Poles

{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Poles  Polacy
| image = Matejko Christianization of Poland.jpg
| caption = The Baptism of Poland. Detail from Jan Matejko's Christianisation of Poland AD 966.
| popplace = 38,000,000
| region1 = 
| pop1 = 10,600,000
| ref1 = 
| region2 = 
| pop2 = 3,000,000
| ref2 = 
| region3 = 
| pop3 = 2,850,000
| ref3 = 
| region4 = 
| pop4 = 1,250,000 (ancestry, passport eligible); 202,300 (citizenship)
| ref4 = 
| region5 = 
| pop5 = 1,010,705
| ref5 = 
| region6 = 
| pop6 = 1,000,000
| ref6 = 

| region7 = 
| pop7 = 911,000
| ref7 = British Office for National Statistics
| region8 = 
| pop8 = 500,000
| ref8 = 
| region9 = 
| pop9 = 295,000
| ref9 = 
| region10 = 
| pop10 = 273,000
| ref10 = 
| region11 = 
| pop11 = 216,056
| ref11 = 
| region12 = 
| pop12 = 164,000
| ref12 = 
| region13 = 
| pop13 = 144,130
| ref13 = 
| region14 = 
| pop14 = 122,515
| ref14 = 
| region15 = 
| pop15 = 120,000
| ref15 = 
| region16 = 
| pop16 = 109,018
| ref16 = 
| region17 = 
| pop17 = 75,323
| ref17 = 
| region18 = 
| pop18 = 70,600
| ref18 = 
| region19 = 
| pop19 = 70,606
| ref19 = 
| region20 = 
| pop20 = 69,898
| ref20 =  
| region21 = 
| pop21 = 60,000
| ref21 = 
| region23 = 
| pop23 = 44,783
| ref23 = 
| region24 = 
| pop24 = 37,876
| ref24 = 
| region25 = 
| pop25 = 34,057
| ref25 = 
| region26 = 
| pop26 = 30,000
| ref26 = 
| region27 = 
| pop27 = 20,305
| ref27 = 
| region28 = 
| pop28 = 16,748
| ref28 = 
| region29 = 
| pop29 = 14,500
| ref29 = 
| region30 = 
| pop30 = 14,145
| region31 = 
| pop31 = 10,540
| ref31 =   
| region32 = 
| pop32 = 9,000
| ref32 = 
| region33 = 
| pop33 = 7,000
| ref33 = 
| languages = PolishKashubianSilesian
| rels = Christianity: Predominantly Roman CatholicismGUS, Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludnosci 2011: 4.4. Przynależność wyznaniowa (National Survey 2011: 4.4 Membership in faith communities) p. 99/337 (PDF file, direct download 3.3 MB).  
| related = Other West Slavs: Silesians, Kashubs, Czechs, Slovaks, Moravians, Sorbs, Hanoverian Wends(†), Obotrites(†), Veleti(†)
| region34 = 
| pop34 = 5,730
| ref34 = 
| region35 = 
| pop35 = 4,174
| ref35 = 2004 Moldovan census, including Transnistria
| region36 = 
| pop36 = 3,671
| ref36 = 2002 Romanian census.
| region37 = 
| pop37 = 3,084
| ref37 = 
| region38 = 
| pop38 = 3,000
| ref38 = 
| region39 = 
| pop39 = 2,166
| ref39 = 
| region40 = 
| pop40 = 1,747
| ref40 = 

| native_name_lang = pl
| population = 37.5–38 million in Poland and 21–22 million ethnic Poles or people of ethnic Polish extraction elsewhere. "Polmap. Rozmieszczenie ludności pochodzenia polskiego (w mln)" 
}}
The Polish people, or Poles (, singular Polak'') are a Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Poland, they are bounded by the Polish language, which belongs to the Lechitic subgroup of west slavic languages of Central Europe, living mainly in Poland. Their religion is mainly Roman Catholic. They use modified Latin alphabet.

There are about 60 million Poles in the world. Besides Poland, many live in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and elsewhere.

The most famous Poles are Pope John Paul II, Maria Skłodowska-Curie, Nicolaus Copernicus and Lech Wałęsa.

Polish surnames often end with "-ski", "-ska", "-cki" or "-cka".

The most popular Polish surnames are Nowak and Kowalski.

 References 

Category:Slavic peoples