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Historical demographics of Poland
*** Shopping-Tip: Historical demographics of Poland
{{History of Poland}}
Before
World War II the now Polish lands were noted for the richness and variety of their ethnic communities.
In the provinces of Lower
Silesia, Western
Pomerania, and Northern part of
East Prussia there was a significant population of
ethnic Germans. The native people of those provinces consisted of Silesians, Western
Kashubs,
Warmiaks and
Masurs.
In the southeast, Ukrainian settlements were present in the regions east of
Chelm and in the
Carpathians east of
Nowy Sacz. The three main native higlander populations were
Lemkowie,
Bojkowie and
Huculi.
In all the towns and cities there were large concentrations of
Yiddish-speaking
Jews. The Polish ethnographic area stretched eastward: in
Lithuania,
Belarus, and western
Ukraine, all of which had a mixed population, Poles predominated not only in the cities but also in numerous rural districts. There were significant Polish minorities in
Daugavpils (in
Latvia),
Minsk (in Belarus), and
Kyiv (in Ukraine).
Before the World War II period there were significant ethnic minorities: 4.5 million
Ukrainians, 3 million Jews, 1 million
Belarusians, and 800,000 Germans. The majority of the Jews were murdered by the
Germany Germans during the occupation in
World War II and many others emigrated in the succeeding years.
Most Germans were removed from Poland at the end of the war, while many
Ukrainians and
Belarusians lived in territories incorporated into the
Soviet Union USSR. Small Ukrainian, Belarusian,
Slovaks Slovak, and
Lithuanians Lithuanian minorities reside along the borders, and a German minority is concentrated near the southwestern city of
Opole. Groups of Ukrainians and Polish Ruthenians also live in western Poland, where they were forcefully resettled by communists.
As a result of the migrations and the Soviet Unions radically altered borders under the rule of
Joseph Stalin, the population of Poland became one of the most ethnically homogeneous in the world. Virtually all people in Poland claim Polish nationality, with
Polish language Polish as their native tongue. Ukrainians, the largest minority group, are scattered in various northern districts. Lesser numbers of Belarusians and Lithuanians live in areas adjoining Belarus and Lithuania. The Jewish community, almost entirely Polonized, has been greatly reduced. In
Silesia a significant segment of the population, of mixed Polish and German ancestry, tends to declare itself as Polish or German according to political circumstances.
Minorities of Germans remain in their little homeland of Pomerania, Silesia, East Prussia, and
Lubus.
Small populations of Polish
Tatars Tartars still exist and still practice
Islam. Some Polish towns, mainly in northeastern Poland have
mosques. Tartars arrived as
mercenary soldiers beginning in the late
1300s. The Tartar population reached approximately 100,000 in
1630 but is less than 5,000 in
2000.
Category:Demographics of Poland
Category:History of Poland
*** Shopping-Tip: Historical demographics of Poland
