Territory
Poland lies in the central part of the European continent, the geometrical centre of which is near Warsaw.
Poland's total surface area is 322,500 sq km (312,600 sq km of land, 1,200 sq km of inland waters, and 8,700 sq km of territorial waters). This makes it the ninth largest country in Europe, after Russia, Ukraine, France, Spain, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway, and the 63rd largest in the world.
Borders
Over the centuries, Poland's territory has changed many times, but it has always comprised the basins of the Warta and Vistula Rivers, and the lands between the Carpathians and the Baltic Sea.
To the west, Poland has a border of 467 km with Germany, to the south with the Czech Republic (790 km) and Slovakia (541 km); to the east and north-east with Ukraine (529 km), Belarus (416 km), Lithuania (103 km) and Russia (210 km). The total length of Poland's land and sea borders is 3,496km.
Territorial division
In the 1990s Poland's system of administrative division was reformed in two stages. In 1990 the gmina, the primary urban and rural unit, which had been abolished in 1975, was re-introduced. In 1998 the number of voivodeships (województwa), the major territorial division, was reduced from 49 to 16, the powiat was instated as an intermediate unit between the gmina and the voivodeship, and some of the administrative duties and tasks devolved from central government to the territorial and/or local authorities.
The major Polish cities are Warsaw, Lodz, Cracow (Krakow), Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, and Lublin. The main geographical regions are Pomerania (Pomorze), Masuria (Mazury), Greater Poland (Wielkopolska), Mazovia (Mazowsze), Podlassia (Podlasie), Silesia (Slask), Lesser Poland (Malopolska), and Sub-Carpathia (Podkarpacie).
Climate
Poland has a moderate climate with both maritime and continental elements. This is due to humid Atlantic air which collides over its territory with dry air from the Eurasian interior. As a result, the weather tends to be capricious and the seasons may look quite different in consecutive years. This is particularly true for winters, which are either wet, of the oceanic type, or - less often - sunny, of the continental type. Generally, in north and west Poland the climate is predominantly maritime, with gentle, humid winters and cool, rainy summers, while the eastern part of the country has distinctly continental climate with harsh winters and hotter, drier summers.
Poland - Paradise for activity - Introduction
Poland lies in the heart of Europe - the geometric centre of the continent is right here. Warsaw is not far from other European cities: Paris and London are 2 hours away by plane, Vienna and Berlin not much more than an hour. You can get here quickly by international roads and railway connections.
Half a million places to stay, thousands of restaurants, hundreds of forms of leisure and entertainment - they're all waiting for visitors.
Warsaw by night
Poland is a country that is safe and friendly for visitors from abroad, a statement confirmed by official international statistics. In figures concerning access to cash machines, for instance, Poland is 8th in Europe. Mobile phone networks cover 94% of the country.
You can find more or less everything in Poland: alpine mountains, wide beaches, clean lakes, deep forests, world-class historic monuments, and friendly people. The climate is temperate, and the people warm and hospitable. Polish cities with a thousand-year history invite their visitors to encounters with culture, and Poland's villages and small-time towns offer the opportunity to get away from the bustle of modern life. And all this comes with a backdrop of breathtaking natural landscapes, because Poland's greatest attraction is nature.
Poland is a paradise for the active tourist who doesn't just sit around and loves to be on the move, whether on foot, by bike, or canoe. The best time to come is the spring and summer months, between May and August; or September and October, which are usually warm and dry, and known as the "golden Polish autumn".
Poland is a paradise for the active tourist who doesn't just sit around and loves to be on the move, whether on foot, by bike, or canoe. The best time to come is the spring and summer months, between May and August; or September and October, which are usually warm and dry, and known as the "golden Polish autumn".
