Unutterably Silly Quiz

[poohbear_nc]

Originally Posted by Shayne Parkinson

I remember that when we visited Kiruna in Sweden many years ago it was considered the largest municipality in the world, while having quite a low population. People were herding reindeer within the city limits.

(Hello, everyone, I'm back! I was away researching in archives, then I came down with bronchitis.)

*updating anti-virus software immediately*

Welcome back!

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by Shayne Parkinson

I remember that when we visited Kiruna in Sweden many years ago it was considered the largest municipality in the world, while having quite a low population. People were herding reindeer within the city limits.

(Hello, everyone, I'm back! I was away researching in archives, then I came down with bronchitis.)

Very good answer, back in the 70's this would have been correct, but changes in administrative boundaries now makes Kiruna the second largest municipality in the world with its 29 551 sqkm. As a comparison Belgium is 30 000 sqkm. Kiruna has a population of 23 000, giving them 1.2 people per sqkm.

On hint: the largest is located in Australia.

[Stitchawl]

Chongking is 82,000 sq km


Stitchawl

[Kumabjorn]

But I believe that is considered a province, not a municipality.

[Bookpossum]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Very good answer, back in the 70's this would have been correct, but changes in administrative boundaries now makes Kiruna the second largest municipality in the world with its 29 551 sqkm. As a comparison Belgium is 30 000 sqkm. Kiruna has a population of 23 000, giving them 1.2 people per sqkm.

On hint: the largest is located in Australia.

Kalgoorlie?

[SneakySnake]

Perth?

[Kumabjorn]

It is located in Queensland and is about the size of Denmark.

[Kumabjorn]

The municipality I was referring to is Mt. Isa with 43 000 sqkm, the same size as Denmark.
However, doing some research I've noticed that there is no strict definition of what constitutes a municipality, hence my own mistake in the original question when asking about cities.
For example Hulunbuir in Inner Mongolia is by some listed as the largest municipality with 264 000 sqkm, however this is a prefecture level city with many different urban centers (called cities in Chinese). This obviously creates unnecessary confusion, and I can see that any suggested answer could be challenged by these definitions. My intent was to define the largest municipalities in terms of self-administration ie the right of taxation, in order to show that what we usually think of as big cities, where we focus on population, has little correlation with acreage. In order to provide a "city level" administration and service to its population these municipalities sometimes need to include a lot of acreage to supply them with a tax base large enough to supply the required funding.

My apologies for the confusion. Perhaps Issybird is better equipped to provide a less confusing question?

[Billi]

Na, it was an interesting question nevertheless. Could you please give us the five cities you've been thinking of?

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

This obviously creates unnecessary confusion, and I can see that any suggested answer could be challenged by these definitions.

Stichy taught us that it is the statistics of the person posting the question that counts and only this one!

[Kumabjorn]

Certainly.
#1 Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
#2 Kiruna, Sweden
#3 La Tuque, Quebec, Canada 25,000 sqkm
#4 Jokkmokk, Sweden 19,000 sqkm
#5 Gällivare, Sweden 17,000 sqkm

In other words municipalities tends to grow large in area where there is little population to sustain them.

[orlok]

Originally Posted by Shayne Parkinson

I remember that when we visited Kiruna in Sweden many years ago it was considered the largest municipality in the world, while having quite a low population. People were herding reindeer within the city limits.

(Hello, everyone, I'm back! I was away researching in archives, then I came down with bronchitis.)

Welcome back Shayne. You were missed. Hope you are fully recovered.

[Shayne Parkinson]

Thanks, Pooh and Orlok! It's nice to be missed. Apart from a lingering cough, I've almost bounced back.

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Certainly.
#1 Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
#2 Kiruna, Sweden
#3 La Tuque, Quebec, Canada 25,000 sqkm
#4 Jokkmokk, Sweden 19,000 sqkm
#5 Gällivare, Sweden 17,000 sqkm

In other words municipalities tends to grow large in area where there is little population to sustain them.

I've also been to Jokkmokk and Gällivare! I've a photograph of me shivering in a swimming pool at a campsite in Gällivare. I shoud've guessed those two as well as Kiruna.

It was an interesting question, Kumabjorn. New Zealand has some large municipalities, notably Auckland at c. 5,000 sq km, but nothing in the league of those five (and Auckland does have 1.5 million people to put in those 5,000 sq km).

[SneakySnake]

I would never have believed it. Must be something about the outlying areas being included. And long drives on dirt roads to outlying aboriginal communites.
I would hardly call Mt Isa a city! But you can wash your car and fill up there. Memories of staying in a dinky motel too. Not my favourite place, fill up pass through and stay at Cloncurry. A small town with a nice motel.

[SneakySnake]

Here is something from Cloncurry (in the not as nice motel).

[Kumabjorn]

In order to sustain the minimum standard of communal service a "dinky" town like Mt Isa needs the support of an area the size of Denmark, pretty amazing.