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.
Warsawâs size doubled during Polandâs century of distress to stand at 120,000 by 1772. St. Petersburg, in 1700 a swamp, acquired 218,000 inhabitants by 1800.