Country · Europe
Poland
Republic of Poland
Poland is a country in Central Europe. About 38 million people live there, in an area of 312 679 square kilometres. Its capital city is Warsaw.
Picture credit: Pudelek (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pudelek (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Pudelek (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Rhododendrites (CC BY-SA 4.0) · A.Savin (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Poland?
Poland lies in Central Europe, on the continent of Europe.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 5 789 km from the equator.
Its coastline is about 440 km long.
It shares a border with 7 countries: Belarus, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia and Ukraine.
How big is Poland?
Poland covers 312 679 square kilometres.
That is about 7.6 times the size of Switzerland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 70th largest.
Spread everybody out evenly and you get about 121.4 people on every square kilometre.
That is busier than the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Poland?
About 38 million people live in Poland.
That is the 37th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Polish.
They pay with the Polish złoty (zł).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 73 years.
The land of Poland
The land of Poland sits on average 173 metres above sea level, which makes it one of the flatter countries on Earth.
Its coast runs for about 440 km. Walking it end to end, at twenty kilometres a day, would take roughly 22 days.
It lies between the tropics and the poles, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Poland different?
Dishes the country is known for: Bigos, Pierogi and Kotlet schabowy.
Websites from here often end in .pl.
Poland and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 5 live in Poland.
It takes up about 0.23 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Europe the country ranks 9th of 45 by size, and 8th by population.
Poland and its neighbours
Russia, its largest neighbour, is about 54.7 times bigger.
Russia has more people: 144.5 million against 38 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 51 live wild in Poland: Grey wolf, European badger, Eurasian beaver, Red squirrel, European hedgehog, European brown hare and more. The highest mountain in the country is Rysy, at 2 500 metres. The longest river in the country is the Vistula (Wisła). The largest lake in the country is Śniardwy.
Grey wolf
European badger
Eurasian beaver
Red squirrel
European hedgehog
European brown hare
Common pipistrelle bat
Eurasian lynx
Mute swan
Roe deer
European mole
Wild boar
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Poland compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 30 times as big as Poland: 9 372 610 km² against 312 679 km². See both on one map
- Poland is about 1.3 times as big as the United Kingdom: 312 679 km² against 242 900 km². See both on one map
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Poland?
The capital of Poland is Warsaw. It is the city where the country's government works from.
How many people live in Poland?
About 38 million people live in Poland, which makes it the 37th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Poland?
How big is Poland?
Poland covers 312 679 square kilometres, making it the 70th largest country in the world. That is about 7.6 times the size of Switzerland.
What is the highest mountain in Poland?
The highest mountain in Poland is Rysy, 2 500 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Poland?
The longest river in Poland is the Vistula (Wisła), about 1 047 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Poland?
The largest lake in Poland is Śniardwy. It covers about 114 km².
Which continent is Poland in?
Poland is in Europe, in the part called Central Europe.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
Last checked: · How these pages are made