Poles
Total population:	50census -60 million
Significant populations in:	Poland:    36,983,720 - 38,000,000 (2002) USA:    8,980,000[1] Brazil:    950,000 - 1,600,000 [2] Canada:    600,000-850,000[3] Belarus:    400,000[4] Germany:    290,000[5] - 2,000,000 (est.) Lithuania:    250,000[6] - 300,000 Argentina:    100,000 - 360,000 (est.) Australia:    150,900[7]-200,000 Ukraine:    140,000[8]-950,000 Russia:    73,000 (2001) Latvia:    57,000 (est.) Czech Republic:    52,000 (2001)[9] - 100,000 (est.) Netherlands:    39,500[10] Kazakhstan:    40,000 (est.) Italy:    50,790 Austria:    21,000 Rest of World:    150,000 (est.) (esp. France,Britain, Belgium, Sweden, S.Africa) Image File history File links Polish_People. ...
Language:	Polish
Religion:	Predominantly Roman Catholic with Atheist, Protestant and orthodox minorities.
Related ethnic groups:	Indo-Europeans   Slavs     West Slavs

The Poles (Polish: Polacy) are a nation inhabiting the country of Poland (in Central Europe) and a number of other states in the world, where they form a significant Polish diaspora. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies Indo-European is originally a linguistic term, referring to the Indo-European language family. ... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... The Slavic peoples are defined by their linguistic attainment of the Slavic languages. ... Regions of Europe Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

There is no commonly accepted definition of the Poles. According to the preamble of the Constitution of Poland the Polish Nation consists of all citizens of Poland. However, like in most European countries, many people limit the group to native speakers of the Polish language, people that share certain views or traditions, or people who share a common ethnic background originating from Poland. As to the ethnicity, the name of the nation comes from a western Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with Poland and the Polish language. Poles belong to the Lechitic subgroup of these ethnic people. The Polans were one of the most influential tribes of the Greater Poland, inhabitated the areas around the towns of Giecz, Gniezno and Poznań, and managed to unite most of other Slavic clans in the area under the rule of what became the Piast Dynasty, thus giving birth to a new state. Although the term "Polak" (pronounced like "Poe-lock", also spelled "Polack") is sometimes seen as derogatory for Poles (in English, at least), the Polish name for Pole is Polak, and the ordinary words for Pole in other languages such as Spanish ("polaco") are derived from Polak. Look up Preamble in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The preamble is an introductory statement, a preliminary explanation. ... Citizenship is membership in a political community (originally a city but now usually a state) and carries with it rights to political participation; a person having such membership is a citizen. ... // Ethno-cultural subdivisions Slavs are customarily divided into three major subgroups: East Slavs, West Slavs, and South Slavs, each with a somewhat different background. ... Polish (jÄ™zyk polski, polszczyzna) is the official language of Poland. ... The Lechitic languages include three languages spoken in Central Europe, principally in Poland, and historically also in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, and Hither Pomerania, in the north-eastern region of modern Germany. ... Polans (western) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Greater Poland (also Great Poland; Polish: Wielkopolska, German: Grosspolen, Latin: Polonia Maior) is one of the historical regions of Poland. ... Giecz is a small village in Poland, in the Greater Polish Voivodship, near Dominowo and Åšroda. ... Motto: none Voivodship Greater Poland Municipal government Mayor Jaromir Dziel Area 40,9 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 71 040 none 1737/km² Founded City rights 8th century 1239 Latitude Longitude 52°32 N 17°36 E Area code +48 61 Car plates PGN Twin towns Anagni, Esztergom, Falkenberg, Saint... Motto: none Voivodship Greater Poland Municipal government Rada miasta Poznania Mayor Ryszard Grobelny Area 261,3 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 578 900 (2002) 850 000 2215/km² Founded City rights 8th century 1253 Latitude Longitude 52°1734 N - 52°3027 N 16°4408 E - 17°04... The Piast dynasty is a line of Kings and dukes that ruled Poland from its beginnings as an independent state up to 1370. ...

Statistics

Poles are the second largest Slavic nation after Russians in terms of population number, just ahead of Ukrainians, and the largest predominantly Roman Catholic one. Estimates vary greatly, though most data suggests a total number around 50 million. There are 38 million Poles in Poland alone as well as autochthonous Polish minorities in the surrounding countries such as Germany, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus. There are some smaller minorities in Moldava, Latvia etc. Note that there was/is also a Polish minority in the Soviet Union which included autochthonous Poles as well as some forcefully transferred Poles. The total number of Poles in the former Soviet Union is estimated at 3 million. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... Moldavia (Moldova in Romanian) was a Romanian principality, originally created in the Middle Ages, now divided between Romania, Moldovan Republic and Ukraine. ... The Polish minority in the Soviet Union refers to former Polish citizens or Polish-speaking people who resided in the Soviet Union. ...

The official census results (including a few educated estimates) are listed on the right, as well as Polish government estimates.

