Poland is roughly square, reaching a maximum of about 680km (422mi) from west to east and 650km (404mi) from north to south. It’s bordered by the Baltic Sea to the northwest, by Germany to the west, the Czech and Slovak republics to the south and Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania and Russia to the east. The northern part of Poland is varied and gently undulating, relatively well forested and covered by several thousand postglacial lakes. The flat central belt is the main agricultural area, watered by Poland’s longest river, the Vistula, which, like all Poland’s rivers, runs towards the north, draining into the Baltic Sea. Moving south, the terrain rises, culminating in the west with the Sudeten Mountains and to the east with the Carpathian Mountains, which run along the southern frontier. The highest peak is Mt Rysy (2499m/8199ft) in the Carpathian’s Tatra Mountains, Poland’s alpine range.

Poland’s national parks are scattered evenly throughout the country, with a concentration in the mountainous regions of the southeast. ‘Landscape parks’ can be found throughout Poland; these are scenic regions but not so strictly preserved.

Forests cover just over a quarter of Poland’s territory, and are populated by hare, deer and wild boar. Some brown bears and wildcats live in the mountain forests and elks can be found in the woods of the far northeast. Several hundred European bison, brought to the brink of extinction early last century, live in the Białowieża National Park. Airborne creatures have proved more resilient in urbanised and polluted Europe, as a cursory glance at the Polish sky will attest. Storks, which build their nests on the roofs and chimneys of the houses in the countryside, are much loved.

Poland’s climate is influenced by a continental climate from the east and a maritime climate from the west. As a result, the weather is changeable, with significant differences from day to day and from year to year. Winter one year can be almost without snow, whereas another year heavy snows can paralyse transport for days. Generally, central Poland is the driest, while the mountains receive much more rain (and snow in winter). Summer is usually warm and the most pleasant time to visit, but the plentiful sunshine is interspersed with heavy rains.