Introduction

Today, as urbanization encompasses ever larger parts of our planet, interest in the spatial dimension of cities and their territory is growing alongside traditional population metrics. In this article, we examine the world's largest cities by the area of the administrative unit (or equivalent territorial level) and compare this parameter with population size and year of foundation.

The aim of the article is to show how city territories were formed, how their sizes correlate (or do not correlate) with population, and how the historical depth of a city's foundation can influence its modern status. At the same time, we strive to maintain a lively tone, avoiding dry lists or tables. We begin with an overview and then present a large table of the 100 largest city-territories.

Methodological Notes

When compiling the table, we used data from publicly available sources, including lists of city administrations by area and urbanized territories. However, it is important to note that a "city by area" can be understood in different ways: as an administrative unit, as an agglomeration, or as a built-up area. For example, lists of large municipalities show that areas of hundreds of thousands of km² can be occupied by administrative districts in northern Greenland or desert regions of China. Therefore, we note: the data in the table may combine different formats, but the goal of comparison remains – these are large city territories, their population, and year of foundation. Also, the year of foundation may reflect the first historical mention, not the legal establishment of the current city or municipality.

Analysis of Trends and Key Observations

Several trends can be noted in the analysis. Firstly, large cities in terms of area are often not the most densely populated. This is evident in countries with low population density, where the administrative unit covers significant territories with modest populations. Secondly, there are city-territories formed or expanded recently through administrative mergers or territorial transfers, leading to large areas. For example, Chongqing in China is one of the world's largest cities by area (about 82,000 km²) and population (32,000,000 people).

This shows that scale does not necessarily equate to the city's antiquity. Thirdly, the year of foundation and historical depth also show a wide range: there are cities with millennia of history and those that are significantly "younger." At the same time, a large area is sometimes related more to administrative logic than to historical development.

More specifically, historical depth can influence the development of infrastructure, layout, and cultural layers, but it does not always correlate with modern territory. For example, a city founded many centuries ago may remain compact, while another, recently expanded administratively, occupies a huge area. Consequently, in our analysis, it is important to note: the area as a parameter requires clarification.

Table of the 100 Largest World Cities by Area

Below is a table containing 100 cities (or urban administrative units) with the largest areas. For each, the area (in km²), approximate population, and year of foundation (or first mention) are indicated. The data is presented with the accuracy available from published sources.


From this table, we can extract the following summary by country:

An analysis of the distribution of cities by country shows the absolute dominance of China, which is represented by 14 cities in the ranking of the largest urban formations by area. This is due to the specifics of the administrative-territorial division of the PRC, where centrally-administered municipalities and prefectures include vast territories with rural areas and natural zones. Australia ranks second with five cities, which is explained by settlement patterns on the continent with low population density. Eight countries are represented by two cities each, demonstrating geographical diversity – from developed economies like the UAE and Israel to developing countries in Africa and Asia. The remaining 69 countries have one city each in the ranking, demonstrating the global nature of the distribution of large urban agglomerations across all continents and economic types.

As can be seen, studying the world's largest cities by area provides an additional perspective to more common parameters such as population or density. A city's territory reflects not only geographical scope but also administrative history, logistics, planning, and the influence of nature and resources. At the same time, it does not always directly correlate with population: vast areas can have a relatively small population, and vice versa.

For readers from Russia, it is interesting to note that Moscow, while not in the top ten world cities by area, nevertheless holds a significant place in terms of historical depth, economic importance, and population density. From a global perspective, our data shows that large city territories have formed in different countries according to very different scenarios: either as agglomerations or through administrative mergers.

Thus, analyzing cities by area adds an important touch to the understanding of urbanism, spatial development, and historical contexts. We recommend using data from such tables with an understanding of methodological limitations and considering that the concept of a "city" varies greatly from country to country.

Based on our table, let's sort the cities by population:

This table demonstrates an interesting disproportion between a city's area and its population. For example, Chongqing, ranking second in population, has the largest area among all cities in the world. At the same time, megacities like Delhi and Shanghai, with comparable numbers of inhabitants, occupy significantly smaller territories. This indicates different population densities and urban planning approaches in different regions of the world. The contrast is especially noticeable between Asian megacities with high population density and Australian cities, which, with a relatively small number of inhabitants, occupy vast territories.

Article Author: Alexandra Rubina.