Where is Poland?

[Zack]

When they speak about Massachusetts here in TV, they say about it being located in the "West Coast"

Freudian slip?

 

[Domen]

Sorry, of course East Coast (that was my slip of the tongue).

We are talking about Western Europe, Western Civilization, etc. all the time and then it is easy to write such silly things by mistake... LOL

worse at geography than the Muricahn stereotype!

It was a slip of the tongue... Like confusing left with right. ^ ^ And I'm a bit sleepy today. Weather change...

 

[bhsup]

Europe (Listeni/ˈjʊərəp/ EWR-əp or /ˈjɜrəp/ YUR-əp[1]) is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting the Black and Aegean Seas.[2]

Europe is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and the Black Sea and connected waterways to the southeast. Yet the borders of Europe—a concept dating back to classical antiquity—are somewhat arbitrary, as the primarily physiographic term "continent" can incorporate cultural and political elements.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed

Now, I realize this isn't actually a government we're talking about here, but I feel rather the same way. Europe as we know it has been like this for millennia. Let's not go mucking about with it now for flimsy reasons.

 

[Domen]

Freudian slip?

Oedipus complex.

Freud was an idiot - don't citze his terms.

 

[AdamCrock]

Why is it always comes down to US ????!!!!!!! I mean every thread there is - discussing US , aliens only invade US, when there is an earthquake You suddenly know it is in US, flood you ask ? - only in US , meteor stirke ? (ok Russia and US) , somebody farted ?! -US, everything happens in a goddamn US of A ! haha

 

[Zack]

Not really. Take a look at this physical map of Europe again:

Spoiler :

And now compare with the USA:

Spoiler :

How is the geographical layout of the USA supposedly easier to divide into regions?

I like how you took a very detailed and nice-looking European map and compared it with the crappiest, ugliest, map of the US you could find.

Compare it here:

Spoiler :

I haven't heard any people from Europe referring to Massachusetts as being in New England.

On the other hand, I have heard many people from Europe referring to Czech Republic or Poland as being in Central Europe.

You're making terrible comparisons again. People in Europe generally don't refer to individual US states, much less what region they are in. I might as well say that I've never heard any people from the US refer to Poland as being in "Central Europe".

What "many people from Europe" are you referring to? People from the Czech Republic or Poland?

So I guess that your assumption about what so called "people" do, have some regional American bias in it...

And there's no bias from Poles about Poland's location at all.

Most of people who live in Czech Republic, Poland, Germany or Hungary acknowledge that the region of Central Europe exists. On the other hand, most of people from Czech Republic, Poland, Germany or Hungary have never heard about "New England" still being an acknowledged region nowadays...

Not comparable. If you picked a random person in California what countries are in "Central Europe," they wouldn't have a clue, but if you asked them what states are in "New England" they would have a general idea. Does that sufficiently hammer home the point of how silly using the same point of reference for both areas is, particularly when the point of reference is in one of the areas and not the other?

I personally must say, that I have read or heard about "New England" being A Thing, only regarding the English colonies in the 17th - 18th centuries...

I had no idea that "New England" is something which still exists until I have read about this yesterday on this forum...

I always thought that "New England" is something which ceased to exist together with the US Declaration of Independence...

You are exceptionally ignorant of American geography, and you'd best use a different comparison other than "well lol America haz many subdivisions too haha".

Sorry, of course East Coast (that was my slip of the tongue).

We are talking about Western Europe, Western Civilization, etc. all the time

Really? Where have I been?

Well, to be honest, with that US map I see at most four regions which would be: Eastern Seaboard, Mississippi Basin, Rocky Mountains and Western Seaboard.

Those are the regions, separated by color in the map. (That map refers to sub-regions within the regions that nobody ever uses, though.)

Why is it always comes down to US ????!!!!!!! I mean every thread there is - discussing US , aliens only invade US, when there is an earthquake You suddenly know it is in US, flood you ask ? - only in US , meteor stirke ? (ok Russia and US) , somebody farted ?! -US, everything happens in a goddamn US of A ! haha

Domen misguidedly looked to strike back with a witty retort against me about the "absurd number of US regions," and failed miserably. He brought it up.

 

[salty mud]

Yes, I realise that in everyone's except my own conception of Europe, Poland is in the central part. Can you understand that, in a different conception of Europe that excludes a Russia so detached from Europe that we can barely hear its ghost, Poland is not at the centre of Europe?

FTFY. Stop rabbiting on about Russia, it has nothing to do with where Poland is.

