eventually the lithuanian speakers came to be known as samogitians (see also samogitian nobility), after the province in which they were the dominant majority. another estimate for the combined population at the beginning of the 16th century gives 7.5 million, roughly split evenly, due to much larger territory of the grand duchy (with about 10-15 people per square km in poland and 3-5 people per square km in the grand duchy, and even less in the south-east cossack borderlands). by 1500, about 15% of poland's population lived in urban centers (settlements with over 500 people).