Ostrava Basin

Ostrava Basin (Czech: Ostravská pánev, German: Ostrauer Becken, Polish: Kotlina Oświęcimska) is a lowland, located in the eastern Czech Republic and southern Poland. It has the size of around 600 km² (230 sq mi), of which 130 km² (50 sq mi) in Poland. Its name comes from the city of Ostrava. The coal deposits were discovered in the late 18th century, as a result in the 19th century the area was heavily industrialized, and henceforth urbanised. Its mean height is 244 m (801 ft) above sea level (between 188–333 m (617–1,093 ft) above sea level).