Poland is a state.
Poland ( Polska [ ˈpɔlska ] ) , officially the Republic of Poland ( [ Rzeczpospolita Polska , links = no ] , ) , is a parliamentary republic in Central Europe . Poland is a unitary state divided into 16 administrative subdivisions , covering an area of 312679 km2 with a mostly temperate climate . With a population of over 38.5 million people , Poland is the sixth most populous member state of the European Union . The establishment of a Polish state can be traced back to 966 , when Mieszko I , ruler of a territory roughly coextensive with that of present-day Poland , converted to Christianity .