Polonia

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Contents 1 Europe 1.1 Czech Republic 1.2 Germany 1.3 France 1.4 Ireland 1.5 Lithuania 1.6 Romania 1.7 Russia and former Soviet Union 1.8 United Kingdom 2 North America 2.1 Canada 2.2 United States 3 Latin America 3.1 Argentina 3.2 Brazil 4 Australia 5 Asia, Africa and Oceania 6 See also 7 External links

Polonia, the name for Poland in Latin and many Romance and other languages, refers in modern Polish to the Polish diaspora—people of Polish origin who live outside Polish borders. There are roughly 15–20 million people of Polish ancestry living outside Poland. Reasons for their displacement vary from border shifts to forced resettlement to political or economic emigration. Major Polish minorities can be found in Germany and the United States.

A large proportion of the Polish citizens who migrated in the early twentieth century were Polish Jews, and are also a part of the Jewish diaspora.

[edit] Europe

[edit] Czech Republic

The Polish community in the Czech Republic is concentrated in Cieszyn Silesia (so-called Zaolzie), in the north-east of the country. It traces its origins to post-First World War border changes that partitioned the area between Poland and what was then Czechoslovakia, leaving many Poles on the Czech side of the border. The Polish population numbers is 51,968 (2001 census).

[edit] Germany

The second largest Polonia in the world, and the largest in Europe, is the Polish German community. As many as three million people living in Germany may be of Polish descent, although the vast majority of these identify themselves as Germans. The main Polonia organization is Kongres Polonii Niemieckiej / Polnischer Kongress in Deutschland. Polish surnames are very common in Germany.

[edit] France

About one million people of Polish descent live in France, concentrated in the Nord-Pas de Calais region, in the metropolitan area of Lille and the coal-mining basin (bassin minier) around Lens and Valenciennes. Prominent members of the Polish community in France have included Rene Goscinny and the Curies: Marie, Irene and Eve.

[edit] Ireland

After Poland joined the European Union in 2004, Ireland was one of just three existing EU members to open its borders and welcome Polish workers as relatively cheap qualified labour (the others being the United Kingdom and Sweden). Ireland quickly became a key destination for young Poles seeking work outside the country. According to the 2006 Census, there are 63,276 Poles living in Ireland. [1], constituting the second largest ethnic minority after the British.

[edit] Lithuania

The Polish minority in Lithuania numbers 234,989 persons and, at 6.74% of the population of Lithuania, forms the largest ethnic minority in modern Lithuania. Poles are concentrated in the Vilnius region, and form the majority of population in Vilnius district municipality and Šalčininkai district municipality. People of Polish ethnicity have lived on the territory of modern Lithuania for many centuries.

[edit] Romania

According to the 2002 census, 3,671 Poles live in Romania, mainly in the villages of the Suceava region (Polish: Suczawa). There are even three exclusively Polish villages: Nowy Sołoniec (Soloneţu Nou), Plesza (Pleşa) and Pojana Mikuli (Poiana Micului). Poles in Romania form an officially recognised national minority, having one seat in the Chamber of Deputies of Romania (currently held by Gerwazy Longher) and access to Polish elementary schools and cultural centres (known as "Polish Houses").

[edit] Russia and former Soviet Union

Further information: Polish minority in the Soviet Union, Population transfer in the Soviet Union

During the Second World War, the Soviet Union annexed large parts of Poland's former eastern territories of Kresy. Many Poles were expelled, but a significant number remained in what are now parts of Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania. The Soviet authorities also forcibly resettled large numbers of Poles to Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The following post-Soviet countries retain significant Polish minorities:

• Belarus – between 400,000 and 1 million.
• Ukraine – between 300,000 and 900,000.
• Lithuania – between 250,000 and 300,000. See Polonia#Lithuania section in this article and Polish minority in Lithuania for details.
• Russia – about 300,000.
• Kazakhstan – between 60,000 and 100,000.

