Voivodships of Poland

A voivodship (in Polish Województwo) is the term for each of the 16 administrative regions (provinces) of Poland.

On January 1, 1999 they replaced the 49 districts which had existed since 1975. The interwar Second Polish Republic (1918-1939) also had 16 districts.

Today's provinces are largely based on the country's historical regions, whereas those of 1975-1998 were centred on and named for individual cities. The new units range in area from under 10,000 km² (Opole Voivodship) to over 35,000 km² (Masovian Voivodship), and in population from one million (Lubusz Voivodship) to over five million (Masovian Voivodship).

Poland's present voivodships

• Greater Poland Voivodship (Wielkopolskie)
• Kujavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie)
• Lesser Poland Voivodship (Malopolskie)
• Lodz Voivodship[?] (Lodzkie)
• Lower Silesian Voivodship (Dolnoslaskie)
• Lublin Voivodship[?] (Lubelskie)
• Lubusz Voivodship (Lubuskie)
• Masovian Voivodship (Mazowieckie)
• Opole Voivodship (Opolskie)
• Subcarpathian Voivodship[?] (Podkarpacie)
• Podlasie Voivodship[?] (Podlasie)
• Pomeranian Voivodship (Pomorskie)
• Swietokrzyskie Voivodship (Swietokrzyskie)
• Silesian Voivodship (Slaskie)
• Warmian-Masurian Voivodship[?] (Warminsko-Mazurskie)
• West Pomeranian Voivodship (Zachodniopomorskie)

See also List of capitals of subnational entities.

For a table with area and population figures, see the Polish ("Polski") version of this page.

map (http://www.minrol.gov.pl/Publikacje/nowy-sapard/rozdzi2.jpg)