Government Structure
Poland has a long history of territorial partitions and occupations. Present day Poland was formed after World War I although it was occupied by Russian and German forces during World War II and became a Soviet satellite after the war. In 1989 and 1990, Poland held free elections that ended the communist era. Poland is a parliamentary republic. The Polish government consists of three arms: a bicameral Parliament (legislature), President, and the judiciary.
The Republic of Poland consists of 16 voivodships (provinces).
Language (and Translation)
The national language for Poland is Polish. You will sometimes be able to find English versions of websites or documents. The best thing to look for is a tiny Union Jack in the corner of a website.
If you use the Chrome browser, Google Translate will translate a website from Polish to English. The thing to note is that it only translates the HTML. If there are images with words in them, the words will not translate.
PDF's present another challenge. Chrome will not translate a PDF. But you can upload a PDF to Google Translate to create a translation.
Country Profiles
Country profiles are helpful sources to familiarize yourself with the culture, economy, and political system of another country.
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Bloomberg Law: Export Reference Guide - PolandProvides a market profile for Poland, in addition to information about import tariffs, taxes and surcharges, trade agreements and preferential arrangements, import licensing, and other topics. Click on "Table of Contents" in left sidebar to view all topics covered.
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CIA World Factbook: PolandProvides basic information about Poland's geography, government, economy, and society.
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Commisceo Global: Poland GuideProvides information about language, culture, customs, and etiquette in Poland for travelers and visitors.