The largest city in the world by area.

Experts believe that the rating of the largest settlements, built according to the principle of their length, taking into account the occupied square kilometers, will never be reliable "one hundred percent". The difficulty lies in determining the exact boundaries - many megacities are surrounded by vast suburbs, some even "capture" entire provinces. Therefore, there are several contenders for the title of "the largest city in the world by area". Each of them is unique in its own way and is quite worthy of such a high-profile title.

Sydney is a city of bays and beaches

The Australian metropolis is really huge. Residential quarters alone occupy almost 1.7 thousand square kilometers - more than the area of ​​all London. Added to this are industrial areas, luxurious parks and reserves, a vast coastline, "cut" by pretty coves into seven dozen excellent beaches. In total, it turns out that the size of Sydney is 12144 sq. km. Before the advent of the colonialists, no more than 8 thousand aborigines lived in these places, but today the city's population has exceeded the mark of 4.5 million people.

The first of the Europeans to appreciate the local beauty was James Cook, and already in 1788, English ships entered Sydney Harbor, bringing the first consignment of exiles from the metropolis. For several decades, the population of the expanding city was replenished exclusively at the expense of convicts and the military, but then "free shooters" began to be added to them: adventurers of all stripes, romantics, seekers of a better life.

Modern Sydney does not in any way resemble the convict settlement of the late 18th century - it is a stunning metropolis with high-rise buildings, exquisite bridges, cozy parks and a huge number of all kinds of recreation places. Up to three million tourists come here annually. The local climate, by Australian standards, is extremely mild, conducive to full immersion in nirvana - with the exception of the rare extremely hot days, which usually occur in December-February.

Kinshasa is a metropolis woven of contrasts

The largest city on the African continent is the capital of the former Zaire (the state that is now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo). In former times it was called Leopoldville, but for the last fifty years it has been listed on maps as Kinshasa. There are some problems with measuring the exact area - options from 9956 to 10550 square kilometers are mentioned. However, this is not fundamental - even if you count to a minimum, the African giant claims a legitimate second place in the top.

Kinshasa also boasts a population of about ten million. It would seem that with such a huge city, there should be enough space for everyone.

Speaking about urban agglomerations, it is worth remembering Tokyo and Jakarta, Brazilian Sao Paulo, Shanghai or Mexico City. All of them occupy huge areas and provide shelter to millions of residents.

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