Poland – key data
Area: 312,685 km² (of which land: 304,255 km², water: 8,430 km²)
Population: 38.4 million (July 2011 estimate, CIA). Composition: Poland 96.7%,German 0.4%, Belarusians 0.1%, Ukrainians 0.1%, others and no information 2.7% (2002 census).
Population density: 123 residents per km²
Population growth: -0.062% per year (2011, CIA)
Capital: Warsaw (1.71 million residents, 2008)
Highest point: Rysy, 2,499 m
Lowest point: point near Raczki Elblaskie, -2 m
Form of government: Poland has been a republic since 1918. The current constitution has been in force since 1997. The Polish bicameral parliament consists of the lower house (Sejm, 460 members) and the Senate (100 senators). Poland has been a member of theEuropean Union.
Administrative division: 16 voivodships: Warmia-Masuria (Warmi? Sko-Mazurskie), Lublin (Lubelskie), Greater Poland (Wielkopolskie), Mazowieckie (Mazowieckie), Świ? Tokrzyskie (Świ? Tokrzyskie), Lower Silesia (Dolno? L? Skie), Subcarpathian region (Podkarpackie), Opole (Opolskie), Lesser Poland (Ma? Opolskie), Podlaskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Pomerania (Pomorskie), Lubuskie, Silesia (? L? Skie), Lodsch (? ódzkie), West Pomerania (Zachodniopomorskie)
Head of State: President Bronisław Komorowski, since April 10, 2010
Head of Government: Prime Minister Donald Tusk, since November 16, 2007
Language: the official language in Poland is Polish (native language for 97.8%). 2.2% other languages (mainly German, Ukrainian and Belarusian) 2002 census
Religion: Roman Catholic 89.8% (75% practicing), Orthodox 1.3%, Protestant 0.3%, other religions 0.3%, no information 8.3% (2002 census)
Local time: CET. Between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October there is summer time in Poland (CET + 1 hour).
The time difference to Central Europe in both winter and summer 0 h.
International phone code: +48
Internet identifier:.pl
Mains voltage: 220 V, 50 Hz
The Republic of Poland is a state in the east of Central Europe. Poland borders Germany to the west, the Baltic Sea to the north, the Kaliningrad region and Lithuania to the northeast, Belarus and Ukraine to the east, and the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic to the south. The total area of the country covers 312,678 square kilometers; its north-south extension is 650 kilometers, the distance from west to east is 690 kilometers. Visit cellphoneexplorer for Brief Information About Poland.
Poland is characterized by five major landscapes: the Baltic Sea coast, the lake districts, the lowlands, the low mountain ranges and the high mountains.
Similar to Germany In Poland, the sea, the Baltic Sea in the north and the mountains, the Sudetes and Carpathians in the south, form the natural national borders. To the Baltic coast, it is followed by a belt of lake plateaus, which is replaced by flat lowlands in the middle of the country. In the south, the mountain ranges extend with their distinctive manifestations. Viewed from above, the Polish landscapes appear almost like strips running parallel and strung together.
The more than 500 kilometers long Baltic Sea coast consists mainly of wide beaches with very light, sometimes white sand. The beach slopes gently towards the sea and behind it stretches a dune landscape overgrown with pine forest. Characteristic of the Polish coast are the sandy and narrow spits small bays separated from the sea, which have similarities with lagoon and beach lakes. The Fresh Lagoon, located in the east of the Gdańsk Bay, is almost completely separated from the Baltic Sea, while the Hela peninsula protrudes deep into this bay without, however, forming a self-contained lagoon. The Polish Lake Districts are divided into the Pomeranian Lake District, the Greater Poland Lake District and the Masurian Lake District. The first two lake areas are predominantly covered by beech forests, while the Masurian Lake District to the east is covered with mixed spruce forests due to its continental climate. The Great Masurian Lakes, connected by canals, are also a popular travel destination because of their flora and fauna, some of which come from Siberia.
The lake districts are bounded in the south by the broad Polish lowland, the densely populated area of which is divided into three regions: the Wielkopolska lowland in the west, the Central Silesian arable plain to the south and the Masurian lowland in the east.
The south-east of Poland is formed by the predominantly plateaus Uplands shaped. They are divided into the Lesser Poland highlands with the Kraków-Czestochowa Jura, the Kielce and Sandomierz highlands with the Holy Cross Mountains, and the Lublin hill country. In the south-west and south of Poland, the Sudetes and Carpathians form the country’s natural borders. In contrast, the Beskids stretch through almost the whole of southern Poland. The Tatras are divided into the High Tatras and the Western Tatras. In the High Tatras lies the Rysy, Poland’s highest peak, at 2,499 meters.
Poland’s most important and longest rivers are the Vistula with 1,047 kilometers, the Oder with 854 kilometers, the Warthe with 808 kilometers and the Bug with 772 kilometers.
Best travel time for Poland
A country of this size has enough places that can be visited all year round. Most vacationers visit Poland from May to October if that weather is warmer. The peak tourist season is July and August when schools and universities are on vacation and most Polish workers and employees take their annual vacation. During this time, Poland can be very crowded, especially in the particularly attractive regions such as the Baltic Sea beaches, the Masurian Lakes, the Carpathian Mountains, Warsaw and Krakow.
In July and August, of course, the means of transport are also full and often booked out well in advance. Accommodation is harder to find and sometimes more expensive than in the low season. Fortunately, many schools that are empty during the holidays act as youth hostels, as do dormitories in the big cities. Most theaters are closed in July and August.
If you want to avoid the tourist crowds, travel either in late spring / early summer (mid-May to June) or between summer and autumn (September to October). These times are comfortably warm, ideal for sightseeing and outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, horse riding and canoeing. In addition, many cultural events take place.
The rest of the year, from mid-autumn to mid-spring, is colder and darker. Nevertheless, during this time you can visit urban sights or enjoy the cultural life in Poland. Of course, hiking and other outdoor activities (apart from skiing) are less enjoyable during this period. Most campsites and youth hostels are closed during this time.
The ski season is between December and March. The Polish mountains are spectacular, but the infrastructure (hotels and chalets, elevators and drag lifts, cable cars) is still not that well developed. The Polish winter sports centers are Zakopane and the Tatra Mountains.
