Asia’s cities vary wildly in scale — some cling to dense historic centers while others spread across provinces and islands. Looking at land area highlights different kinds of urban growth and the administrative choices that shape each city’s official footprint.
There are 24 Largest Cities in Asia by Area, ranging from Bangkok to Zamboanga. For each entry you’ll find below the fields Country,Area (km²),Area type so you can tell whether figures refer to city proper, metropolitan district, or another administrative unit; check the list below for the full details you’ll find below.
How is a city’s area defined in this list?
Area measures can mean different things: city proper (administrative limits), metropolitan area (contiguous urbanized zone), or wider administrative regions; the “Area type” column in the table shows which was used for each entry, so be sure to compare like with like when looking at Area (km²).
Why do some Asian cities cover much more land than others?
Large land totals often reflect administrative boundaries that include suburban or rural land, merged municipalities, or special districts rather than continuous urban fabric; area alone doesn’t indicate population density or urban character, so use the Country, Area (km²), and Area type columns together for context.
Largest Cities in Asia by Area
| City | Country | Area (km²) | Area type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hulunbuir | China | 263,953 | Prefecture-level city |
| Ordos | China | 86,752 | Prefecture-level city |
| Chongqing | China | 82,403 | Municipality |
| Beijing | China | 16,410 | Municipality |
| Shanghai | China | 6,340 | Municipality |
| Ulaanbaatar | Mongolia | 4,704 | Capital municipality |
| Davao City | Philippines | 2,443 | Highly urbanized city |
| Puerto Princesa | Philippines | 2,381 | City |
| Tokyo | Japan | 2,194 | Metropolis (prefecture-level) |
| Bangkok | Thailand | 1,569 | Special administrative area |
| Sapporo | Japan | 1,121 | City |
| Delhi | India | 1,484 | National Capital Territory |
| Zamboanga | Philippines | 1,483 | City |
| Jakarta | Indonesia | 662 | Special Capital Region |
| Southeast Jakarta (for clarity) | Indonesia | 662 | Special Capital Region |
| Seoul | South Korea | 605 | Special city |
| Mumbai | India | 603 | Municipal Corporation |
| Busan | South Korea | 770 | Metropolitan city |
| Bengaluru | India | 709 | Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike |
| Hyderabad | India | 650 | Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation |
| Ulan-Ude | Russia | 3,900 | City (Russian federal subject level) |
| Yakutsk | Russia | 122,000 | City (large municipal territory) |
| Manado | Indonesia | 450 | City |
| Taichung | Taiwan | 2,215 | Special municipality |
Images and Descriptions
Hulunbuir
Hulunbuir is an Inner Mongolia prefecture-level city with vast grasslands; its administrative area covers rural and urban territory, making it one of Asia’s largest “cities” by boundary. Source: PRC stats / Wikipedia (2023).
Ordos
Ordos in Inner Mongolia combines urban core with large rural counties; the prefecture-level city’s area is often cited in national statistics. Boundary includes extensive pastoral and mining lands. Source: Chinese government data / Wikipedia (2023).
Chongqing
Chongqing municipality covers a huge inland area that includes dense urban districts and wide rural counties; its municipal boundaries are often conflated with the urban core. Source: Chongqing municipal government / 2020 census.
Beijing
Beijing municipality (city proper/prefecture-level) includes urban downtown, suburbs, and mountainous districts; area figures come from national statistics and municipal records. Boundaries differ from “metropolitan” usage. Source: China statistics (2020).
Shanghai
Shanghai municipality is a coastal municipality with clearly defined municipal limits that include urban, suburban and outlying islands. Area cited in national statistical releases and municipal sources. Source: Shanghai municipal stats (2020).
Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia’s capital spans a large municipal area including ger districts and suburbs; the city-level boundary is well defined by national law and used in official stats. Source: Mongolian statistics / 2020.
Davao City
Davao City on Mindanao is one of the Philippines’ largest cities by administrative area; its city boundary covers urban and extensive rural landscapes. Source: Philippine Statistics Authority / 2015–2020.
Puerto Princesa
Puerto Princesa on Palawan is a single administrative city with a large municipal area including forests and coastline; often cited among Asia’s biggest city jurisdictions. Source: PSA / city government (2020).
Tokyo
Tokyo Metropolis (Tokyo-to) is a prefecture-level entity commonly called “Tokyo”; it includes 23 special wards plus island and suburban areas—official area figures come from national statistics. Source: Japan Statistics Bureau (2020).
Bangkok
Bangkok’s administrative area covers central city, suburbs, and peri-urban districts under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Official boundary differs from the larger metro region. Source: BMA / 2020.
Sapporo
Sapporo, Hokkaido’s capital, has a large municipal area including urban zones and surrounding mountains; figures are official city statistics used in national datasets. Source: Sapporo city / Japan stats (2020).
Delhi
The National Capital Territory of Delhi is an administrative unit combining the core city and wider districts; area figures reflect the NCT boundary, not the larger urban agglomeration. Source: Government of India (2011/2020).
Zamboanga
Zamboanga City on Mindanao has an extensive municipal boundary that includes urban, suburban and rural zones; official city area data are from national statistics. Source: PSA / city government (2020).
Jakarta
The Special Capital Region of Jakarta (DKI Jakarta) is a province-level entity comprising five administrative cities and one regency; area refers to the DKI boundary as reported by national statistics. Source: BPS Indonesia (2020).
Southeast Jakarta (for clarity)
Same administrative boundary as DKI Jakarta; included to note that Jakarta’s “city” refers to a province-level special region covering multiple administrative cities. Source: BPS (2020).
Seoul
Seoul is a special city (teukbyeol-si) with a defined municipal boundary that covers the dense urban core and some hillsides; area is official municipal data. Source: Korean Statistical Information Service (2020).
Mumbai
Mumbai (Brihanmumbai) city limits cover a coastal urban island and adjoining areas under the municipal corporation; figures refer to the civic boundary, not the larger metro area. Source: Government of Maharashtra / 2011.
Busan
Busan is a metropolitan city with coastal and suburban districts within a clearly defined municipal boundary reported by national statistics. Source: Korean Statistical Information Service (2020).
Bengaluru
Bengaluru’s BBMP boundary expanded in recent decades; area refers to the BBMP municipal corporation limits used in official city statistics. Source: Government of Karnataka / 2020.
Hyderabad
Greater Hyderabad GHMC area covers core city and merged suburbs; official municipal area figures reflect the GHMC administrative boundary. Source: GHMC / Government of Telangana (2020).
Ulan-Ude
Ulan-Ude in the Asian part of Russia has a municipal boundary reported in Russian statistics; included as an Asian-located city with verifiable city-area figures. Source: Rosstat / 2020.
Yakutsk
Yakutsk’s municipal boundaries cover wide districts in Sakha Republic; Russian administrative definitions give very large city-area figures—boundary includes sparsely populated lands. Source: Rosstat / 2020.
Manado
Manado is a city on Sulawesi with a clearly defined municipal boundary and official area reported by Indonesia’s statistics bureau; included as a mid-sized city for context. Source: BPS Indonesia (2020).
Taichung
Taichung is a special municipality with large administrative area after mergers; figures come from Taiwan’s official statistics and cover urban and rural districts. Source: Taiwan MOI / 2020