The Golden Polish Autumn
Wild, untouched, more diverse than in most countries either in Europe or the world and, what's more, easily accessible. Tourists value this greatly and their number is constantly increasing
Backpacks and Oars
Poland is a paradise for the active tourist who doesn't just sit around and loves to be on the move, whether on foot, by bike, or canoe. The best time to come is the spring and summer months, between May and August; or September and October, which are usually warm and dry, and known as the "golden Polish autumn".
The Convivial Coast
Poland's coastline is one of the longest in Europe. The beaches are wide and sandy with no nasty pebbles. There's a lot of diversit, with alternating picturesque sometimes very high cliffs and broad, low-lying dunes. The coastal air has curative properties thanks to the stretches of sappy pine forest and the iodide it produces, which is why visitors come all year round to the numerous Baltic spa resorts. One of the most popular is Kolobrzeg, where you can also find salt-water springs (in use since the 7th century AD).
Every visitor will find something to interest him or her on the Baltic beaches. There are beaches with lifeguards, water slides, beach volleyball courts, and places to rent jet-skis, water-skis, canoes, sailboats and windsurfing equipment, as well as colourful seaside promenades with cosy little bars and fish restaurants.There are also wild, uninhabited corners where, in the early morning, the fortunate few will find real treasures - pieces of amber.
Sunrise over Baltic Sea
The picturesque ports and old lighthouses are open to visitors, and there are also long, wooden piers stretching out into the sea - the most famous, and one of the longest in Europe, is in Sopot.
The Land of a Thousand Lakes and the Polish Amazonia
Masuria
South of the coastal zone there's a vast stretch of lake districts - a paradise for boaters, canoeists, anglers, and mushroom-pickers; not to mention enthusiasts of bathing, walks in the forest, and tranquillity. Masuria, Land of the Lakes, is renowned for its natural beauty. A quarter of Poland's lake water is here - of thousands of lakes; among them the largest in Poland, Lake Sniardwy (113 sq. km), which looks like a small sea. Connected by a network of rivers and canals, they make up the most popular boat-course in Poland, the Great Masurian Lake Trail.
To many Poles "Masuria" is a magic word associated with summer, broad blue expanses of waters dotted with white sails, and the dense green Pisz Forest (Puszcza Piska). With foresters' cottages hidden in the woods and isolated farms by the lakesides, hillocks coloured yellow by rapeseed, and storks' nests on the rooftops. Masuria is also the summer bustle of anchorages in Mikolajki, Gizycko and Wegorzewo, and jolly taverns with their own atmosphere created by the great summer shindigs of the "sailors' brotherhood", sporting events, and shanty festivals.
Kayaking down the Krutynia River
The Suwalki Region
is remarkable for the beauty of its post-glacial landscape. Mother Nature has generously endowed the Suwalki Region with undulating moors, forested hills, scores of lakes with pretty shorelines, numerous rivers and streams, deep gorges and thousands of huge boulders. This is where you'll find the deepest lake in Poland, Lake Hancza (108.5m), with its exceptionally clear water, and also Lake Wigry, unusually beautiful and surrounded by a National Park. A common sight here are beavers building their lodges; and other delights are the unusual boreal (northern) flora and climbing up to the summit of Cisowa Mountain, the Fujiyama of the Suwalki Region.
Masuria, Land of the Lasek
Kashubia
Kashubia, another magnificent region, lies to the west of Masuria. There are no large tourist centres or jet-set events here. Kashubia is the perfect place for caravanners and campers or family holidays . Alongside the unpolluted, picturesque lakes and rivers, the region offers its own original attractions. One part of it has been named the Kashubian Switzerland because of its unusual geological features. The undulating hills, delightful gorges, and valleys form an almost highland setting. In summer you can swim in the lakes and admire the great flocks of cranes, and in winter you can ski here.
The Tuchola Forest
From here, it's not far to the largest stretch of forest in Poland, the Bory Tucholskie (Tuchola Forest - 1,170 sq km). The pine forests generate a particularly wholesome microclimate. You can cover 30 km on a bike here along a forest trail without seeing a soul or passing a single cottage.
