Poland Geography - 2024

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 (6): 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

760 sq km (2013)

Major lakes (area sq km)

salt water lake(s): Zalew Szczecinski/Stettiner Haff (shared with Germany) - 900 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Wisla (Vistula) river source and mouth (shared with Belarus and Ukraine) - 1,213 km
note - longest river in Poland

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Atlantic Ocean drainage: (Black Sea) Danube (795,656 sq km)

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

Geography - note

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