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| Continent | Europe |
|---|---|
| Region | North European Plain |
| Coordinates | 52°00′N 20°00′E / 52.000°N 20.000°E |
| Area | Ranked 69th |
| • Total | 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi) |
| • Land | 98.52% |
| • Water | 1.48% |
| Coastline | 770 km (480 mi) |
| Borders | 3,582 km (2,226 mi) |
| Highest point | Rysy, 2,500 meters (8,202 ft) |
| Lowest point | Raczki Elbląskie −1.8 meters (−6 ft) |
| Longest river | Vistula 1,047 km (651 mi) |
| Largest lake | Lake Śniardwy 113.4 km2 (43.8 sq mi) |
| Climate | temperate climate |
| Terrain | Swamps, level terrain, hills, mountains |
| Natural resources | Coal, sulfur, copper, silver, natural gas, iron, zinc, lead, salt, arable land |
| Exclusive economic zone | 30,533 km2 (11,789 sq mi) |
| Maps of Poland | |
|---|---|
| Topography | |
| Major agglomerations | |
Interactive map with links to articles | |
| Provinces and highways | |
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| Satellite photo by NASA Landsat 7 | |
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| Hypsometry | |
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| Satellite photo, winter 2003 | |
 Snow cover in mid-winter |
Poland (Polish: Polska) is a country that extends across the North European Plain from the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south to the sandy beaches of the Baltic Sea in the north. Poland is the fifth-most populous country of the European Union and the ninth-largest country in Europe by area. The territory of Poland covers approximately 312,696 km2 (120,733 sq mi), of which 98.52% is land and 1.48% is water.[1] The Polish coastline was estimated at 770 km (478 mi) in length.[2] Poland's highest point is Rysy, at 2,500 m (8,202 ft).[3]
Geographically, Poland is a diverse country; although most of the central terrain is flat, there is an abundance of lakes, rivers, hills, swamps, beaches, islands and forests elsewhere. The Baltic coast has two natural harbours, the larger situated in the Gdańsk-Gdynia region, and the smaller near Szczecin in the far northwest. The northeastern region, also known as the Masurian Lake District with more than 2,000 lakes,[4] is densely wooded and sparsely populated. To the south of the lake district, and across central Poland a vast region of plains stretches all the way to the Sudetes on the Czech and German borders southwest, and to the Carpathians on the Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian borders southeast. The central lowlands had been formed by glacial erosion in the Pleistocene ice age.[5]
The country's longest and most prominent river is the Vistula at 1,047 kilometres (651 miles) in length, also the ninth-longest in Europe.[6] Other notable rivers within the administrative borders are Warta at 808 km (502 mi), and the Oder at 741 km (460 mi).[7] Poland's largest lake is Śniardwy with the surface area of 113.4 km2 (43.8 sq mi), followed by Mamry with 102.8 km2 (39.7 sq mi).[8]
- ^ "Powierzchnia i ludność w przekroju terytorialnym w 2018 roku". stat.gov.pl.
- ^ "PAIH | Terytorium". www.paih.gov.pl. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "Wysokość szczytów w Tatrach do poprawki. Wyższe okazały się m.in. Rysy, Świnica czy Skrajny Granat". PAP - Polish Press Agency. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Masurian Lake District, at mazury.info.pl (in Polish)
- ^ "Wpływ zlodowaceń na rzeźbę Polski - Zintegrowana Platforma Edukacyjna". zpe.gov.pl. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Vistula River". pomorskie.travel. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
Vistula - the most important and the longest river in Poland, and the largest river in the area of the Baltic Sea. The length of Vistula is 1047 km.
- ^ "Najdłuższe rzeki w Polsce. Która rzeka w Polsce jest najdłuższa?". gazetapl (in Polish). 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "Największe jeziora w Polsce". Naukowiec.org. Retrieved 19 November 2023.