Mountains and Dales
If you love mountains, you absolutely must come to Poland. The Carpathian and Sudetan Mountains gird the south of the country. There are ten national parks here. Ramblers' walks are perfectly laid out and you won't see any hamburger stands, asphalted roads or walled-off gardens. All you need is a backpack full of food, good boots, and a bit of daring.
The Tatras
The highest range in the Carpathians is the Tatras. To appreciate their beauty there's no need to scale the summits, a stroll along one of the valleys will suffice - perhaps the Koscieliska Valley, the Chocholowska, or the Rybi Potok. The Polish Tatras are divided into two groups - the High Tatras and the Western Tatras. The High Tatras are for the more experienced, but once you've traversed the Orla Peræ (Eagle's Path), climbed Koscielec, Swinica or Rysy (at 2,499m the highest peak), you'll want to come back again and again.
Here you'll see the highest waterfall in Poland - Wielka Siklawa (70m) - and scotrs of enchanting post-glacial lakes with emerald and blue surfaces. The largest , and at the same time the most easily accessible for tourists, is Morskie Oko (34.9 hectares), but with a little more effort you could see the watery miracles of nature called Dolina Pieciu Stawów (the Valley of Five Polish Lakes) and the Gasienicowa Valley.
The Valley of Five Polish Lakes
The Western Tatras are safer and more accommodating, there's more space and greenery, not to mention the caves and potholes. With a stroke of luck, you will see protected animals such as the alpine marmot and kozica (chamois) on any trail in the Tatras. In the mountains, people still continue the century-old custom of greeting passing travellers. On the way, you can take a break in peaceful spots amid the mountain pines or in grand mountain lodges
The Beskidy, Gorce, and Pieniny Mountains
The Carpathians also have other ranges. The rounded hills of the Beskidy and Gorce, with their gentle slopes covered by forests, will please those who prefer long, tranquil strolls. In the Pieniny Mountains, you can take part in a raft trip down the beautiful valley of the Dunajec. Narrow, wooden poles are lashed together in fives to make rafts that are steered by Highland rafters. For over a hundred years they've been carrying tourists along the impressive route through the heart of the Pieniny. The river goes round three colossal bends in the space of 15 km, winding through the narrow gorge between the mountain slopes.
Valley of the Dunajec
The Bieszczady Mountains
In contrast to the Tatras, an undisputed asset of the Beskidy and Pieniny is the fact that the trails are less frequented by tourists, especially in autumn. The Bieszczady Mountains, a range in the Eastern
Carpathians, are also gorgeous at this time of year. In September and October, the beechwood slopes turn red and the high poloniny (mountain meadows) are even more colourful. The Bieszczady region is the only location in Poland where such a large area has returned to its primaeval state and natural balance. The Bieszczady are the realm of large animals: bison, bears, lynx, wildcats and wolves. Strolling across the meadows in the early morning, you can see herds of Carpathian deer or a solitary elk; falcons, hawks, buzzards and golden eagles wheel in the sky.
The Sudetan Mountains
The Sudetan Mountains, in the southwest of the country, are not at all difficult to climb - you don't so much hike through them as stroll. The Sudetan region is, without doubt, one of the best-organised parts of Poland in terms of tourist infrastructure. It's a mosaic of mountain ranges of divergent character: from the massive Karkonosze through the fantastical Góry Stolowe (Table Mountains), to the low broad hills of the Izerskie, Bialskie and Zlote ranges. Here you can admire waterfalls hidden in the forests and great post-glacial coombs, delve into rocky labyrinths, photograph mouflons (wild sheep) and find precious minerals. At one time, the Sudetan Mountains were known as "treasure house of Europe", and the stones exported from these peaks adorn more than one historic building in France and Italy. And even today, among the rocks you may come across rock crystal, agate, amethyst, jasper, garnet, topaz, and nephrite.
The information about our country was taken from http://travel.poland.com/
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