London vs Berlin — true size compared
London is about 1.76× the area of Berlin — a difference of roughly 680.3 km² (263 sq mi). You could fit Berlin inside London about 1 time.
Greater London spans 1,572 km² (607 sq mi) along the River Thames in southeast England.
Berlin covers 891.7 km² (344.3 sq mi), Germany's largest city by both area and population.
Overlay London and Berlin on the map →
Why maps make London and Berlin 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 London and Berlin 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
- London: 1,572 km² · 607 sq mi
- Berlin: 891.7 km² · 344 sq mi
- Ratio: London is 1.76× Berlin
- Absolute difference: 680.3 km² (263 sq mi)
- Berlin fits inside London ~1 time
Frequently asked
Is London bigger than Berlin?
London is the bigger of the two, at 1,572 km² compared to 891.7 km² for Berlin.
How many times does Berlin fit inside London?
About 1 time — the exact ratio is 1.76×.
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.