Poland is a multifaceted country where the capital and medieval old towns are toddled by contemporary city slickers and where horse-drawn carts negotiate country lanes in areas where the new millennium appears to have got lost somewhere down the road.

Situated in the heartland of Europe, it has been both a bridge and a front line between eastern and western Europe. Today it's the place to go if you're interested in seeing how a nation picks itself up off the floor and tries to reinvent itself.

It's a multifaceted country where the capital and medieval old towns are coddled by contemporary city slickers and where horse-drawn carts negotiate country lanes in areas where the 20th century appears to have got lost somewhere down the road.

Area: 312,677 sq km (121,944 sq mi)