WIELKOPOLSKIE VOIVODSHIP - Geography and history
Wielkopolska, historically the oldest region of Poland, covers an area of 29.8 thousand km2 (9.5% of the total area of the country) and is the second largest region. Wielkopolskie Voivodship is located in the west-central portion of Poland, at the crossroads of many transportation routes, both with a national and international significance. The agglomerations of Warsaw, Lódz, the Tri-cities and Silesia as well as Berlin, the capital of Germany, are located within a radius of approximately 300 km from Poznan, the capital of the region.
The voivodship is characterised by the largest number of cities in the country (109), which have a combined population of 1.9 million residents, of which 30% live in Poznan.
Wielkopolska Voivodship has abundant natural resources that favour economic development. Raw materials exploited in the region include lignite and rock salt in Koninski Basin, deposits of natural gas mainly located in the southern and south-western portions of the voivodship as well as vast deposits of aggregate and ceramic raw materials.
Strong and weak points of the region
Strong points of the region:
- favourable location in terms of major transit routes from Eastern Europe to Western Europe;
- natural resources: deposits of lignite, rock salt and natural gas as well as vast deposits of aggregate, ceramic raw materials and lake chalk;
- presence of the International Poznan Fair in the capital of the voivodship;
- relatively low unemployment rate;
- relatively good condition of the natural environment;
- effective and productive agriculture; leading producer of foodstuffs; leader in cereal and animal output; high level of technology employed on farms;
- well-developed and differentiated industry; dominant role of agricultural foodstuff processing;
- high labour productivity in industry;
- high level and growth rate of GDP;
- dynamically developing sphere of banking and financial services;
- long-term co-operation of local governments in the voivodship with regions in Germany (Lower Saxony and Hesse), Netherlands (North Brabant) and Great Britain (Nottinghamshire), favouring investment.
Weak points of the region:
- insufficient municipal infrastructure;
- poor condition of road network;
- unfavourable water balance and low purity of river water;
- low degree of wastewater treatment and insignificant reduction of air pollution.
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