Olsztyn Województwo

an administrative subdivision in Poland, in the northern part of the country. Area, 21,100 sq km. Population, 1 million (1973), of whom 43 percent are urban dwellers. The administrative center is Olsztyn.

Most of the województwo lies in a hilly region dotted with lakes, known as the Masurian Lake Region. The economy is based on both agriculture and industry. About 57 percent of the województwo’s area is agricultural land, of which 18 percent is occupied by hayfields and pastures. Forests cover 29 percent of the total area. The main branch of farming is meat and dairy livestock raising. More than 40 percent of the farmland belongs to state farms. In 1973 there were 768,000 head of cattle, 808,000 hogs, and 92,000 horses. The chief crops are rye, oats, potatoes, and flax; wheat and sugar beets are raised in the north. There is logging (1.6 million cu m a year). Industry employed 72,000 persons in 1973, and the leading branches were food processing, woodworking, and machine building. Fishing is also important. The region’s lakes, of which Mamry and Śniardwy are the largest, attract many tourists.