Poland

· Country name: Poland

· Year founded: was founded in 966.

· Population: Poland has a population of over 38 million people.

· Primary language: Polish.

· Ethnic make-up: Poles constitute 97.6% of the total population; Germans make up 1.3%; Ukrainians account for 0.6%; and Belarussians, 0.5%.

· Political system: Parliamentary representative democratic republic.

· Year entered the European Union: 2004

· Representative of the European Union included (party):
Ireland takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Poland will become a full member of the EU.

· Type of economy: Poland is considered to currently have one of the fastest growing economies in Central European nations, with an annual growth rate of over 6.0%. Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of economic liberalization throughout the 1990s, with positive results for economic growth but negative results for some sectors of the population.

· Currency: euro

· Current Exchange rate for American Currency:

· GDP: Poland has made a tremendous overall economic progress over the last decade, and now is ranked 21st worldwide in terms of the GDP. With the largest component of its economy being the service sector, and the continued forecasts of positive economic growth, Poland is likely to continue to move up in the world GDP ranking.

GDP
$632 billion (As of 2007)
GDP growth
7% (As of 2007)
GDP per capita
$17,500 (As of 2008)
GDP by sector
Agriculture (3%), industry (32%), services (66%) (2007)

· Percentage of Trade within the European Union:

· Unemployment Rate: 9.7%

· Chief Exports: Machinery and transport equipment, intermediate manufactured goods, miscellaneous manufactured goods, food and live animals.

· Key imports:Overview of the energy industry in Poland and provides data and information on each of the key sub-segments of the industry – oil, natural gas, coal and electricity.

· Major religions: Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Eastern Orthodox, Uniate, Protestant, Judaism.

· Surrounding countries:Baltic Sea, Russia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus, Ukraine, and Germany

· Literacy rate:definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

· one insteresting fact: Poland is the 6th most populous and the 6th largest of the European Union's 27 member states. Most of the country is flat, with an average elevation of 173 meters.

• Country Name: Republic of Estonia
• Year Founded:The ancestors of Estonians most likely settled on the Baltic shores around 3500 BC and were organised in federated small states by the 1^st century AD. Since early 13^th century, Estonia was under the German, Danish and Swedish rule until 1721, when it was ceded to Russia.
• Population: 1,299,371 (July 2009 est.); -0.632% (2009 est.)
• Primary Language: Estonian
• Ethnic Make-up: Estonian 67.9%, Russian 25.6%, Ukrainian 2.1%, Belarusian 1.3%, Finn 0.9%, other 2.2% (2000 census)
• Political System: Parliamentary democracy
• Year Entered the European Union: 1 May 2004
• Representative of the European Union (include party):

Estonia has 6 representatives in the European Parliament: Mrs. Katrin Saks, Mrs. Marianne Mikko and Mr. Andres Tarand of the Estonian Social Democratic Party (Socialist Group); Mrs. Siiri Oviir of the Centre Party (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe); Mr. Toomas Savi of the Reform Party (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe) and Mr. Tunne Kelam of the Pro Patria Union (European People's Party).

• Type of Economy: Estonia has a modern market-based economy and one of the highest per capita income levels in Central Europe.

• Currency: Kroon

• Current Exchange rate for American Currency: krooni (EEK) per US dollar - 10.7 (2008),
• GDP:

GDP (official exchange rate):$23.46 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:-3% (2008 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):$21,900 (2008 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 32.3%

• Percentage of Trade within the European Union:

EXPORT PARTNERS: Finland 17.9%, Sweden 13.2%, Latvia 11.4%, Russia 8.9%, Lithuania 5.8%, Germany 5.2%, US 4.1% (2007)

IMPORT PARTERNS: Finland 15.9%, Germany 12.8%, Sweden 10.1%, Russia 10%, Latvia 7.6%, Lithuania 6.9%, Poland 4.5% (2007)

• Unemployment Rate: 6.2% (30 September 2008 est.)
• Chief Exports: Chief exports are food and animal products, textiles, and timber products.

• Key Imports: Leading imports are machinery and transportation equipment, mineral products, textiles, and foods

• Major Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 13.6%, Orthodox 12.8%, other Christian (including Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal) 1.4%, unaffiliated 34.1%, other and unspecified 32%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
• Surrounding Countries: Latvia and Russia
• Literacy Rate: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 99.8%
  male: 99.8%
  female: 99.8% (2000 census)

• One Interesting Fact: Life in Estonia started after a glaciar melting.

Greece

· Country Name
Hellenic Republic /greece

· Year Founded
Between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the annexation of the classical Greek heartlands by Rome in 146 BC.
· Population
10,737,428 (July 2009 est.)

