Istanbul vs London — true size compared
Istanbul is about 3.47× the area of London — a difference of roughly 3,889 km² (1,502 sq mi). You could fit London inside Istanbul about 3 times.
Istanbul spans 5,461 km² (2,109 sq mi) across two continents on the Bosphorus.
Greater London spans 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) along the River Thames in southeast England.
Overlay Istanbul and London on the map →
Why maps make Istanbul and London look wrong
Almost every web map — Google Maps, Apple Maps, OpenStreetMap — uses the Mercator projection. Mercator preserves shape locally, but it stretches land the further you get from the equator. Greenland ends up looking bigger than Africa. Alaska rivals the contiguous US. That's why Istanbul and London can look similar on a world map even when one is many times larger. The only fair way to compare is to lift one outline off the map and drop it on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- Istanbul: 5,461 km² · 2,109 sq mi
- London: 1,572 km² · 607 sq mi
- Ratio: Istanbul is 3.47× London
- Absolute difference: 3,889 km² (1,502 sq mi)
- London fits inside Istanbul ~3 times
Frequently asked
Is Istanbul bigger than London?
Istanbul is the bigger of the two, at 5,461 km² compared to 1,572 km² for London.
How many times does London fit inside Istanbul?
About 3 times — the exact ratio is 3.47×.
Why does the map exaggerate one of them?
Mercator projection. Places far from the equator get visually stretched. Overlay the two at true scale to see the honest comparison.