| Puszcza Zielona | |
|---|---|
 Today’s remnants of a Kurpie forest | |
| Map | |
  | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Masovian Voivodeship, Podlaskie Voivodeship, Poland |
| Coordinates | 53°18′50.61″N 21°27′7.84″E / 53.3140583°N 21.4521778°E |
Puszcza Zielona (Polish: [ˈpuʂt͡ʂa ʑɛˈlɔna]; lit. 'Green Wilderness') is a forest in Poland which extends from the Narew River and the border with the region of Masuria. It is bounded on the east by the Pisa River and on the west by the Orzyc River. The forest lies in a lowland and contains a wet sandy soil, but it is rich in various minerals which are mined.
The Green Wilderness (Puszcza Zielona) is usually associated with the White Wilderness (Puszcza Biała), and together the two forests are often referred to as the Kurpie Forest (Puszcza Kurpiowska) because the two forests were populated by inhabitants who, over the centuries retained their distinct ethnic character. Due to isolation they developed a unique culture of their own, called Kurpie.