Kraków: Poland's Cultural Capital

Geography

 

Poland is a middle-sized country with a 38,000,000 population and a total area of 312,683 square kilometers, ranking the 9th in Europe and the 66th on the world. It's a little larger than Britain and Italy, occupying 3% of European area. Poland is on the ancient trade passage which is the confluence of nowadays European north-south and west-east main traffic lines, the midpoint of the European Continent. The Baltic Sea is her north border. There are 3 big ports which load Poland to the world: Gdynia, Gdansk and Szczecin. Carpathian mountains and the Tatra Mountains is the south border of the country. The low lying river "Bug" winds as her east border, which the busy freighted "Odder" river is her west border. The longest river of Poland "Vistula" with a length of 1,047 kilometers, crossing the center of the country from the north to the south. Capital of the Nation Warsaw lies right by the River. Poland is basically a country with low-lying plains. The average height of the country is 170 meters above the sea level. But her natural scenery is not monotonous. Cookie layers can be found in lots of places- there're usually beautiful down and highlands. The highest place of Poland is the peak "Rsai" with a height of 2,499 meters above the sea level. Average temperature of Poland raises -1~5℃ (approx. 34~41*F) in January while 17~19℃(approx. 63~66*F) in July. The annual rainfall in Poland raises from around 500~1,200mm (approx. 20~47 in.). 

Baltic Sea as the sun is setting

Carpathian Mountains. Stretching from 1,500 kilometers across central and eastern Europe, it is one of the second-largest mountains in the European range.

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Reference:
http://www.newworld.krakow.pl/doce/geography.htm

Climate

The Climate annually in Poland. during the winter season, temperatures would fall below zero degrees during the evening. In the summer, temperatures can reach up to mid 70s to low 80s in Fahrenheit.
There is mostly rain during the months of July to August. it can go up to more than  four inches in a month.
 

Poland's weather can vary during the months. It's temperate climates can be seen as cold winters and warm summers, and part of it is because of the oceanic air currents coming from the west, cold polar air from Scandinavia and Russia, as well as warmer, sub-tropical air from the south.

During the winter, temperatures can fall below zero, with some heavy snowfall. During the late summer and early autumn season, the areas has warm weather because of the influence of dry, sub-tropical, continental air mass.  The average air temperatures amount to 6 - 8.5°C (approx. 43-47°F) for a year, the annual rainfall is 500 - 700 mm (Approx. 20-28 in.), of which snow constitutes only 5 - 20%.

Soldiers return to duty at the tomb of unknown soldier during heavy snow falls in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010. Poland has recently seen a bout of winter weather with temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees Celius (5 Fahrenheit) . (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

The Most amount of sunshine during the summer is in the Baltic Coast, while in the winter, Carpathian Mountains.

Required clothing:Lightweights in summer months, with a sweater for walking and the cooler evenings. Medium- to heavyweights are advised in winter. Waterproofing is neccesary throughout the year.

Reference:
http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/climate/Poland.htmhttp://newshopper.sulekha.com/poland-weather_photo_1112188.htm

History

 

 

Map of Poland

 

Located in the central part of Europe, Poland (officially known as the Republic Of Poland) is surrounded by other countries such as Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Lithuania. The Polish state is over 1 000 years old. During the 16th century, Poland was one of the most powerful countries in Europe. With victory at the Battle of Vienna in 1683, King Jan III Sobieski of Poland was able to break the Ottoman siege of Vienna and end the threat of a possible occupation of western Europe*.


Poland's Flag

Poland became more known during World War I, when the allies decided to constitutionalize it as a country again as a border to keep Germany and Russia from going on an outbreak. This idea came from the U.S. President Woodrow Wilson with his famous Fourteen Point Speech. Poland was able to regain its independence from the rule of the other countries.
In World War II, Poland was Invaded by Germany as a way to create six major concentration camps, most notably the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The camps were made by Adolf Hitler, who took over Germany during the 1930s. Many of the Jews were taken there by the Germans to keep them as hostages and kill them. In the mid-1940s, there was the Warsaw Uprising, which liberated the Jews in the concentration by the U.S., along with the allied forces.
Today, Poland is a democratic regime. Poland joined NATO in 1999 and the European Union in 2004. The President is elected by popular vote for a five-year term. The 460 members of the lower house of parliament (the Sejm) and the 100 members of the senate, are directly elected by a system of proportional representation to serve four-year terms. The Polish are famous for their people: astronomer Copernicus, scientist Maria Curie-Sklodowska, and the late pope, John-Paul II.



Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_(1989%E2%80%93present)
http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/poland/index_en.htm