New York City vs Paris — true size compared
New York City is about 7.44× the area of Paris — a difference of roughly 678.4 km² (262 sq mi). You could fit Paris inside New York City about 7 times.
New York City covers 783.8 km² (302.6 sq mi) across five boroughs on the US Atlantic coast.
The City of Paris is just 105.4 km² (40.7 sq mi) — one of the most compact major capitals in Europe.
Overlay New York City and Paris on the map →
Why maps make New York City and Paris 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 New York City and Paris 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
- 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 (262 sq mi)
- Paris fits inside New York City ~7 times
Frequently asked
Is New York City bigger than Paris?
New York City is the bigger of the two, at 783.8 km² compared to 105.4 km² for Paris.
How many times does Paris fit inside New York City?
About 7 times — the exact ratio is 7.44×.
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.