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Largest Cities in the World if all the Ice Melts on a Map

What would be the most populous URBAN AREAS in the world if all the ice caps melted?
See comments for sources
Answers in gold have had part of their agglomeration underwater and have decreased populations
Quiz by
Ethaboo444
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Last updated: April 23, 2025
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First submittedJanuary 18, 2021
Times taken34,979
Average score54.0%
Rating4.69
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Population
Elevation
City
35,700,000
215m
Delhi
25,400,000
2228m
Mexico City
22,600,000
769m
Sao Paulo
18,800,000
152m
Moscow
18,100,000
500m
Chengdu
16,800,000
1168m
Tehran
16,300,000
277m
Kinshasa
14,800,000
1753m
Johannesburg
14,700,000
921m
Bangalore
14,600,000
214m
Lahore
13,400,000
379m
Xi'an
12,900,000
222m
Chongqing
~12,000,000
22m
Guangzhou
11,700,000
513m
Hyderabad
~11,000,000
59m
Istanbul
~11,000,000
92m
Los Angeles
10,600,000
2553m
Bogota
10,300,000
108m
Zhengzhou
9,600,000
179m
Chicago
~9,000,000
140m
Lima
~9,000,000
40m
Tokyo
8,400,000
573m
Santiago
8,000,000
547m
Pune
7,850,000
91m
Toronto
7,800,000
137m
Dallas
Population
Elevation
City
7,700,000
597m
Riyadh
7,200,000
383m
Khartoum
7,000,000
689m
Bandung
~7,000,000
38m
Seoul
6,900,000
1689m
Nairobi
6,800,000
1932m
Kunming
6,700,000
663m
Madrid
6,150,000
789m
Taiyuan
6,150,000
822m
Amman
6,150,000
538m
Monterrey
6,150,000
308m
Atlanta
~6,000,000
10m
Washington, D.C.
~6,000,000
6m
Luanda
5,950,000
1548m
Guadalajara
5,750,000
181m
Detroit
5,700,000
350m
Bamako
5,600,000
508m
Rawalpindi
5,550,000
118m
Harbin
5,550,000
76m
Nanning
~5,500,000
130m
Milan
5,350,000
488m
Kano
5,300,000
859m
Belo Horizonte
5,300,000
1064m
Guiyang
5,250,000
1803m
Kabul
5,200,000
213m
Changchun
Save Your Stats
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100 Recent Comments
Ethaboo444
+6
Level 59
Mar 20, 2023
Sources: Reference Map, citypopulation.de, NASA SEDAC Population Calculator, GPS Coordinates, floodmap.net

Huge thanks to Pandora49 for helping with converting the map from a Mercator projection into the JetPunk standard, and with adjusting the size of the map for JetPunk use.

scambigol
+3
Level 80
Sep 14, 2021
wouldn't Paris end up below the sea? 35m above sea level according to Wikipedia.

Great idea for a quiz!

Ethaboo444
+3
Level 59
Sep 14, 2021
To be honest my brain kinda was not really working back then lol, half of the cities i just looked at how far inland it was which was kind of dumb, but then the other half i searched how high the city was above sea level, I'll try to fix this later today, but I am already very busy with school and homework, so it might take a little bit, sorry.
XYU
+4
Level 62
Sep 14, 2021
Holy cow, look at the Amazon. On the plus side, the Aral Sea is gonna make a comeback!
JWatson24
+1
Level 71
Sep 14, 2021
Great quiz! I've actually wanted to make a quiz kinda similar to this, but I've never known what sources to use :/ So I think it's awesome that you found something that worked!
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Sep 14, 2021
Thanks! I did find a better, more graphic source, although sadly it is in Mercator projection i believe. I might use it in the future, mainly because I'm planning to start make more of this in the future.
Elboy
+3
Level 74
Sep 21, 2021
Brilliant idea! I like this quiz but it would be great if you could add the sources you used.
garcogait
+2
Level 67
Nov 25, 2021
i find it strage that greenland, the hudson bay, africa, korea and manchuria almost doesn't change
TheOrca
+2
Level 54
Apr 22, 2022
It says all the ice melted so even if Greenland is a similar shape it probably looks a lot different.
Ethaboo444
+2
Level 59
Apr 22, 2022
The thing is that there is actually land under Greenland and it isn't just ice. The land under Greenland is very mountainous so it would be above sea level in this world.
Kearsarge
+2
Level 68
Jul 16, 2025
While that is true along the coastlines, the center of greenland is depressed greatly due to the weight of ice on top of it and big parts of it would be below sea level even now, let alone with higher sea levels. Now, post glacial isostatic rebound would be a thing with all that ice removed, but it would not be immediate, and greenland would still not have the exact same shoreline as today.
kalbahamut
+17
Level 79
Dec 22, 2021
Surely the nearly incomprehensible levels of population displacement this would create, coupled with the political turmoil, wars, famines, massive construction projects, etc. that would result, renders this quiz totally inaccurate, in real life, but interesting to think about nonetheless.
SWATkun
+23
Level 59
Dec 22, 2021
Thank you for ruining the experience
kalbahamut
+7
Level 79
Apr 21, 2022
mm hm. and thank you for coming along and so greatly enhancing it.
Ethaboo444
+3
Level 59
Apr 21, 2022
yw :)
TomatosRaafatos
+1
Level 76
Dec 22, 2021
Are you sure that Cairo will be underwater? It doesn't look that way on the map.
Ethaboo444
+6
Level 59
Dec 22, 2021
Cairo is 75 feet above sea level, making it underwater, since if all ice melts in the world, the water would go up 66 meters, or I think around 200 feet. Im American, so I don't normally use the metric system. Not all data on a map can always be normally seen with the naked eye. If I really put that much detail into my quizzes, JP wouldn't even allow me to download the map as it would be too big.
rwwt
+1
Level 86
Dec 22, 2021
Nice quiz! I do wonder how the Caspian Sea and Lake Eyre would get topped up though.
FedericoGuzman
+2
Level 74
Dec 23, 2021
I'm just glad my city is safe.
BigFloppa
+1
Level 62
Dec 23, 2021
what happened to lake victoria lol
Ethaboo444
+4
Level 59
Dec 23, 2021
hmm im not sure

