A large European country

Ninth larger country of Europe, Poland extends on 650 kilometers from the north to the south and on 690 km from the east to the west, which makes a surface of 312 700 km². The country shares more than 3 000 kilometers of borders with Germany in the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Ukraine, Bielorussia, Lithuania and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in the east. The north of the country is bordered by the Baltic littoral.

Poland is a flat country, 97 % of its territory is located at less than 500 meters of altitude. The word "pole" means "field" in Polish. The country is also characteristic for its ten thousand lakes, in particular in Pomerania and Mazuria, accounting for 1 % of the total territory. The forests cover 27 % of the country. The mineral and agricultural resources are abundant and varied: coal, lignite, copper, zinc, lead, silver, magnesium and salt.

A vast plain

The large plain, or the Plain of Central Europe, occupies 91 % of the surface of the territory and continues even well after the Polish territory, to the Ural. Poland has always been a center of historical major exchanges in Europe, thanks to its large rivers such as the Vistula, Oder, Warta, and Bug.

The north of the country is marked by the Amber coast, known since Antiquity for its fossilized resin. The Baltic plain is made up of lakes and bays and sand dunes skirting the coast. The North-West areas (Pomerania) and North-East (Mazuria) are rich in glacial lakes.

The south of the country consists of mountainous solid masses and high tablelands border with the Czech Republic, Carpathian Mountains and with Slovakia where in particular culminates the mount Rysy (2500 meters).

 

Static map of Poland

 

Interactive map of Poland

Other useful sections of the website

Tourism in Poland

Travel to Poland

 

To go further

Pilot.pl
Interactive map of Poland with detailled maps and routes as well as administrative information for each city.
http://www.pilot.pl