Animals and Plants
What is growing in Poland?
Almost a third (27 percent) of Poland is covered with forest. Pine and beech are the trees that are most common. In the north-east of the country spruce is growing, and oak and fir trees are growing in the south.
The Bialowieza Primeval Forest on the border with Belarus is a very special area. Here, people leave everything to nature and do not intervene in the forest. The tallest trees in Europe grow here, namely oaks up to 50 meters high. There are also many endemic species, so they are only found here.
The fields, lakes, mountains and of course the coast also offer a habitat for many plants and animals. The Baltic Sea has typical dune plants and the lakes and rivers have flowers that like moisture.
In Poland there are 23 national parks to protect nature.
Which animals live in Poland?
In Poland you can still find brown bears, wolves, lynx, bison, elk and beaver. Wild boars and deer also feel at home in the woods. Chamois, marmots and mountain hares cavort in the Tatry Mountains.
Poland is also a paradise for birds. Many of the migratory birds that come to Western Europe in summer breed here. You can often see storks here. Poland has the largest number of storks in Europe. 40,000 pairs of storks breed here.
Migratory birds
Migratory birds leave their homes to spend the winter in warmer areas. For example, you are flying from Europe to Africa. Every autumn they fly south to overwinter there. They return in spring. On these flights they cover tens of thousands of kilometers. The white stork is also such a migratory bird. It has been found that white storks from Poland overwinter in East and South Africa, while the German storks migrate to West and Central Africa via Spain.
Other bird species in Poland include the sedge warbler, the greater spotted eagle, the bog duck and the great gray owl.
Economy
The economic situation: good!
Overall, Poland’s economy is doing well. The Polish economy is growing steadily and Poland even survived the global financial crisis from 2008 onwards. Services are now the most important with 57.4 percent of total economic output. This also includes banking, telecommunications and tourism. Many visitors come to Cracow, Warsaw and Gdansk in particular every year. But nature lovers will also find many beautiful regions.
Industry accounts for 40.2 percent. For example, machines, cars and ships are built and food, medicines, furniture and textiles are produced. The infrastructure has been greatly improved in recent years. Motorways were built and existing roads repaired.
The currency of Poland is the zloty. It is divided into 100 Groszy.
Grain from Poland
For a long time, agriculture was Poland’s main source of income. Around half of the country’s area is arable. Today, however, only 11.5 percent of Poles work in agriculture and it only generates 2.4 percent of the entire economy. Potatoes, wheat, rye, apples and various types of vegetables are grown. Around half of the harvest is consumed in the home country.
Mining in Poland: copper and silver
As a country located in Europe detailed by physicscat, Poland is traditionally also a country of mining. Poland is one of the largest sponsors of copper and silver in the world. Aluminum, gold and lead are also mined.
Poland exports a lot. The largest trading partner is Germany. This is followed by the UK, the Czech Republic and France at a large distance. For example, machines, auto parts and chemical products are exported. Germany is also Poland’s largest trading partner for imports.
Unemployment is low overall, but it is very unevenly distributed. It is low in the big cities, but very high in regions like Masuria.
Eating in Poland
What do you eat in Poland? Polish food
In Poland you eat a lot of fish and a lot more meat. It is one of the countries with the highest meat consumption in the world. Pork is particularly popular as a Polish food, but geese are also popular here.
Bigos is also made with pork. Bigos is the national dish of Poles. It is a stew with white cabbage and sauerkraut. There is also meat and sometimes sausage. It is seasoned with juniper berries, sometimes dried plums or mushrooms are also added.
Polish food: pierogi
Also pierogi – in Polish Pierogi called – are considered national dish. These are filled dumplings. They are prepared in a semicircle and filled in different ways, for example with cabbage and mushrooms or with potatoes and white cheese or sweet with blueberries. They are either boiled in water or fried in the pan. You can eat the pierogi as a side dish, but also as a separate dish. They are very typical Polish food.
Barsczc and other soups: typical Polish food
The third national dish is Barsczc. This is a beetroot soup that is popular all over Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia besides Poland. Barsczc, like many soups and stews in Polish cuisine, has to cook over low heat for a long time. This is the only way to get the typical taste. Often you put Uszka in, which are dumplings filled with mushrooms, cabbage or meat.
And what other Polish food is there?
One also likes to eat cabbage rolls. They are called Gołąbki here. You fill them with minced meat and rice or buckwheat. Usually there is tomato or mushroom sauce. People also like chops. As a Kotlet schabowy, it is served with mashed potatoes and white cabbage. Often there is also cucumber salad, the mizeria. Zrazy are beef roulades.
The most important side dishes are potatoes and white cabbage. Vegetables such as peas, beetroot, beans and tomatoes are also often used in the recipes. Mushrooms and wild berries are also popular. Cakes of all kinds are also very popular.
