Zakopane (pronounced [zakɔˈpanɛ]) is a town in the extreme south of Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a center of Góral culture and is known informally as "the winter capital of Poland".