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sophisticated conversation. Instead they will teach you enough to feel comfortable in a variety of situations, which you will find dcscribcd here.

We hope that with this smali, compact book you will have in your pocket a collcction of bits of information, sufficient to carry out satisfying conversations with the people of the country you visit, in their own language. It is the result of many hours of work, research and travel done by enthusiastic teachers and travelers who wish you good luck in your study and a wonderful trip.

GEOGRAPHY

Poland is a country located in Central Europę. Its surface area is 312,683 sq. km (120,72? sq. miles) and it has a population of 38 million inhabitants. Administratively, Poland is divided into forty-nine voivodeships (provinces). Its border is 3,538 km (2,198 miles) long, including 524 km (326 miles) of seacoast.

Poland is a lowland country; its average height abovc sea level is 173 m (562 ft.). A characteristic feature of Poland's land structure is the parallel arrangement of geographic regions. Going from south to north, one may distinguish: mountain chains (the Sudetes and Carpathians); the Silesian, Little Poland, and Lublin highlands; the Central Polish lowland; the Pomeranian and Mazurian lakę regions; and the Baltic Coastal strip. The country's highesl point is Mount Rysy in the Tatra Mountains, 2499 m (8119 ft.). The longest rivers in Poland are the Wisła (Vistula) which is 1047 km (651 miles) long and the Odra (Oder) of which 742 km (461 miles) flow through Poland. These rivers traverse Poland from south to north. Poland's largest lakes, the Sniardwy and Mamry, are located in the Mazurian Lakę Region.

The Capital of The Republic of Poland (Rzeczpospolita Polska) Warszawa (Warsaw), is a city of over 1,5 million inhabitants located on the Vistula river. The country's 38 million inhabitants are largely of Polish nationality. 2/3 of the population lives in 830 towns and cities. Poland is a young country: 30 per cent of its inhabitants have not reached working age. 90 percent of Poles declare themselves as Catholics.

Major cities: Warszawa (1,532,000 inhabitants), Łódź (818,000), Kraków (713,000), Wrocław (593,000), Poznań (534,000), Gdańsk (444,000), Szczecin (381,000) and Katowice (350,000).

Climate. Poland lies in a temperate climate zonę; its weather is halfway between oceanie and Continental. A distinctive feature of Poland's climate is the presence of six seasons. A generally freezing winter lasts from the middle of December to the end of February. A changeable and capricious pre-spring sometimes continues even through the first half of April when it usually gives way to a warm spring during which frosts may occur as late as May. A warm and sunny summer lasts from June through August. The "Golden Polish

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