Editing Greater Poland Voivodeship (section)

==Geography==
===Topography===
[[File:DB$-54.jpg|thumb|The [[Barycz Valley Landscape Park]]]]
The relief of Greater Poland, geological conditions and soil have been shaped by two glaciations:
* The Baltic glaciation in the lowlands of northern and central Europe where there are now numerous lakes of the Pomeranian Lake District, a feature especially common in and around [[Poznań]] and [[Gniezno]].
* The Mid-glaciation in the southern part of the province, where there is less terrain diversity and a lack of major lakes.

The highest elevation is Greater Kobyla Mountain ({{cvt|284|m}}) in the Ostrzeszowski Hills, the lowest area is located in the valley of the [[Warta]] River at the mouth of its tributary the [[Noteć]] ({{cvt|21|m}}) in the north-western part of the region. Agriculturally fertile soils account for around 60% of the province's area, while 20%, the rest of the non-forested or urban areas, is mostly wetland soil (muck-peat and alluvial soils).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://en-ie.topographic-map.com/map-cg351/Greater-Poland-Voivodeship/ |title=Greater Poland Voivodeship topographic map |website=en-ie.topographic-map.com |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref>

An area of approximately {{Convert|800000|ha}} is covered by forests, this represents around 25.8% of the total surface area of the region.
In the lake districts of the northern and central parts of the province there are about 800 lakes; 58% of which cover an area of at least {{Convert|10|ha}} and 8%, with an area exceeding {{Convert|100|ha}}. The largest reservoir is the natural Greater Powidzkie Lake ({{Cvt|1036|ha}}) in the Gniezno Lake District.

Wielkopolska Region lies within the basin of the [[Oder River]], 88% of the province's surface water drains into the Warta river basin, and the remaining 12% is drained by a multitude of other river systems, including the Barycz, Ladislaus Trench and Obrzycy waterways. The quality of river waters is generally poor, but their condition is gradually improving and should soon be classed as 'clean'.

===Geology===
[[File:Elektrownia Pątnów.jpg|thumb|left|A modern [[Pątnów Power Station|coal-fired power plant in Pątnów]]]]
The main mineral energy resources in Greater Poland are [[lignite]], [[natural gas]], [[petroleum|oil]] and [[peat]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://polskakultura.com/greater-poland-voivodeship-deep-dive-into-the-cradle-of-poland/ |title=Greater Poland Voivodeship: Deep Dive into the Cradle of Poland |website=polskakultura.com |date=1 December 2023 |access-date=22 December 2023}}</ref>

Brown coal deposits are currently mined in the Konin area, and form the basis for the province's power industry (the Pątnów-Adams-Konin [[coal-fired power station]]s account for more than 10% of the national electricity production). The region also has significant quantities of peat deposits; it is calculated that there are ca. {{Convert|886000|ha}} of land covered with an average thickness of {{Cvt|1.5|m}} of peat. An abundance of raw materials used in the production of numerous medicines was recently discovered in the muds of [[Błażejewo, Śrem County|Błażejewo]], [[Oderbank]] and [[Mechnacz]]. In addition, very large deposits of brown coal have been discovered in the vicinity of [[Kościan]], these however are not currently being extracted and probably never will be extracted, due to the expense that would be incurred in adapting the site to build a coal mine and the need to resettle thousands of people.

[[Rock salt]] is mined intensively at a salt mine in [[Kłodawa]] (this mine alone accounts for about 20% of domestic production).

Throughout the province there are significant deposits of aggregates, gypsum, ceramic materials, and lacustrine chalk. In [[Kościan]] the largest and most modern, a natural gas production site is in operation. It supplies raw material for Kościańska Zieme, and Zielona Gora CHP. It is estimated that at the rate local gas reserves are being exploited, the reserves in Kościan will be enough for about 20 years of operation, thus practically allowing for local independence against the effects of gas crises.

===Climate===
Wielkopolska is influenced by oceanic air masses that affect the mildness of the climate. The farther east one travels the more distinctly continental the climate becomes. The area is situated in the Silesian Greater Poland agro-climatic region where the average annual temperature is about 8.2&nbsp;°C, and in the north drops to around 7.6&nbsp;°C. It is slightly warmer in the south and west where the average temperature is usually about 8.5&nbsp;°C. The number of days with snow can reach up to 57 days in and around the [[Kalisz]] district.

The growing season is one of the longest in Poland. On the province's southern plains this season constitutes around 228 days, while north of Gniezno and [[Szamotuły]] this gradually declines to 216 days.

Precipitation ranges from 500 to 550&nbsp;mm. Despite this the region is still faced with a deficit in rainfall, particularly in the eastern part of the province (around Słupcy, Kazimierz Biskupi, Kleczew) where sometimes experience only 450&nbsp;mm of rainfall per year, this threatens steppization of the region. Throughout the province there is typically a prevailing westerly wind.