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is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the
south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad
Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north. The total area of Poland is 312,679 km²
(120,728 sq mi), making it the 69th largest country in the world and 9th in Europe.
Poland has a population of over 38.5 million people, which makes it the 33rd most
populous country in the world.
The establishment of a Polish state is often identified with the adoption of Christianity by
its ruler Mieszko I in 966, when the state covered territory similar to that of present-day
Poland. Poland became a kingdom in 1025, and in 1569 it cemented a long association
with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by uniting to form the Polish-Lithuanian
Commonwealth. The Commonwealth collapsed in 1795, and its territory was partitioned
among Prussia, Russia, and Austria. Poland regained its independence in 1918 after World
War I but lost it again in World War II, occupied by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Poland lost over six million citizens in World War II, and emerged several years later as a
socialist republic
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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
within the Eastern Bloc under strong Soviet influence. In 1989 communist rule was
overthrown and Poland became what is constitutionally known as the "Third Polish
Republic". Poland is a unitary state made up of sixteen voivodeships. Poland is also a
member of the European Union, NATO and OECD.
Poland’s territory extends across several geographical regions. In
the northwest is the Baltic seacoast, which extends from the Bay of Pomerania to the Gulf
of Gdansk. This coast is marked by several spits, coastal lakes (former bays that have
been cut off from the sea), and dunes. The largely straight coastline is indented by the
Szczecin Lagoon, the Bay of Puck, and the Vistula Lagoon. The center and parts of the
north lie within the North European Plain. Rising gently above these lowlands is a
geographical region comprising the four hilly districts of moraines and moraine-dammed
lakes formed during and after the Pleistocene ice age. These lake districts are the
Pomeranian Lake District, the Greater Polish Lake District, the Kashubian Lake District,
and the Masurian Lake District. The Masurian Lake District is the largest of the four and
covers much of northeastern Poland. The lake districts form part of the Baltic Ridge, a
series of moraine belts along the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. South of the Northern
European Lowlands lie the regions of Silesia and Masovia, which are marked by broad iceage river valleys. Farther south lies the Polish mountain region, including the Sudetes, the
Cracow-Częstochowa Upland, the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, and the Carpathian
Mountains, including the Beskids. The highest part of the Carpathians is the Tatra
Mountains, along Poland’s southern border.
The climate is mostly temperate throughout the country. The climate is
oceanic in the north and west and becomes gradually warmer and continental as one
moves south and east. Summers are generally warm, with average temperatures between
20 °C (68 °F) and 27 °C (80,6 °F). Winters are cold, with average temperatures around 3
°C (37,4 °F) in the northwest and –8 °C (17,6 °F) in the northeast. Precipitation falls
throughout the year, although, especially in the east; winter is drier than summer. The
warmest region in Poland is Lesser Poland located in Southern Poland where temperatures
in the summer average between 23 °C (73,4 °F) and 30 °C (86 °F) but can go as high as
32 °C (89,6 °F) to 38 °C (100,4 °F) on some days in the warmest month of the year July.
The warmest city in Poland is Tarnów. The city is located in Lesser Poland, it is the hottest
place in Poland all year round. The average temperatures being 30 °C (86 °F) in the
summer and 4 °C (39,2 °F) in the winter. Tarnów also has the longest summer in Poland
spreading from mid May to mid September. Also it has the shortest winter in Poland which
often lasts from January to March, less than the regular three-month winter. The coldest
region of Poland is in the Northeast in the Podlaskie Voivodeship near the border of
Belarus. The climate is efficient due to cold fronts which come from Scandinavia and
Siberia. The average temperature in the winter in Podlachian ranges from -15 °C (5 °F) to
-4 °C ( 24,8 °F)
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MTC Meteorologie Technologie Consulting GmbH
Sincerely
MTC Meteorologie Technologie
Consulting GmbH
Franz Mikulits
Managing Director
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