From the moment I stepped off the airport shuttle on the eastern side of Helsinkiâs Railway Square, I felt small. In front of me, Helsinki Railway Station dominated the square, its arch-shaped faÃ§ade guarded on either side by enormous, lamp-wielding statues. Everywhere I looked was a succession of large and beautiful buildings, testaments to the creativity of 19th- and 20th-century architects.
With its 38,346,279 people, Poland is the 34th largest country in the world by population. It is the 70th largest country in the world by area with 312,685 square kilometers.
According to the 2011 census by the Polish Central Statistical Office (GUS), at the end of 2011 Poland had a population of 38,538,447, which translates into an average population density of 123 people/km 2 (urban 1105 per 1 km 2, rural 50 per 1 km 2). 61.5% of the Polish population lives in urban areas, a number which is slowly diminishing.