Republic of Poland – ninth biggest country of the Old Continent, situated in Central Europe. It borders with Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Czechia and Germany. It ranges from the Baltic Sea to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains. It's populated by about 38.5 million people and its capital is situated in Warsaw. The history of Poland begins in 966, when Duke Mieszko I got baptized. For over a thousand and fifty years it used to have it's many ups and downs – the most severe one happened in the 19th century and resulted in three partitions and vanishing from map for 123 years. However, Poland was still living in people's hearts and thanks to this in 1918 it regained its independence. Nonetheless, Poles could enjoy their freedom for only 20 years because of the WW2 and communist regime reigning thereafter, until 1989. Since 2004 Poland belongs to the European Union. Moreover, it's home to many well-known figures such as Fryderyk Chopin, Tadeusz Kościuszko, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, pope John Paul II, Andrzej Wajda, Adam Małysz and Robert Lewandowski.