Bialowieza Primaeval Forest - Poland

This image shows the lowland area around the southern part of the Baltic Sea, including north Poland, Kaliningrad (the Russian enclave), parts of Lithuania and Belarus. Visible cities include Gdansk on the southern part of the Gulf of Gdansk and Kaliningrad, north of the Vislinskiy Bay and south of the Courland Lagoon. The Vistula (Wisla) river, is the longest river in Poland (from lower- right to mid-left). It has its source in the south of Poland and flows through Warsaw (lower-right) and ends in the Gulf of Gdansk via a delta. The area consists mainly of cultivated land, but has also large areas of forests (dark patches). One forest in particular, the Bialowieza Primaeval forest (horizontal U-shape), across Poland and Belarus is very important because it is one of the last primeval forests in Europe. Primaeval or old-growth forests exhibit unique ecological features, they are home to species that are extinct elsewhere and are vital for biodiversity. acquired on 1 May by Envisat/MERIS, ©ESA