About China and Poland

Country name: People’s Republic of China (Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo)
Climate: North: continental, south: subtropical
Location: East Asia
Area: 9,571,302 km² – inclusive Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau
Capital: Beijing – 21.5 million inhabitants
Population: 1,367,485,388
Official Language: Mandarin (“Putonghua”), Chinese dialects; different minorities speak Mongolian, Tibetan, Uighur, Turkic languages, Korean)
Religions: Atheistic state ideology; Buddhism, Islam, Daoism, protestant and catholic ‘state churches’ and independent house churches
National Day: October 1st

China is located in East Asia and is with almost 1.37 billion inhabitants, the most populous state of the world and concerning the area, the fourth biggest state of the world. China shares borders with 14 states and therefore has the highest number of neighboring countries – together with Russia. The country is divided into 22 provinces, five autonomous territories, four municipalities and two special administrative regions.

Economically, China became more and more important during the last years and developed into an industrial country. China is on the brink of displacing the USA as the greatest economic power.

In the time of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the life expectancy amounted to 35 years on average. With the rapid improvement of the healthcare system, the life quality and the medical care, the life expectancy is now amounting to more than 75 years – and therefore double within a few years. Currently, the Chinese healthcare system is in a conversion phase, in order to adjust the healthcare system even more to the western ones.

China is one of the most impressing and culturally precious countries of the world. The culture is especially characterized by the three big spiritual streams Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. More than 30 Chinese buildings belong to the World Cultural Heritage – among them the Great Wall of China, the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor with the famous Terracotta Warriors in the northeast of the city Xi’an and the Imperial Palaces in Beijing, which are a part of the Forbidden City

Country name: Poland (Rzeczpospolita Polska)
Climate: Moderate climate
Location: North-south between Baltic Sea, Giant Mountains and Beskids, East-west between Oder-Neisse line and Bug River
Area: 312,679 square kilometer
Capital: Warsaw (metropolitan area) with 1,708 million inhabitants (2011)
Population: 38,5 million (census 2013), 123 inhabitants per square kilometer, accession rate: -0,1%
Official Language: Polish
Religions: (As of 2011) Catholics (33,7 million), Orthodox (156,000), Jehova’s Witnesses (137,000), Lutheran (71,000), Reformed, Methodists, Old Catholics, Jews, Muslims
National Day: 1) May 3rd (first Polish constitution 1791); 2) November 11th (regaining of independence 1918)

Poland is generally characterized by an extremely many sided landscape: From mountains in the south of Poland, to Great Plains in the interior of the country, to impressive sand beaches at the Baltic Sea, every nature lover will find their suitable territory here. In the free time you can thus practice especially varied sports in the nature.

In Poland the school education has a very high priority. 90% of Polish adults have at least completed secondary education.

The proficiencies in the English language are on average also highly developed. In a country ranking, Poland is on rank 6 out of 63 with very high proficiency in English. Therefore it is no problem to get through the everyday life with English first, until you master the local language.