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Warmia-Masuria

Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Skyline of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Flag of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Flag
Coat of arms of Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Coat of arms
Location within Poland
Location within Poland
Division into counties
Division into counties
Coordinates (Olsztyn): 53°47′N 20°30′E / 53.783°N 20.500°E / 53.783; 20.500
Country  Poland
Capital Olsztyn
Counties
Area
 • Total 24,191.8 km2 (9,340.5 sq mi)
Population (31-12-2014)
 • Total 1,443,967
 • Density 60/km2 (150/sq mi)
 • Urban 856,559
 • Rural 570,532
Car plates N
Website Official Voivodeship's website
  • further divided into 116 gminas

Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship or Warmia-Masuria Province (in Polish: Województwo warmińsko-mazurskie, [vɔjɛˈvut͡stfɔ varˈmiɲskɔ maˈzurskʲɛ]), is a voivodeship (province) in northeastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Olsztyn. The voivodeship has an area of 24,192 km2 (9,341 sq mi) and a population of 1,427,091 (as of 2006).

The Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship was created on January 1, 1999, from the entire Olsztyn Voivodeship, the western half of Suwałki Voivodeship and part of Elbląg Voivodeship, pursuant to the Polish local government reforms adopted in 1998. The province's name derives from two historic regions, Warmia and Masuria.

The province borders the Podlaskie Voivodeship to the east, the Masovian Voivodeship to the south, the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship to the south-west, the Pomeranian Voivodeship to the west, the Vistula Lagoon to the northwest, and the Kaliningrad Oblast (an exclave of Russia) to the north. The region contains the southern part of the historic Prussian province of East Prussia, which was divided between Poland and the Soviet Union (and hence, today Russia) after the Second World War. Following the defeat of Nazi Germany, nearly all indigenous German-speaking inhabitants were forcefully expelled by the new Soviet-appointed Polish Communist national government to what would become West and East Germany. Today, a small German-speaking minority is still present in the region.


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Wikipedia

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