The Count of Things

Bluebulb Projects' The Measure of Things presents:

It's about the number of Benches in Central Park.

(Manhattan, New York City, New York)
Central Park — the 843-acre park located in the heart of New York City — contains about 9,000 park benches. The park is one of the most famous in the world and entertains over 35 million visitors each year.

It's about one-and-three-tenths times the number of Written Characters in the Chinese Language.

In other words, 12,000 is 1.283 times the count of Written Characters in the Chinese Language, and the count of Written Characters in the Chinese Language is 0.7794 times that amount.

(zhōngwén, 中文) (Hànzì, 汉字/漢字; Shuowen Jiezi count; distinct characters)
According to the Han Dynasty dictionary, Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), there are 9,353 distinct Han characters used to depict the Chinese language. Fluency in written Chinese requires mastery of 4,000 - 5,000 of these characters.

It's about one-and-two-fifths times the number of Blue Whales in the World.

In other words, the count of Blue Whales in the World is 0.71 times 12,000.

(Balaenoptera musculus) (2002 estimates)
The worldwide population of blue whales (as of 2002) is estimated to be between 5,000 and 12,000. An estimated 378,200 blue whales were killed during the height of whaling in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centures

It's about two times the number of Bishops in the Catholic Church.

In other words, 12,000 is 2.242 times the count of Bishops in the Catholic Church, and the count of Bishops in the Catholic Church is 0.446 times that amount.

(2015 figures; total Latin and Eastern Church figures; including Pope)
As of 2015, there are 5,352 bishops in the Catholic Church. These bishops supervise a total of 3,127 dioceses, archdioceses, and other administrative regions.

It's about one-third the number of McDonald's Locations in the World.

In other words, the count of McDonald's Locations in the World is 3 times 12,000.

(2015 figures) (approximate)
Operating in 119 countries, there are currently 36,000 McDonald's locations worldwide. From 1955 thru 1993, many McDonald's locations advertised the number in billions of hamburgers sold on their external signs, but abandoned theses updates after the figure passed 100 billion.

It's about one-third the number of Seats in Fenway Park.

In other words, 12,000 is 0.3237 times the count of Seats in Fenway Park, and the count of Seats in Fenway Park is 3.0893 times that amount.

(2013 figures; daytime capacity) (a.k.a. The Cathedral of Boston) (Boston, Massachusetts)
Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, can accommodate 37,071 spectators when configured for daytime seating. Fenway Park holds the record for most consecutive sellout games, with a streak of 794 sellouts that ended in 2013. This figure is a dramatic turnaround from the attendance in 1965, which was at times as low as just 500 people.

It's about one-fourth the number of Seats in New Yankee Stadium.

In other words, 12,000 is 0.23863 times the count of Seats in New Yankee Stadium, and the count of Seats in New Yankee Stadium is 4.1906 times that amount.

(2014 figures for 2009 Stadium; seating figures only) (a.k.a. Yankee Stadium, a.k.a. The Stadium, a.k.a. The House that George Built) (South Bronx, New York City, New York)
New Yankee Stadium has a seating capacity of 50,287. The Stadium was built between 2006 and 2009 out of 11,000 pieces of Indiana limestone.