· Primary Language
Greek
· Ethnic Make-up
Population: Greek 93%, other (foreign citizens) 7% (2001 census) note: percents represent citizenship, since Greece does not collect data on ethnicity
· Political System
Based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal, and administrative courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
· Year Entered the European Union
1981
· Representative of the European Union (include party)

· Type of Economy
Single market
· Currency
Euro
· Current Exchange rate for American Currency
1 eu =1.35 dollars
· GDP
$373.516 billion
· Percentage of Trade within the European Union

· Unemployment Rate

· Chief Exports
food and beverages, manufactured goods, petroleum products, chemicals, textiles
$27.4 billion f.o.b. (2008 est
· Key Imports
Machinery, transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

· Major Religions
Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
· Surrounding Countries
Border countries: Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, Macedonia 246 km
· Literacy Rate
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 96% male: 97.8% female: 94.2% (2001 census
· One Interesting Fact
As per 2007 UNICEF report, Greece had the lowest percentage of teenagers smoking cigarettes (or cannabis) or living in a step family structure.

Lithuania

· Country Name: Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic
· Year Founded: in 1236
· Population: 3,555,179
· Primary Language: Lithuanian
· Ethnic Make-up: Lithuanian 83.4%, Polish 6.7%, Russian 6.3%, other or unspecified 3.6%
· Political System: Parliamentary democracy
· Year Entered the European Union: 2004
· Representative of the European Union (include party): Laima Liucija Andrikienė; Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats
· Type of Economy: capitalist free market
· Currency: Lithuanian litas
· Current Exchange rate for American Currency: 1 Lita = 0.391190 USD
· GDP: Grew by 7.5%
· Percentage of Trade within the European Union: 60.3% imports, 57.3% exports
· Unemployment Rate: 4.3%
· Chief Exports: mineral products (25%), electrical machinery and mechanical equipment (10.6%), chemical products (9.7%) and transport vehicles and associated transport equipment (8.6%).
· Key Imports: mineral products (29.7%), electrical machinery and mechanical equipment (14.2%), transport vehicles and associated transport equipment (12.1%) and chemical products (9%).
· Major Religions: Roman Catholic 79%, Russian Orthodox 4.1%, Protestant (including Lutheran and Evangelical Christian Baptist) 1.9%, other or unspecified 5.5%, none 9.5%
· Surrounding Countries: Belarus 680 km, Latvia 576 km, Poland 91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad) 227 km
· Literacy Rate: total population: 99.6%
· One Interesting Fact: Lithuania is expecting to switch to the Euro on January 1, 2013. Lithuania has the highest rating of Baltic states in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s quality of life index.

MALTA

- Country Name
Republic of Malta

- Year Founded
The Maltese islands were first settled in 5200 BC by stone age farmers who had arrived from the larger island of Sicily, possibly the Sicani.

-Population
2007 estimate
410,290 (174th)
2005 census
404,9621
Density
1,298/km2 (6th)3,391/sq mi

-Primary Language
Maltese, english

-Ethnic Make-up
Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

-Political System
republic

-Year Entered the European Union
May 1, 2004

-Representative of the European Union (include party)
Prime Minister- DR. Lawrence Gonzi
Nationalist Party

-Type of Economy
is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing - especially electronics and pharmaceuticals - and tourism all of which have been negatively affected by global economic downturn.

-Currency
-$538 million (2008 est.)
Euro (€)2Banks (EUR)

-Current Exchange rate for American Currency

-GDP
$9.801 billion (2008 est.)

-Percentage of Trade within the European Union

-Unemployment Rate
6.4% (2007)

-Chief Exports

-Key Imports

-Major Religions
Roman Catholic 98%

-Surrounding Countries
93 km off the coast of Sicily (Italy), 288 km east of Tunisia and 300 km north of Libya.

-Literacy Rate
definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

-One Interesting Fact
Traffic in Malta drives on the left, as in the UK. Car ownership in Malta is exceedingly high, given the very small size of the islands; it is the fourth highest in the European Union. The number of registered cars in 1990 amounted to 182,254, giving an automobile density of 582 per km²

HUNGARY

• Country Name:
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary
local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag
local short form: Magyarorszag

• Year Founded
1000

• Population
9,905,596

• Primary Language
Hungarian

• Ethnic Make-up
Hungarian 92.3%, Roma 1.9%, other or unknown 5.8%

• Political System
Parliamentary democracy

• Year Entered the European Union
2004

• Representative of the European Union (include party)
Peter Balazs, diplomat

• Type of Economy
Market economy

• Currency
Forint

• Current Exchange rate for American Currency
1 Hungarian Forint = 0.004522 US Dollar
1 US Dollar (USD) = 221.148 Hungarian Forint (HUF)

• GDP
Purchasing power parity: $205.7 billion
Official exchange rate: $131.4 billion
Real Growth Rate: -1.5%
PPP: $20,500
Composition by Sector: agriculture: 3.2%
industry: 31.9%
services: 65%

• Percentage of Trade within the European Union
17% of exports, 14% of imports.

• Unemployment Rate
8%

• Chief Exports
Machinery, equipment and other manufactured products (automobiles, computers, etc)

• Key Imports
Aluminum, printed materials, medicinal equipment, business machines

• Major Religions
Roman Catholic 51.9%, Calvinist 15.9%, Lutheran 3%, Greek Catholic 2.6%

• Surrounding Countries
Austria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine

• Literacy Rate
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.5%
female: 99.3%

• One Interesting Fact
Hungary gets nearly one third of all foreign direct investment flowing into Central Europe, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than US$185 billion since 1989.