Modelled on a mercator projection which doesn't preserve area, then showing exactly the same size on every latitude
this post was submitted on 24 May 2026
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Not true. This is a screenshot taken from https://thetruesize.com/, which addresses the issue you mention. You can see, for example, that the yellow outline of poland is larger than the cyan one nearer the equator.
Here's one I did myself to better illustrate that effect:
The Pacific ocean has a surface area of approximately 165 million square kilometres, and poland is about 300,000 square kilometres, so on that basis, you should be able to squeeze around 550 polands into the Pacific, though poorly fitting edges would obviously reduce that, but suffice to say, 16 is well undercounted, and the image accurately portrays that
I like how they started to make a grid then just went "fuck it" lol
If you think that’s bad, wait until they try to fit 17!
Isn’t the garbage island like the size of at least three Polands these days? At some point it’s going to accumulate enough organic debris to develop its own topsoil and eventually ecosystem.
As far as I'm aware, the "garbage island" is really more like a really super fucking polluted region where there's tons of garbage, not like a specific amalgam of trash that actually stays dry on top or anything
It's not really an island though. There's just more garbage there than elsewhere.
Despite the common public perception of the patch existing as giant islands of floating garbage, its low density (4 particles per cubic metre (3.1/yd3)) prevents detection by satellite imagery, or even by casual boaters or divers in the area.
I was being hyperbolic and facetious.
We haven't found the upper limit yet, but with more research funding we can get closer
Scientific funding in a nutshell. Fuck me.
Only if you behave yourself.
Wow, the Pacific Ocean must be really wide, like, that's gotta be longer than 2 football fields placed end to end.
Two? Double that number, then double it again...
Be careful with exponentials!
Do not double it more than 17 times or it will not fit.
I thought you making a joke about the number in the post being an arbitrary 16 until I did the math
can't fold it more than 7 times either
So Six Football fields?
Probably maybe!
Or Seven even...
There's an old mexican comedy show where the teacher asks a student how many centimeters are in a meter - she answers something like "29. And there's even room for more!"
El Chavo? Sounds like something the Chilindrina would say.
Ah yes, the optimal packing of 16 Polands
If you put them too close to each other, Russia will try to invade. They're drawn to it sorta like a magnetic Poland field. Once you have too many Poland's, it's best to play it safe.
But how will Russia invade Poland without Nazi Germany there to help them??
I suspect with some work we could even fit Poland 17 in there...
Technically correct.
But 17, probably not.
Mathematics believes it is possible, they just have to work out the optimal packing.
No, after that critical point, Poland would start to win.
Are you trying to create a radioactive super Poland!?
Americans will use anything but metric
You see, Texas wouldn't fit even once, because it's twice the size of the earth. Europeans will never understand that.
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That's a lot of kielbasa!
How do you sink a Polish battleship?
By placing the entire country of Poland into the Pacific Ocean while the Battleship is in drydock.
And this is why poland should be the standard unit of measurement.
I like to bake and I use mostly weights for measuring. When I explain to people how it's easier and faster, I will finish as a joke that I weigh in stones. Those that know how bad a unit of measure stones would be for baking laugh. I dont think it would work as well using "polands".
The Atlantic Ocean can hold 17 Polands. Therefore, the Atlantic Ocean is bigger.
Those three Polands are conspiring against the other 13!
And 13! is a lot of Polands
Thank you
Where did you find the other 15?
Even a multicolor assortment of 16 Polands!
You get a multi buy discount if you purchase 16 Poland's in one transaction
!CartographyAnarchy@sh.itjust.works
I've often thought about Poland and the pacific ocean. I always considered you could fit 7 or 8 or 173 or even 9. But 16? That really is mind blowing.
Bigly if true
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