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Location: Central Europe, east of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 52 00 N, 20 00 E
Area:
total:
312,683 sq km
land:
304,510 sq km
water:
8,173 sq km
Land
boundaries:
total:
2,888 km
border
countries: Belarus 605 km, Czech Republic 658 km, Germany 456 km, Lithuania
91 km, Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Slovakia 444 km, Ukraine 428
km
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime
claims:
exclusive
economic zone: defined by international treaties
territorial
sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters with frequent precipitation; mild summers with frequent showers and thundershowers
Terrain: mostly flat plain; mountains along southern border
Elevation
extremes:
lowest
point: Raczki Elblaskie -2 m
highest
point: Rysy 2,499 m
Natural resources: coal, sulfur, copper, natural gas, silver, lead, salt
Land
use:
arable
land: 47%
permanent
crops: 1%
permanent
pastures: 13%
forests
and woodland: 29%
other:
10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment—current issues: situation has improved since 1989 due to decline in heavy industry and increased environmental concern by postcommunist governments; air pollution nonetheless remains serious because of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, and the resulting acid rain has caused forest damage; water pollution from industrial and municipal sources is also a problem, as is disposal of hazardous wastes
Environment—international
agreements:
party
to: Air Pollution, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed,
but not ratified: Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography—note: historically, an area of conflict because of flat terrain and the lack of natural barriers on the North European Plain
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Última actualització: 8 de juny de 2000