Again I'll refer to the dictionary.

the second smallest continent, forming the W extension of Eurasia: the border with Asia runs from the Urals to the Caspian and the Black Sea. The coastline is generally extremely indented and there are several peninsulas (notably Scandinavia, Italy, and Iberia) and offshore islands (including the British Isles and Iceland). It contains a series of great mountain systems in the south (Pyrenees, Alps, Apennines, Carpathians, Caucasus), a large central plain, and a N region of lakes and mountains in Scandinavia. Pop: 724 722 000 (2005 est). Area: about 10 400 000 sq km (4 000 000 sq miles)

Here's the Urals, nice and clearly labelled for you. And would you look at that: Poland is smack bang in the middle!

Spoiler :

 

[Zack]

If you want to quote Wikipedia:

The United States and Western Europe established the NATO alliance and later the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe established the Warsaw Pact.

Regional grouping used by the United Nations Statistics Department. (notice Poland is in Eastern Europe)

 

[salty mud]

I think some of us are talking politics and some of us are talking geography. It's very obvious to see who is talking what but still people are flinging crap at each other. I am clearly talking about Poland's geographical position yet people still keep replying with Poland's political position.

 

[JohannaK]

Anything east of Moscow is Asia to me. actually, Moscow itself sounds too far away to be Europe too. Keep St. Petersburg in europe, though. It's close enough to Finland. Central Europe has always been Germany, Austria and Switzwerland for me, by the way. That's pretty much my point of reference when talking about Europe referred to cardinal points.

 

[Zack]

I think some of us are talking politics and some of us are talking geography. It's very obvious to see who is talking what but still people are flinging crap at each other. I am clearly talking about Poland's geographical position yet people still keep replying with Poland's political position.

Central Europe is not even a thing, at least not colloquially. There is Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe.

 

[madviking]

I've given several good justifications. Sadly, since they all involve Poland being in the Eastern half of Europe, they all fall on deaf ears. All you guys want to hear is that Poland isn't in Eastern Europe. Why? Because you have hang-ups about the Cold War, and irrationally believe that being in Central Europe is somehow more dignified and modern. You're the ones still living in the past, with this irrational belief that Eastern Europe = bad. Everyone else has gotten over the Cold War and moved on. Why can't you?

Funny thing is, last time this thread came up, everyone in PL and CZ was at pains to say that Russia was nothing like Poland or Czech Rep, that it was a historically and culturally distinct entity that had nothing to do with the rest of Europe. Now everyone's bleating about how European Russian culture is and how it so obviously belongs with Poland and Czech Republic! Hilarious.

Bolded and underlined part quoted for truth.

You guys just possess a ridiculously unhealthy amount of Russophobia. I guarantee that all Russians consider Poland to be eastern Europe due to language and political connections. For Christ's sake, the Kingdom of Poland used to stretch to Dorpat, Smolensk and Kiev.

 

[Optical]

Poland is in Asia. There is no such continent as Europe.

 

[salty mud]

Central Europe is not even a thing, at least not colloquially. There is Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Europe.

Says who? Does Central USA exist? Does central Asia exist? Why can't central Europe exist?

Bolded and underlined part quoted for truth.

You guys just possess a ridiculously unhealthy amount of Russophobia. I guarantee that all Russians consider Poland to be eastern Europe due to language and political connections. For Christ's sake, the Kingdom of Poland used to stretch to Dorpat, Smolensk and Kiev.

I have nothing of the sort. I can just see that Poland is in the middle of Europe, that's all.

 

[Zack]

Says who? Does Central USA exist?

Not as a distinct region, no. I have never heard anyone claim Nebraska was in the region of "Central United States of America," and it's right smack in the damn center.

Since you like Wikipedia so much:

The concept of Central Europe, and that of a common identity, is somewhat elusive.

It's a term invented after the Cold War for Eastern European countries to distinguish themselves from Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, and communism.

 

[JohannaK]

To be honest, my vision of Europe ends where Russia starts.

 

[Domen]

Regional grouping used by the United Nations Statistics Department. (notice Poland is in Eastern Europe)

And notice Britain is in Northern Europe (together with Estonia, Latvia, etc.) - not in Western Europe.

It's a term invented after the Cold War

Wrong. The term "Central Europe" dates back at least to World War 1:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitteleuropa#Mitteleuropa_Plan

For Christ's sake, the Kingdom of Poland used to stretch to Dorpat, Smolensk and Kiev.

And according to United Nations Statistics Department, Dorpat is in Northern Europe (just like Britain)...

 

[JohannaK]

I could include CZ in my concept of "Central Europe". Not Poland though. Still too close to Russia.

 

[Zack]

And notice Britain is in Northern Europe (together with Estonia, Latvia, etc.) - not in Western Europe.

And? Did I ever say Northern Europe isn't a thing, or that the United Kingdom isn't part of it?

To be honest, my vision of Europe ends where Russia starts.

Trust me, that's not unusual.

 

[JohannaK]

It seems to be in Poland