The true size of New York City vs Paris
New York City is roughly 7.44× the area of Paris — a difference of about 678.4 km² (262 sq mi).
USA
New York City
783.8 km² (303 sq mi)
~8.3M people
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
France
Paris
105.4 km² (41 sq mi)
~2.1M people
The City of Paris is just 105.4 km² (40.7 sq mi) — one of the most compact major capitals in Europe.
Why raw area is misleading on a world map
Standard web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches shapes further from the equator. That's why New York City and Paris can look similar on a map even when one is many times larger. To really feel the difference, you have to overlay one city's outline directly on top of the other at true scale.
Quick facts
- New York City: 783.8 km² · 303 sq mi
- Paris: 105.4 km² · 41 sq mi
- Ratio: New York City is 7.44× Paris
- Absolute difference: 678.4 km²