List of cities spanning more than one continent

A transcontinental city is a city occupying portions of more than one continent. Such a city May Be transcontinental by virtue of crossing a continental boundary on land or of including islands associated with a continent other than that where the city is based. The following are examples of transcontinental cities listed alphabetically:

  • Almería, a city on the southern Mediterranean Sea coast of Spain. While most of it is on the European mainland, it includes Isla de Alborán, which is closer to Africa than to the Spanish mainland. 19.4% of the city's area is African.
  • Atyrau, a city in western Kazakhstan divided by the mouth of the Ural River. Almost all of it lies in Asia, but a small portion extends into Europe. 1
  • Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa. It includes the Prince Edward Islands and whether it is considered a transcontinental city is contingent on whether the islands are considered Antarctic or African. 25.8% of the city's total area consists of this island group.
  • Caracas, the capital and largest city of the South American nation of Venezuela. It includes the Caribbean island Federal dependencies of Venezuela, and one of these islands, Isla Aves, is far enough north to be associated with North America.
  • Istanbul, the largest city of Turkey and best-known example. The Bosporus Strait separates its European and Asian portions. It is coterminous with Istanbul Province, with 65% of its residents in the 19 districts of the European portion and 35% in the 12 districts of the Asian portion. 2
  • Orenburg, a Russian city on the Ural River. Most of it is considered in Europe, but part of its south side crosses the Ural into Asia.
  • Suez, an Egyptian city on the Suez Canal and coterminous with the Suez Governorate. Almost all of it is considered in Africa, but a small portion extends eastward into Asia. 3
  • Tokyo, the capital and largest city of the Asian island nation of Japan. The Japanese Pacific islands to its south and southeast, including the Oceanian island of Minami Torishima, are part of it. Whether it is considered a transcontinental city is contingent on whether Oceania is considered a continent. These outlying islands form the transcontinental Ogasawara Village. 4

Cape Town, Caracas, and Tokyo may be technically considered transcontinental, if the inclusion of distant uninhabited outlying island possessions is accepted as sufficient. They may be considered geographically but not demographically transcontinental. Almería is transcontinental by virtue of inclusion of an African island about 90 kilometres away with a naval base. The other four examples are clearly contiguous transcontinental cities and are hubs of transcontinental metropolitan areas.

Cities which, although not transcontinental cities, straddle continental boundaries and are also hubs of transcontinental metropolitan areas:

  • Çanakkale, an Asian city in Turkey with the Dardanelles Strait separating it from its European suburbs. It is part of the transcontinental megalopolis of Istanbul-Bursa-Çanakkale, which includes all of metropolitan NW Turkey.
  • Colón, Panama, a South American city with the Panama Canal separating it from its North American suburbs.1
  • Ismaïlia, an African city in Egypt with the Suez Canal separating it from its Asian suburbs.
  • Oral, Kazakhstan, a European city with the Ural River separating it from its Asian suburbs.
  • Panama City, a South American city with the Panama Canal separating it from its North American suburbs.1
  • Port Said, an African city in Egypt with the Suez Canal separating it from its Asian suburbs.

1 If the boundary between the continents is regarded as the Panama Canal.

See also

  • Transcontinental country