Poland

Description of Poland

Poland is the country of central Europe. Warsaw is located near the geometric center of Europe, which is crossed by lines connecting the Cape Matapan on the Peloponnese peninsula and the Cape Nordkinn in Norway, and also the Portuguese Cape Roca with the central Ural Mountains of Russia. Across the country is a border between the continental blocks of Western and Eastern Europe. The country occupies an area of 312.658 square kilometers. Poland ranks ninth among European countries and the 63rd among the world´s countries.

Territorial borders of Poland were identified by the victorious states of World War II. Following the decision, the country lost about a fifth of its prewar territory.

Geographic contours of Poland resemble a circle with a prominent feature - a tiny sprout in the north of the country, which is the Hel Peninsula (with the length of 34 km and an average width of about 0.5 km). Poland shares its borders with the Czech Republic (790 km) in the south, and with Belarus (416 km), Ukraine (529 km), Lithuania and Russia (103 km and 210 km) in the east. The total length of its land and water borders is about 3496 km.

Poland is a country with a different topographical geography. Along the southern borders of Poland stretch the Sudetes and the Carpathian Mountains. The Sudetes belong to one of the oldest mountain masses of Europe (the highest peak is the Mount Snowball located at the height of 1602 m above sea level). The Carpathian Mountains are much younger. The Tatra Mountains form their central part; it is the only part of the Polish mountains with alpine character; here is the highest mountain of Poland – the Mount Robe (with a height of 2499 m above sea level). There are hundreds of lakes in the northern part of the country. Among the rolling hills and beautiful forests, the Pomeranian and Masurian Lakes are situated. The largest lake is Śniardwy (with an area of 109 700 ha). In the north of the country are the sandy shores of the Baltic Sea. The main Polish ports of the Baltic coast are Gdynia, Szczecin and Gdansk.

Some facts about Poland

Gallery of Poland

Poland video guide

More information about Poland

Top cities of Poland