Territorial division

In the 1990s Poland's system of administrative division was reformed in two stages. In 1990 the gmina, the primary urban and rural unit, which had been abolished in 1975, was re-introduced. In 1998 the number of voivodships (województwa), the major territorial division, was reduced from 49 to 16, the powiat was instated as an intermediate unit between the gmina and the voivodship, and some of the administrative duties and tasks devolved from central government to the territorial and/or local authorities.

Poland - administrative map

The major Polish cities are Warsaw, £ód¼, Cracow (Kraków), Wroc³aw, Poznañ, Gdañsk, Szczecin, Bydgoszcz, Katowice, and Lublin. The main geographical regions are  Pomerania (Pomorze),  Masuria (Mazury), Greater Poland (Wielkopolska),  Mazovia (Mazowsze),  Podlassia (Podlasie),  Silesia (¦l±sk),  Lesser Poland (Ma³opolska), and Sub-Carpathia (Podkarpacie).

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION

The Voivodship of Lower Silesia (wojewódzwto dolno¶l±skie)

Area: 19,948 sq km
Population: 2,985,000
Major cities: Wroc³aw, Wa³brzych, Legnica, Jelenia Góra, K³odzko

The Voivodship of Cuiavia and Pomerania (województwo kujawsko-pomorskie) 

Area: 17,970 sq km
Population: 2,980,000
Major cities: Bydgoszcz, Toruñ, W³oc³awek, Grudzi±dz, Inowroc³aw

The Voivodship of Lublin (województwo lubelskie)

Area: 25,115 sq km
Population: 2,233,000
Major cities: Bia³a Podlaska, Che³m, Lublin, Zamo¶æ

The Voivodship of Lubusz (województwo lubuskie)

Area: 13,985 sq km
Population: 1,019,000
Major cities: Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra

The Voivodship of £ód¼ (województwo ³ódzkie)

Area: 18,223 sq km
Population: 2,676,000
Major cities: £ód¼, Skierniewice, Sieradz, Piotrków Trybunalski

The Voivodship of Lesser Poland (województwo ma³opolskie)

Area: 15,141 sq km
Population: 3,204,000
Major cities: Cracow (Polish name: Kraków), Tarnów, Nowy S±cz

The Voivodship of Mazovia (województwo mazowieckie)

Area: 35,715 sq km
Population: 5,068,000
Major cities: Warsaw (Polish name: Warszawa), P³ock, Radom, Siedlce, Ostro³êka

The Voivodship of Opole (województwo opolskie)

Area: 9,412 sq km
Population: 1,092,000
Major cities: Opole, Kêdzierzyn-Ko¼le

The Voivodship of Sub-Carpathia (województwo podkarpackie)

Area: 17,890 sq km
Population: 2,100,000
Major cities: Rzeszów, Przemy¶l, Tarnobrzeg, Krosno

The Voivodship of Podlassia (województwo podlaskie)

Area: 20,180 sq km
Population: 1,224,000 
Major cities: Bia³ystok, £om¿a, Suwa³ki

The Voivodship of Pomerania (województwo pomorskie)

Area: 18,293 sq km
Population: 2,179,000
Major cities: Gdañsk, Gdynia, S³upsk

The Voivodship of Silesia (województwo ¶l±skie)

Area: 12,294 sq km
Population: 4,894,000
Major cities: Katowice, Czêstochowa, Bielsko-Bia³a

The Voivodship of Kielce (województwo ¶wiêtokrzyskie)

Area: 11,672 sq km
Population: 1,328,000
Major cities: Kielce, Skar¿ysko-Kamienna, Starachowice, Sandomierz

The Voivodship of Varmia and Masuria (województwo warmiñsko-mazurskie)

Area: 24,202 sq km
Population: 1,460,000
Major cities: Olsztyn, Elbl±g

The Voivodship of Greater Poland (województwo wielkopolskie)

Area: 29,942 sq km
Population: 3,345,000
Major cities: Poznañ, Leszno, Kalisz, Pi³a

The Voivodship of Western Pomerania (województwo zachodniopomorskie)

Area: 23,032 sq km
Population: 1,729,000
Major cities: Szczecin, Koszalin

Since 1990 16 Euroregions have been created alongside Poland's borders. These are areas of trans-border co-operation based on agreements signed by the local authorities of adjacent countries. The aims of the Euroregions are to enhance relations between neighbouring regions, develop their infrastructure, foster economic cooperation, protect the environment, and to promote tourism, and cultural and educational activities. These trans-border regional entities include the Pomeranian Euroregion (Poland, Germany, and Sweden), the Neisse Euroregion (Poland, Czech Republic, and Germany) and the Carpathian Euroregion (Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, and Rumania).