List of smallest cities in the United Kingdom facts for kids
Did you know that not all cities are huge, bustling places like London or Manchester? In the United Kingdom, some cities are actually quite small! This article explores the 31 smallest official cities in the UK, looking at them in three different ways: by their total land area, by the size of their main built-up area, and by their population.
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What Makes a City Small?
When we talk about the "smallest" cities, we can measure this in a few ways:
Smallest by Total Area
This looks at the entire area that is officially part of the city. This can include not just buildings but also countryside, farms, and even other small villages within the city's official boundaries. For example, a city might have a large official area but only a tiny part of it is actually built up with houses and shops.
Smallest by Built-up Area
This measure focuses only on the part of the city where people actually live and work – the main town or urban area. Many cities have a much larger official boundary than their actual built-up area. For example, St Davids in Wales is the smallest city by its built-up area, even though its total official area is much larger.
Smallest by Population
This looks at how many people live in the city. Some cities have very few residents, making them small in terms of population. The smallest cities often have populations of around 100,000 residents or even fewer.
Examples of Small Cities
Let's look at some of the tiniest cities in the UK and beyond:
The City of London
The City of London is often called the "Square Mile" because it's only about 1.12 square miles (2.9 square kilometers) in total area. It's the historic heart of London and is mostly made up of businesses and financial buildings. Very few people actually live there, with a population of around 8,583 residents in 2021.
Wells, Somerset
Wells in England is another very small city. It's famous for its beautiful cathedral. Its total area is about 2.11 square miles (5.47 square kilometers), and its main built-up area is even smaller at 1.35 square miles (3.50 square kilometers). In 2021, about 11,145 people lived there.
St Asaph, Wales
St Asaph in Wales is one of the UK's newest cities, gaining its city status in 2012. It's tiny, with a total area of just 2.49 square miles (6.45 square kilometers) and a built-up area of only 0.50 square miles (1.29 square kilometers). Its population was around 3,485 in 2021, making it one of the least populated cities in Wales.
St Davids, Wales
As mentioned before, St Davids in Wales is the smallest city in the UK by its built-up area, which is only 0.23 square miles (0.60 square kilometers)! Its total official area is much larger, about 17.88 square miles (46.31 square kilometers). It had a population of about 1,751 people in 2021.
Smallest Cities Beyond the UK Mainland
The very least populated cities under British rule are even smaller:
- Jamestown on the island of St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha has a population of only 629 people.
- Hamilton in Bermuda has about 854 residents.
Other Notable Small Cities
- Ripon in England is another small city with a population of around 16,590 in 2021.
- Armagh in Northern Ireland had about 14,749 residents in 2011.
- Truro in England had a population of about 21,046 in 2021.
Many of these small cities, like Lichfield, Hereford, and Salisbury, are also among the most populated civil parishes (a type of local area) in England, showing how their official city boundaries can be quite small but still contain a good number of people.
For a full list of all 76 cities in the UK and more details, you can visit the List of cities in the United Kingdom page.
Images for kids
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Map of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, Wales, demonstrating the size of the settlement (grey), compared to its wider community boundary. Also indicated are isolated hamlets within the city. City boundaries Built-up area
