Po Geography - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Location

Central Europe, east of Germany

Geographic coordinates

52 00 N, 20 00 E

Map references

Europe

Area

total: 312,685 sq km

land: 304,255 sq km

water: 8,430 sq km

Area - comparative

about twice the size of Georgia; slightly smaller than New Mexico

Area comparison map

Land boundaries

total: 2,865 km

border countries (7): Belarus 375 km, Czechia 699 km, Germany 467 km, Lithuania 100 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 209 km, Slovakia 517 km, Ukraine 498 km

Coastline

440 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

exclusive economic zone: defined by international treaties

Climate

temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers

Terrain

mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border

Elevation

highest point: Rysy 2,499 m

lowest point: near Raczki Elblaskie -2 m

mean elevation: 173 m

Natural resources

coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt, amber, arable land

Land use

agricultural land: 48.2% (2018 est.)

arable land: 36.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 1.3% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 10.7% (2018 est.)

forest: 30.6% (2018 est.)

other: 21.2% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

970 sq km (2012)

Total renewable water resources

60.5 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Population distribution

population concentrated in the southern area around Krakow and the central area around Warsaw and Lodz, with an extension to the northern coastal city of Gdansk

Natural hazards

flooding

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic- Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Heavy Metals, Air Pollution-Multi-effect Protocol, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

Geography - note

historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain

NOTE: The information regarding Po on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Po 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Po 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.