[edit] United Kingdom

Polish people have travelled to England and other parts of the United Kingdom throughout the centuries for a variety of reasons. In the 16th century Polish travellers came as traders and diplomats. In the 18th century a small number of Polish Protestants arrived as religious refugees due to the counter reformation in Poland. In the 19th century, due to the collapse of the November Uprising of 1831, many Polish fighters came to Britain in search of sanctuary.^{[citation needed]}

However, it was only after the First World War that Poles settled in large numbers in London – many from the London Polish Prisoner of War camps in Alexandra Palace and Feltham. During the Second World War many Poles came to the United Kingdom as political emigrés and to join the Polish Army being recreated there. When the Second World War ended, a Communist government was installed in Poland. Many Poles felt betrayed by their wartime allies and were extremely reluctant to return home.^{[citation needed]} Many soldiers refused to return to Poland, and large numbers, after occupying resettlement camps, later settled in UK. The Polish Government in London was not dissolved until 1991, when a freely elected president took office in Warsaw.

Estimates of the number of people living in the UK and born in Poland, or of Polish descent, vary from about 250,000 to 2 million.^{[citation needed]} Other than London, Poles have settled in Bolton, Bury and Chorley in Lancashire, and there are also concentrations in Nottingham, South Yorkshire, South Wales, Rugby, Banbury and Swindon.^{[citation needed]}

Following Poland's entry into the European Union in May 2004, Poles gained the right to work in other EU countries. While France and Germany put in place controls to curb Eastern European migration, the United Kingdom (along with Sweden and the Republic of Ireland) did not impose restrictions. Many young Poles came to work in UK since then.

[edit] North America

The USA and Canada were the major focus of Polish political and economic immigration after 1850.

[edit] Canada

There are about 850,000 Polish Canadians. The Canadian Polish Congress is an umbrella organization founded in 1944 by Polish-Canadians in Canada to coordinate the activities and to articulate the concerns of the Canadian Polish community on public policy issues.

[edit] United States

There are around 10 million Americans of Polish descent. Chicago is considered the largest Polish city outside Poland. The major US Polonia organization is the Polish American Congress.

[edit] Latin America

There has been political and economic migration of Poles to Latin America since the mid-19th century.

[edit] Argentina

In Argentina Poles are one of most significiant minorities, The Parliament of Argentina makes day 8 of june the day of polish settler.

[edit] Brazil

The number of people of Polish descent in Brazil is estimated at between 1 million and 1.5 million. Most Polish Brazilians are Catholic, with a significant Jewish minority.

[edit] Australia

The first Polish settlers arrived in South Australia in 1856. After World War II, large numbers of displaced persons migrated to Australia, including soldiers from the Polish Independent Carpathian Brigade (the "Rats of Tobruk").

There are now approximately 160,000 – 200,000 Polish Australians.

[edit] Asia, Africa and Oceania

In addition to the countries mentioned above, Poles have settled in smaller numbers in Asia, Africa and Oceania as economic migrants or as part of Catholic missions.

[edit] See also

• Demographics of Poland
• Great Emigration
• Hotel Lambert

[edit] External links

• Information Resource of Polonia Organizations
• Polonia.net (Polish community in the United States)
• Forum Polonijnie (Forum Polonijne)
• Polonia.org (Polish language)
• Polakmaly.com (Community for Polish families in the US; bilingual)
• PolishPlanet (polish community in the UK)
• http://www.nasza-gazetka.ch/Menu_Polonia/DIASPORA/DIASPORA.HTM (information about Poles in Western Europe and other countries; Polish language)
• Flickr group: Polska Irlandia / Polish Ireland
• Polish portal run by Polish publications in Ireland
• Polish magazine in the UK (Polish language)
• M. Fitzgerald and R. Debski, "Internet Use of Polish by Polish Melburnians: Implications for Maintenance and Teaching", (2006).
• Polonia in Spain
• Polonia in Sweden
• Polonia in Canary Islands
• Polonia in Ontario, Canada
• Read more on recent economic migration in Guardian.co.uk