Brief Introduction to Poland
Poland is situated in central Europe, bordered on the north by Russia and the Baltic Sea; on the west by Germany; on the south by the Czech Republic and Slovakia; and on the east by Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.
The country is predominantly lowland with a marked physical contrast visible between the northern and southern regions. The northern zone is divided into three areas: the Central Polish Lowlands, the Baltic Heights, and the Costal Plain. The Baltic Heights region contains hills and lakes. South of this region is the Central Lowlands that are traversed by a series of large shallow valleys. The coastline is mostly smooth and regular with the exceptions of Pomeranian Bay (west coast) and the Gulf of Gdansk (east coast). The southern zone has a narrow belt of mountains in the extreme south and southwest regions. These are the Carpathian Mountains and within this mountain range are the Tatry Mountains, containing the highest point, Mount Rysy at 2,499 meters (8,199 feet). The Sudety Mountains are situated in the southwest of the country.
Poland has around 9,300 lakes that are mainly in the Baltic Heights and Costal Plain regions and their total area accounts for 1% of the country. Wide river valleys divide the region into three parts: the Pomeranian (Pomorskie) Lakeland, the Mazurian (Mazurskie) Lakeland and the Great Poland (Wielkopolskie) Lakeland. The longest river is the Vistula or Wisla, which is 1047 km long. The other principle river is the Oder.
Forests cover around 30% of the country. Most trees are evergreens, including pine and spruce whilst deciduous trees are mainly beech and oak. Although many of the forests have been planted, some natural forests occur in the east. Alpine meadows are found on the highest mountains. Much of the country's original forest cover has been removed over the centuries to create farm and grazing land.
The climate in Poland has features of both Western Europe's moderate climate and Eastern Europe's more severe continental climate. The major elements involved are oceanic air masses from the west, cold polar air from Scandinavia or Russia, and warmer, subtropical air from the south. Indeed, six seasons can be distinguished: a snowy winter of one to three months; an early spring of one or two months, with alternating winter and spring conditions; a mainly sunny spring; a warm summer with plenty of rain and sunshine; a sunny, warm autumn; and a foggy, humid period signifying the approach of winter.
In January, most of the country has average temperatures below freezing point, but western border regions are warmer in the winter than those in the east. Summer temperatures are more uniform over the whole country and are generally moderate. |
