Poland. Geographical Position and Natural Features.

Map  Questions.

1. What countries does Poland border on?
2. What rivers flow across its territory?

Geographical Position. The Polish People's Republic covers an area of 312,000 square kilometres between the Baltic Sea in the north and the Carpathian Mountains in the south. After World War II Poland received back the lands which had been seized from her by the German feudal lords in the Middle Ages. Today its western bor­der runs along the Odra River.
Poland is advantageously placed for the development of trade. II has a broad outlet into the Baltic Sea and a long boundary with the U.S.S.R. It is surrounded on all sides by friendly Socialist states and is a focus of rail routes leading from the Soviet Union to Czechos­lovakia, the German Democratic Republic, and further on, to the capitalist countries of Western Europe.
Natural Features. The greater part of the surface of Poland is flat. To the north lies the vast Polish Plain, marshy in places. Ridges of hills and numerous lakes stretch along the coastal licit of the Baltic Sea. The Malopolska Upland with its remains of ancient mountains is situated a little further south. At I lie southernmost point of the country, close to the Czechoslovak bor­der, the Carpathian and Sudetic Mountains enter Polish territory and continue their way inland. Along the upper course of the Odra, between the Carpathians and the Sudetes, there i. a wide and convenient pass to Czechoslovakia.

Fig. 46. The port of Gdansk.

Poland is rich in natural resources. There are large deposits of coal and lignite in the Upper Silesian coalfield (the latter sort radiates less heat than coal). Oil and natural gas, as well as large quantities of salt, are found deposited at the foot of the Carpathians. There is also zinc, lead and other metals.1 Considerable deposits of copper, potassium salt and sulphur have lately been discovered. These are employed in the production of fertilizers and other chemicals.
Poland enjoys a temperate continental climate, milder than that of Eastern Europe. Winters are not cold and accompanied by fre­quent thaws, the average January temperature varying between 2 and 4°C below zero. Summers are not hot, the July temperature varying between 17 and 19°C above zero. Annual rainfall is rather heavy, attaining 600 mm in places and still more in the mountains. Rainy periods are most frequent in late summer and autumn, when they often cause floods.
The general slope of the surface being northward, rivers flow toward the Baltic Sea. The chief rivers are the Vistula with its source in the Carpathians and the Odra with its source in the Sudetes. They are connected by channels and offer ample opportunity

Zinc, lead and silver are often found combined in the same ore. Ores containing a combination of several metals are called polymetallic (from the Greek «polys» =many).

for shipping and for constructing hydroelectric powerstations.
Poland is situated almost entirely in the forest zone. Mixed forests of pine and oak prevail. The coastal belt along the Baltic Sea with its mild winters and the foothills in the south are covered with broad-leaved oak and beech. These have been cut down in places and the land cultivated.
Questions and Assignments.

• Use symbols to mark the natural resources of Poland on the
  outline map.
• Compare the natural features of Poland with those of your
  neighbourhood (relief, climate, vegetation). What are the common
  features? What are the points of difference?