The World's Most Remote Major Cities
Honolulu is one of the most isolated major cities on Earth, about 3,854 km from the nearest large city.
Cities with at least 200,000 residents; 100 cities shown.
Top Cities Ranked by Nearest large city
Methodology: Population, coordinates and elevation come from the Time.now geographic city index; population figures use city boundaries rather than metro areas.
What Makes a City So Remote?
A few sizeable cities sit strikingly far from any neighbour of similar scale, separated by ocean, desert or mountains. Isolation shaped their character: self-reliant economies, distinctive cultures, and a strong sense of identity. It also makes travel and trade expensive, and gives these places an outsized role in their region.
This ranking measures the straight-line distance from each major city to the nearest other large city. The most isolated on the list is Honolulu, about 3,854 km from its nearest large neighbour.