Which is the largest city in the world by size?

Sermersooq, Greenland: The Gigantic City with a Tiny Population

Sermersooq, a municipality in Greenland, defies conventional notions of urban centers. It’s not just a large city; it’s the largest city in the world by land area, encompassing a staggering 531,900 square kilometers. This vast expanse dwarfs typical metropolitan areas, stretching across a significant portion of southern Greenland. However, this impressive size masks a surprisingly small population: a mere 23,123 people call Sermersooq home.

The sheer disparity between area and population paints a unique picture of life in this remote region. While the area encompasses a diverse landscape—from icy fjords to towering mountains—the relatively low population density underscores the challenging logistical and infrastructural demands of inhabiting such a vast, unforgiving environment.

This unusual characteristic of Sermersooq highlights a fundamental difference between traditional notions of urban centers and the realities of sparsely populated Arctic territories. The city’s size is primarily a reflection of the administrative boundaries established within Greenland’s geographical expanse, rather than a concentration of densely populated urban areas. This unique circumstance challenges our understanding of what constitutes a “city” and its implications for economic activity, infrastructure development, and community life in extreme environments.

The relatively low population density isn’t a new observation; it’s a fact inherently tied to Greenland’s climate, resources, and history. Future development and population growth in Sermersooq will be closely watched, offering a case study in balancing the preservation of the fragile Arctic environment with human habitation and economic viability within a vast yet thinly populated territory.