Zbigniew Rdzany* 1. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION AND REGIONAL DIVERSITY OF POLAND 1.1. Geographical location of Poland in Europe The Republic of Poland is a Central European country located on the Baltic Sea. The extreme points of its land area are as follows (Fig- ure 1.1): • the Northernmost Point – 54°50´N (the cliff of Kępa Swarze- wska in Władysławowo, to the west of Cape Rozewie, Pomeranian Voivodship); • the Southernmost Point – 49°00´N (Opołonek peak in the Bieszczady Mountains, near Użocka Pass and Wołosate village, Sup- carpathian Voivodship); • the Westernmost Point – 14°07´E (a meander of the Odra Riv- er near Osinów Dolny, West Pomeranian Voivodship); • the Easternmost Point – 24°09´E (a meander of the Bug River near Zosin and Strzyżów, Lublin Voivodship). * Zbigniew Rdzany – University of Łódź, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Department of Physical Geography, Narutowicza 88, 90-139 Łódź, Poland, e-mail:
[email protected] 10 Zbigniew Rdzany Figure 1.1. Absolute geographical location of Poland Source: own elaboration The total area of Poland is 322 575 km². Its land territory covers 311 888 km², internal marine waters – 2005 km², and territorial sea – 8682 km². The administrative area is 312 679 km², and encom- passes the area within administrative borders of voivodships, apart from land territory also some internal marine waters (Vistula La- goon, Szczecin Lagoon, areas of port waters). The length of border is 3511 km, including 3071 km of land borders, and 440 km of sea borders. Poland borders on Russia (210 km), Lithuania (104 km), 1. Geographical location and regional diversity of Poland 11 Belarus (418 km), Ukraine (535 km), Slovakia (541 km), Czech Re- public (796 km) and Germany (467 km).