ntries: 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

People

Population: 38,608,929 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 3,921,093; female 3,734,223)
15-64 years: 68% (male 13,076,231; female 13,243,716)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,762,135; female 2,871,531) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.05% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.61 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.72 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/fe