Transcript Poland and The Baltic Republics / 1

World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 1
Along the southern shores of the Baltic
Sea lie Poland and the Baltic republics
of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Although they are neighboring countries,
they have distinct histories and
cultures.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 2
Poland is one of the largest countries in
Europe. About the size of New
Mexico, Poland lies on the huge North
European Plain which stretches from
France to Russia.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 3
Poland continues to rely on factories
which burn coal for fuel creating
pollution from the factory smoke
causing the rain to contain chemicals
that pollute water, air, and land.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 4
About 38.6 million people live in
Poland. Almost all are ethnic Poles
who belong to a larger ethnic group
called Slavs. They speak Polish, which
is a Slavic language. Poland is more
rural than other nations in Europe.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 5
The small Baltic republics of Estonia,
Latvia, and Lithuania lie on the shores
of the Baltic Sea. For much of their
history, the Baltic republics were under
Russian control. In 1991, these small
countries became independent.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 6
All three Baltic republics still have large
Russian minority populations. Most
people in Estonia and Latvia are
Protestants, while Roman Catholics
make up the majority in Lithuania.
World History
Notes
Poland and The Baltic Republics / 7
The Baltic republics are located on poor,
swampy land. Even so, their welldeveloped economies are based mainly
on dairy farming, beef production,
fishing, and shipbuilding.
World History
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Poland and The Baltic Republics / 8
In Poland, the city of Gdansk, a Baltic
seaport, is an important shipbuilding
center. In recent years, increased trade
and industry have raised standards of
living in this region of Eastern Europe.