Poland - Useful information for your trip

Poland is a country in Europe with Warsaw as a capital city, lapped north by the Baltic Sea. Its territory consists mainly of a vast plain that stretches from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Carpathian Mountains to the south. The Baltic coast lacks natural harbors except for the cities of Gdansk and Szczecin. The region in the northeast is called Land of Lakes of Mazury, sparsely populated and deprived of resources for agriculture and industry. To the south and west lies a rather large flat area that reaches the Sudetenland.

The climate is mostly temperate, with cold winters, cool summers and abundant rainfall throughout the year. The environment is characterized by deciduous and mixed vegetation in forests; it also records a wide presence of conifers in the Carpathian area. Many animal species which are extinct in other parts of Europe are still surviving in Poland: among these we note the bison. In Poland you can then find the brown bear, the gray wolf and the Eurasian lynx. In addition, Poland is rich in migratory birds.

The Polish economy is among the healthiest among the post-communist countries and is among the fastest growing in the European Union. The agricultural sector occupies an important place, characterized by private farms. Poland is the largest food producer in the European Union. Other important sectors are also those related to coal, steel and railways.

An important item of the national economy is then tourism, especially in big cities: Krakow was the capital of the country in the Renaissance: here many Polish kings were crowned and many are still today the testimonies of a rich past. Interesting is also the city of Wroclaw, one of the oldest in the nation. Warsaw, the capital, offers many attractions to visitors: from the picturesque Old Town, to monuments and museums. Other cities worth a visit are Gdansk, Poznan and Szczecin. In addition, near Oświęcim lies the former Nazi Auschwitz concentration camp.