The term Polonia is nowadays usually used in Poland to refer to people of Polish origin who live outside Polish borders, officially estimated at around 10 to 12 million. There is a notable Polish diaspora in the United States, Canada, and Brazil. In the United States a significant number of Polish immigrants settled in Chicago, Detroit, New York and Buffalo. In recent years, since joining the European Union, many Polish people have emigrated to countries such as Ireland, where an estimated 150,000 Polish people have entered the labour market. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Look up Diaspora in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term diaspora (Ancient Greek διασπορά, a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... A buffalo is one of several species of bovine. ...

Medieval Polish clans

The following is the list of clans that constituted the lands of Poland in early Middle Ages, at the beginning of Polish state. Some of them remain today a separate ethnicity while others have melted into the culture of Poland. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...

• Mazurians
• Polanie
• Silesians
• Chestowski
• Warmiaks
• Pomeranians
  • Kashubians
  • Slovincians
  • Kociewiacy
  • Borowiacy
• Bieżuńczanie
• Bobrzanie
• Dziadoszanie
• Golęszyce
• Goplanie
• Lędzianie
• Mazowszanie
• Opolanie
• Kujawianie
• Pyrzyczanie
• Ślężanie
• Trzebowianie
• Wiślanie

Mazur can refer to: Mazurian ethnic group Mazur (Masur), a Polish or German surname (see also Mazurek) This is a disambiguation page: a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Polans (also Polanes, Polish Polanie) were a Slavic tribe inhabitating the shores of the Warta river in the 8th century. ... Silesian language can refer to the Silesian - a dialect of Polish, sometimes considered a separate Western Slavonic language related to Czech and Polish), or the Lower Silesian (a dialect of German). ... The Warmiak are a Polish ethnic group from Warmia, mostly Roman Catholics. ... Pomeranians (Pomorzanie) are a group of Slavic tribes living in historical region of Pomerania along the shore of Baltic Sea between Oder and Vistula rivers. ... Kashubians, Kassubians, or Cassubians (Kashubian: Kaszëbi) are a Slavic ethnic group living in modern-day northwestern Poland. ... Slovincian is an extinct dialect of the Pomeranian language, spoken between the lakes Gardno and Lebsko in Pomerania. ... The Kociewiacy are a Polish ethnic group. ... The Borowiacy are a Polish ethnic group who traditionally inhabit the area of the Tuchola forests near Tuchola in eastern Pomerania. ... Goplans or Goplanie was a hypotetic pre-polish tribe that is said to have lived around Lake Gopło with its capital in Kruszwica, between 7th and 9th century. ... ... Vistulans (Polish: Wiślanie) were a Lechitic tribe inhabiting, since at least 7th century, lands known today as Lesser Poland. ...

Ethnic Poles

Ethnic Poles are those who are considered by others or by themselves, to be ethnically Polish rather than anything else but who do not live within Poland nor hold its citizenship. People in this category seem to be usually considered to be ethnic Poles by others, but sometimes by themselves, take for example the people of Polish ancestry in Germany/Austria who speak little of having Polish descent and do not consider themselves as Poles despite having visible Polish family names which would connect them in some way to the Polish language and/or ethnicity. This can also be applied to citizens of countries who do not define themselves as Polish despite having visible Polish family names, or being considered Polish in the eyes of others for many different types of reasons. The concept of ethnic Poles can be defined by this following criteria:

Ethnic Poles are people who may not have a connection to the Polish language, culture or citizenship, but they are identified or seen as being Polish in countries outside of Poland, due to such factors as having Polish, or partly Polish parents or ancestors. This is an attempt to explain Polish identity whether it comes from others or oneself. People with Polish or Partly-Polish family names can be discussed even if nothing else is known about their ancestry at the present time except for that.

The subject of Ethnic Poles should be separate from vague word "Poles" for the following reasons:

• The word Pole can be defined as follows: Poles are people considered to be Poles by being in any way connected to the Polish (former or current land), language, ethnicity, or culture.

• Some may want to be more specific, some less in their definitions of "Poles". Still others insist on different wordings or strict political definitions or terminologies such as people being born on land not owned by Poland at the time of their birth not being Polish, as by citizenship standards, despite having a visible connection to the Polish ethnicity, or Poles, such as by a partly or fully Polish family name.

References

1. Poles in Australia (PDF)
2. Poles in Belarus
3. Poles in Canada
4. Poles in Brazil
5. Poles in Germany According to Andrej Kazula.: Zuwanderer aus Polen in Deutschland the numbers are estimated up to 2 million. Because of the quick assimilation, frequent intermarriages no exact figures are available.
6. Poles in Lithuania
7. Poles in Ukraine
8. Poles in Czech Republic (PDF)
9. Poles in US (PDF)
10. Poles in The Netherlands (PDF)
11. Poles in Britain
12. Poles in other countries (>polonia > statystyka)

PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... Map of the dominant self-identified ethnic origins of ancestors per census division. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ...

See also

• List of Poles
• Demographics of Poland

The Polish people, who in 1930 had a world-wide population of some 22 million, experienced a major population surge in the 1960s and by 2005 had attained a world-wide population of over 45 million. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

External links

• History of Polish war veterans being admitted to Canada after World War II