__NOTOC__ Tatra County ( pl, powiat tatrzański) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (

powiat A ''powiat'' (pronounced ; Polish plural: ''powiaty'') is the second-level unit of local government and administration in Poland, equivalent to a county, district or prefecture ( LAU-1, formerly NUTS-4) in other countries. The term "''powia ...

) in

Lesser Poland Voivodeship Lesser Poland Voivodeship or Lesser Poland Province (in pl, województwo małopolskie ), also known as Małopolska, is a voivodeship (province), in southern Poland. It has an area of , and a population of 3,404,863 (2019). It was created on 1 ...

, southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the

Polish local government reforms The administrative division of Poland since 1999 has been based on three levels of subdivision. The territory of Poland is divided into ''voivodeships'' (provinces); these are further divided into ''powiats'' (counties or districts), and these i ...

passed in 1998. Its administrative seat and only town is

Zakopane Zakopane ( Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the extreme south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has been par ...

, which lies south of the regional capital

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

. The county takes its name from the Tatra mountain range, which covers most of its territory. The county covers an area of . As of 2006 its total population is 65,393, out of which the population of Zakopane is 27,486 and the rural population is 37,907. The mountainous southern part of the county (211 km²) makes up the Tatra National Park. This area, together with the

Slovak Tatra National Park Tatra(s) National Park ( sk, Tatranský národný park; abbr. TANAP) is one of the nine national parks in Slovakia. It is situated in North Central Slovakia in the Tatra Mountains. The park is important for protecting a diverse variety of flora ...

across the border, make up a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

-designated

biosphere reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

Neighbouring counties

Tatra County is bordered by only one other Polish county,

Nowy Targ County Nowy Targ County ( pl, powiat nowotarski) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, southern Poland, on the Slovak border. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish ...

, which lies to the north. To the east, west and south it is bordered by

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

(namely,

Tvrdošín Tvrdošín (german: Turdoschin or ''Thurdossin''; hu, Turdossin; pl, Twardoszyn) is a town in central Slovakia. Geography The town is located at the confluence of the Orava and Oravica rivers, from the Polish borders and cca. from Dolný Kub ...

and

Liptovský Mikuláš District Liptovský Mikuláš District (''okres Liptovský Mikuláš'') is a district in the eastern part of Žilina Region of central Slovakia. The district was established in the 19th century with its current name and exists within current borders since 1 ...

s in

Žilina Region The Žilina Region ( sk, Žilinský kraj; pl, Kraj żyliński; hu, Zsolnai kerület) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 11 districts ( okresy) and 315 municipalities, from which 18 have a town status. The region ...

to the south and west, and

Poprad District Poprad District (''okres Poprad'') is a district in the Prešov Region of eastern Slovakia. The district had been established in 1923 and from 1996 exists in its current borders. It consists of 29 municipalities, from which three have a town statu ...

Prešov Region The Prešov Region, also Priashiv Region ( sk, Prešovský kraj, ; hu, Eperjesi kerület; uk, Пряшівський край) is one of the eight Slovak administrative regions and consists of 13 districts (okresy) and 666 municipalities, 23 o ...

to the south and east).

Administrative division

The county is subdivided into five

gmina The gmina (Polish: , plural ''gminy'' , from German ''Gemeinde'' meaning ''commune'') is the principal unit of the administrative division of Poland, similar to a municipality. , there were 2,477 gminas throughout the country, encompassing over 4 ...

s (one urban and four rural). These are listed in the following table, in descending order of population.

References

Polish official population figures 2006

Tatra {{Tatra-geo-stub

Neighbouring counties

Administrative division

See also

References