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After spending decades under communism, Poland has made great economic strides in the past 15 years.

This week we head across the Atlantic Ocean to Poland, a country in Eastern Europe. For much of the 20th century, Poland was part of the communist region controlled by the Soviet Union, and when it became independent in 1990, life still was a struggle for many. Poland's air was very polluted in some areas, the people earned little money, and they often had to stand in long lines to buy basic items. But the country has made a lot of progress, and today, it is seen as an economic success story. Poland has about 38 million residents. Polish people are called Poles, but many more people of Polish descent live in other parts of the world, including the United States. Do you have Polish ancestors?

In the bottom photo you see a picture from the city of Warsaw, Poland's capital. Believe it or not, this beautiful city was almost entirely destroyed during World War Two. But the Polish people are very proud of their history and culture, and after the war, they slowly and carefully rebuilt many of its historic areas. Poland also has a lot of beautiful countryside, like the mountains you see here, and miles of coastline on the Baltic Sea. But throughout much of its history, Poland was located between two large countries, Germany and Russia, which caused many problems, as both countries were interested in expanding by taking over parts of Poland.