Editing Warsaw (section)

===Location and topography===
[[File:Warsaw by Sentinel-2, 2020-06-01.jpg|thumb|right|Warsaw, as seen from the [[European Space Agency|European Space Agency (ESA)]] [[Sentinel-2]]]]<!-- DO NOT ADD MORE PICTURES TO THIS SECTION -->

Warsaw lies in east-central Poland about {{convert|300|km|abbr=on}} from the [[Carpathian Mountains]] and about {{convert|260|km|abbr=on}} from the [[Baltic Sea]], {{convert|523|km|abbr=on}} east of Berlin, Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://geography.howstuffworks.com/europe/geography-of-warsaw.htm |title=Geography of Warsaw |work=geography.howstuffworks.com |access-date=27 February 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110712225552/http://geography.howstuffworks.com/europe/geography-of-warsaw.htm |archive-date=12 July 2011}}</ref> The city straddles the [[Vistula]] River. It is located in the heartland of the [[Masovian Plain]], and its average elevation is {{convert|100|m|abbr=on}} above sea level. The highest point on the West side of the city lies at a height of {{convert|115.7|m|abbr=on}} ("Redutowa" bus depot, district of Wola), on the East side&nbsp;– {{convert|122.1|m|abbr=on}} ("Groszówka" estate, district of Wesoła, by the eastern border). The lowest point lies at a height {{convert|75.6|m|abbr=on}} (at the right bank of the Vistula, by the eastern border of Warsaw). There are some hills (mostly artificial) located within the confines of the city&nbsp;– e.g. Warsaw Uprising Hill ({{convert|121|m|abbr=on}}) and Szczęśliwice hill ({{convert|138|m|abbr=on}}&nbsp;– the highest point of Warsaw in general).

[[File:Plac Grzybowski nocą.jpg|thumb|right|[[Grzybowski Square]] – [[Śródmieście, Warsaw|central Warsaw]] is located on the flat [[Masovian Plain]], but at a higher elevation than the [[Powiśle, Warsaw|Powiśle]] riverside.]]

Warsaw is located on two main geomorphologic formations: the plain moraine plateau and the Vistula Valley with its asymmetrical pattern of different terraces. The Vistula River is the specific axis of Warsaw, which divides the city into two parts, left and right. The left one is situated both on the [[moraine]] plateau ({{convert|10|to|25|m|abbr=on}} above Vistula level) and on the Vistula terraces (max. {{convert|6.5|m|abbr=on}} above Vistula level). The significant element of the relief, in this part of Warsaw, is the edge of moraine plateau called Warsaw Escarpment. It is {{convert|20|to|25|m|abbr=on}} high in the Old Town and Central district and about {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} in the north and south of Warsaw. It goes through the city and plays an important role as a landmark.

The plain moraine plateau has only a few natural and artificial ponds and also groups of [[clay pit]]s. The pattern of the Vistula terraces is asymmetrical. The left side consists mainly of two levels: the highest one contains former flooded terraces and the lowest one is the floodplain terrace. The contemporary flooded terrace still has visible valleys and ground [[depression (geology)|depressions]] with water systems coming from the old Vistula&nbsp;– riverbed. They consist of still quite natural streams and lakes as well as the pattern of drainage ditches. The right side of Warsaw has a different pattern of geomorphological forms. There are several levels of the Vistula plain terraces (flooded as well as formerly flooded), and only a small part is a not-so-visible moraine escarpment. [[Aeolian processes|Aeolian]] sand with a number of dunes parted by [[peat]] swamps or small ponds cover the highest terrace. These are mainly forested areas ([[Temperate coniferous forest|pine forest]]).