i guess it died

sacheth9
+3
Level 65
Apr 20, 2022
Fantastic! The new update is great, nominated
Potatoe1187
+2
Level 66
Apr 21, 2022
Actually curious, what about all the major rivers? Wouldn't rivers such as the Mississippi, nile , yagtze overflow their banks and consume the surrounding cities and land?
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Apr 21, 2022
they do overflow, but not over the entire length of the river, the examples you stated are all flooding closest to their deltas.

the nile does overflow a bit more than it is shown on the map, but it is just extremely hard to do that when the overflowing is barely noticeable.

PeregrineFalcon
+2
Level 78
Apr 21, 2022
Nice quiz, but Bandung should be more to the west.
Ethaboo444
+2
Level 59
Apr 21, 2022
Oops :/
ludvigrassmus
+4
Level 68
Apr 21, 2022
Guiyang as well, I couldn't figure that one out because of that
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Apr 21, 2022
Ig using the dot placer wasn't the best idea
LAP3UNC
+2
Level 91
Sep 2, 2022
God this is depressing.
TheRatmeister
+4
Level 95
Sep 6, 2022
Guiyang needs to be moved west quiet a bit.
JohnnyYeet
+2
Level 66
Oct 9, 2022
Istanbul somehow survives, albeit smaller
kiwiquizzer
+1
Level 68
Oct 9, 2022
Oh no, my home city is gone!
Savio
+1
Level 66
Oct 12, 2022
You should keep in mind the fact that populations in developing countries are generally rising and populations in developed countries are generally dropping. If this was 5000 years into the future, we would see smaller populations in places like Europe and larger populations throughout regions like Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Ethaboo444
+4
Level 59
Oct 13, 2022
I'd love if I had a time machine, but because that is just a dream I sadly cannot know if humanity destroys the planet or not in the next 5000 years. What is possible to find right now though are current population estimates. This quiz is based on if the world lost all of its ice and the sea levels rose this instant, not based on current estimates. Even if the estimates say that all ice would melt in 5000 years, it is highly unlikely that it would be a reality, as either we find a solution to fix it or we bring ourselves to extinction. (DArKNeSS oOoOoooOoOoooOOOOoooOOoooOoO) Also, population increases change over time, it isnt like Africa will be the fastest growing continent forever, they'll run out of space eventually.
RipRed
+2
Level 35
Jan 20, 2023
Ooh a new Egypt island just dropped
TheRatmeister
+2
Level 95
Jan 24, 2023
Guiyang is... not even close to where it should be.
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Jan 26, 2023
:/
Devadatta
+3
Level 73
Mar 4, 2023
Looks like Nepal, Paraguay, Austria need to think about building their navies.
Carter2
+1
Level 59
Mar 7, 2023
My state is completely submerged

(RIP LOUISIANA)

