Poles: Map & History
Polish people, or Poles, are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe.
Wikipedia Encyclopedic Compendium
Historiographical synthesis & structured realm registry
Polish people, or Poles, are a West Slavic ethnic group and a nation who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Central Europe. The preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland defines the Polish nation as comprising all the citizens of Poland, regardless of heritage or ethnicity. The majority of Poles adhere to Roman Catholicism.
Modern Countries Once Part of Poles
At its mapped extent, Poles covered territory in 1 present-day country. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Poles's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Poles in Depth
History synopsis
During the Neolithic period (c. 5500–2300 BCE), farming communities began to spread across the contemporary Polish lands, introducing agriculture, pottery, and domesticated animals. The Lengyel, Funnelbeaker, and Globular Amphora cultures were notable for their megalithic tombs, settlements, and ceramics. The Bronze Age (c. 2300–700 BCE) precipitated considerable advancements in craftsmanship with the emergence of the Unetice culture and later the Lusatian culture, the latter of which built the fortified settlement at Biskupin in the 8th century BCE. These communities engaged in bronze metallurgy, long-distance trade, and complex burial rites, including urnfield cremation cemeteries.
Culture
The culture of Poland is closely connected with its intricate 1,000-year history, and forms an important constituent in the Western civilisation. Strong ties with the Latinate world and the Roman Catholic faith also shaped Poland's cultural identity. Various regions in Poland such as Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Kuyavia, Masovia, Silesia, and Pomerania developed their own distinct cultures, cuisines, folklore and dialects. Also, Poland for centuries was a refuge to countless ethnic and religious minorities, who became an important part of Polish society and similarly developed their own unique customs.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Polish people (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Poles: Key Facts
| Religions | Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism |
|---|---|
| Founded | 10th century |
Facts from Wikidata Q1026 (CC0).
Poles Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 113,460 km² in 1832 CE.
Poles: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Poles exist?
Poles is dated to 1830 CE – 1833 CE, in the Industrial era.
How large was Poles at its peak?
At its peak in 1832 Poles covered about 113,460 km².
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