Prussia, and Austria to carry out a first partition of the country in 1772, a second in 1792, and a third in 1795. For more than a century thereafter, there was no Polish state. The Polish people revolted against foreign dominance throughout the 19th century. Poland was formally reconstituted in 1918.

In 1939, at the beginning of World War II, a German-Soviet agreement divided Poland between the USSR and Germany. The Polish government-in-exile was replaced with the Communist-dominated Polish Committee of National Liberation by the Soviet Union in 1944. A new constitution in 1952 made Poland a “people's democracy” of the Soviet type. In 1955, Poland became a member of the Warsaw Treaty Organization, with its foreign policy identical to that of the USSR.

After the fall of communism, in 1991, the first fully free parliamentary election since World War II resulted in representation for 29 political parties. In 1999, Poland became part of NATO, along with the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Poland is one of the fastest growing economies, being the 6th largest economy in the European Union and the 21st in the world. It is worth mentioning that Poland is the only EU member state that showed a positive GDP during the recent economic crisis.

Poland is a member of the European Union (EU), the Schengen Area, North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), United Nations (UN), and more.

Frequently asked questions about PTE Academic in Poland

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