Voïvodie de Podlachie

The Voïvodie de Podlachie or Voïvodie de Podlasie (in Polish Województwo podlaskie ) is one of the 16 administrative areas (Voïvodie S) of the Poland. Białystok is the chief town of the voïvodie.

The voïvodie was created on January 1st 1999 starting from old the voïvodies of Białystok and Łomża, as well as part of old the voïvodie of Suwałki, following a law of 1998 reorganizing the administrative cutting of the country. It is divided into 17 districts ( powiats ), including 3 cities having of the rights of district, and 118 communes. The name of the voïvodie refers to the historical area of Podlachie (Podlasie).

The voïvodie has a surface of 20.180 km ² and counts 1.221.000 inhabitants (2003) of which a Belorusse minority as well as a small community tatare of old presence.

The natural capital

The natural capital is the most invaluable good of the area. Natural reserves recover 1/3 of the territory. The voïvodie has 4 national parks, 3 landscape parks, 88 natural reserves, 15 zones of protected landscapes. It was devoted green lung of Poland by UNESCO. The national park of Białowieża, which is the only reserve of Bison S in Europe, was declared reserve of the Biosphère by UNESCO in 1977. In 1979, it was registered with the world heritage of humanity. In 1995, UNESCO gives this statute very envied the whole of natural reserve. This one becomes thus one of the seven transborder natural reserves taken precedence over planet.

Situation

The voïvodie is located at the North-East of Poland. It has borders with the Bielorussia, the Lithuania and the voïvodies of Lublin, Mazovie and Varmie-Mazurie.

More big cities

(Population in 2003)

Białystok (287 400 inhabitants)
Suwałki (70 000 inhabitants)
Łomża (65 600 inhabitants)
Augustów (30 600 inhabitants)

Economy

The voïvodie of Podlachie counts 95.000 economic units (2002) dealing with:

Trade and service of repair 33,2%
Estate agencies and services with the companies 11,8%
Sector of construction 10,5%
industrial Treatment 9,7%
Transport 8,3%
Agriculture, hunting, sylviculture 4,5%

Food industry plays a main role, followed light industry and industry of wood without forgetting the mechanical engineering industry.

Industrial production (2002):

food Articles and of the drinks 46,2%
Wood and derivative products 14,6%
Production and electric energy supply, gas and running water 10,7%
Production of the machines 4,8%
Textile 4,4%

Agriculture is a sector dominating of the regional economy. There exist approximately 120.000 farms, with a prevalence of small-scale farmings. The small farms specialize in intensive production (horticulture, fruit-bearing arboriculture), the large farms support the breeding of the bovines (especially for the production of milk) and the production of corn.

Unemployment rate amounts to 14,1% (2003).

The most frequent family names

1. Dąbrowski: 7.177
2. Kozłowski: 5.560
3. Zalewski: 5.165

External bond

''' topographic VisitBiałystok.com '''
Chart (1: 50 000) of the North-East of Poland

Be-X-old: Падляскаеваяводзтва

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