WARTA RIVER

river in west-central Poland, flowing 502 miles (808 km) north and west from its source near Zawiercie in the Silesian-Krakw uplands to its confluence with the Oder River at Kostrzyn in the western part of Gorzw Wielkopolski wojewdztwo (province). It is the second longest river lying entirely in Poland; its basin of 21,084 square miles (54,607 square km) makes it the third largest in Poland. About half its length, from Kostrzyn to Konin, is navigable. The Warta drops 1,224 feet (373 m) from its headwaters to its mouth. The river drains a largely agricultural area of the Polish plain. Czestochowa, Poznan, and Gorzw Wielkopolski are the only major cities along its course.