Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly 260 kilometres (160 miles) from the Baltic Sea and 300 kilometres (190 miles) from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population makes Warsaw the 10th most populous city proper in the European Union.
Warsaw is an alpha global city, a major international tourist destination and an important economic hub in Central and Eastern Europe. It is also known as the "phoenix city" because it has survived many wars throughout its bloody history. Most notably when the city had to be painstakingly rebuilt after the extensive damage it suffered from World War II, during which 80% of its buildings were destroyed.