ItzIngenious
+3
Level 66
Mar 8, 2023
First feature? :)
Fianchetto
+1
Level 78
Mar 19, 2023
Yeah, almost there.
Neodymium
+3
Level 63
Mar 20, 2023
Featured!
mschiesser
+1
Level 95
Mar 20, 2023
Surprised that Guangzhou isn't under water.
MCdoesgeography
+1
Level 74
Sep 16, 2023
It is, but only partially
Fianchetto
+1
Level 78
Mar 20, 2023
And now I get to retake it.
ItzIngenious
+2
Level 66
Mar 20, 2023
Florida left the chat
AlexThirkell
+3
Level 74
Mar 20, 2023
Gone swimming with Bangladesh.
Wistful
+1
Level 72
Mar 20, 2023
I love how Africa appears mostly untouched while everyone else is in shambles.
Tramp
+2
Level 79
Mar 30, 2023
As a non-African, I don't love this at all
Wistful
+1
Level 72
Feb 16, 2024
I didn't mean "love" in that sense, just found it amusing. Let's hope we never have to experience this for ourselves.
buck1017
+3
Level 78
Mar 20, 2023
Great...now i have more chinese cities to memorize.
OfficerDibble
+2
Level 86
Mar 21, 2023
I doubt that will take anything like as long as 5000 years. 200, maybe.
TomatosRaafatos
+9
Level 76
Mar 22, 2023
The dot for Khartoum is in the wrong place. It looks like where Addis Ababa is.
FadKrashmor
+3
Level 70
Mar 28, 2023
That threw me out too, khartoum is a fair bit to the north of that dot.
QuizzerBros
+3
Level 69
Apr 3, 2023
Guessed Addis Ababa as well
ed1969
+1
Level 74
Apr 21, 2023
Thanks - now I know where to buy real estate!
Raffles
+5
Level 81
May 6, 2023
Great quiz, but the map can be more accurate. Khartoum and Guiyang are surely in the wrong place (Guiyang should be located directly south of Chongqing). Taiyuan, Zhengzhou and Xi'an should be way more to the south, and Changchun and Harbin are way more northern.
montegobay
+3
Level 43
May 6, 2023
+1 to raffles's comment, guiyang is not in the right place for sure (if u draw a triangle from kunming nanning and chongqing, guiyang should be in it, it is not due north of guangzhou) also agree that harbin looks like it is too south like it could be shenyang

Edit: felt like pune might be too north as well, it looks like that island west of it might be part of gujarat so I thought it was surat or vadodara or something

ImNotAmerican
+3
Level 38
May 10, 2023
Bandung is actually more west than the label, the misplacement made me guess cities like Semarang and Yogyakarta.
Jbdhbc
+1
Level 74
May 11, 2023
I was about to comment this exactly, I didn't even consider Bandung because the placement was so off - I thought it was Kediri or Malang
MaartenNoble
+2
Level 65
May 6, 2023
No more Netherlands :"'(
Neodymium
+1
Level 63
May 6, 2023
Can we get a country version?
MCdoesgeography
+3
Level 74
May 7, 2023
Wouldn't Istanbul and Los Angeles be much more affected than you put them out to be?

And why isn't Toronto affected at all??

driehoek25
+1
Level 70
May 8, 2023
Fear mongering
Sifhraven
+4
Level 76
Oct 2, 2024
No, just a fun quiz.. You could make the reverse, what if parts of the ocean evaporated. If you call this quiz fearmongering, then what would you call that quiz?
NotyourMap
+1
Level 44
May 10, 2023
Guiyang is not where Chaozhou is Guiyang is way more west than it shows
PringIes
+1
Level 55
Jun 1, 2023
this map genuinely looks horrifying imo
QayseriRum
+1
Level 65
Oct 30, 2023
Safe to say Bogota and Mexico City won't be going anywhere any time soon.
Cog
+1
Level 77
Nov 16, 2023
Mistake in the title. You mean WHEN all the ice melts
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Nov 28, 2023
... no.
Tominator1
+1
Level 32
Feb 1, 2024
This is pretty dark lol. Great quiz though!
MK411
+2
Level 70
Mar 23, 2024
Guiyang should not be between Changsha and Guangzhou where there are Hengyang, Chenzhou, and Shaoguan. It should be at the intersection of two lines of Changsha-Kunming and Chongqing-Nanning. Also, Changchun and Harbin should be forther north to not be as southern as Taiyuan.
Omnikin
+1
Level 68
Apr 15, 2024
Amazing quiz :)
CoyoteFang17
+2
Level 67
May 6, 2024
Great quiz, but I think Guiyang, China should be placed further to the west than it currently is on the map.
dg48
+2
Level 70
Sep 11, 2024
Addis Ababa is not spared??
Emchupi
+2
Level 77
Sep 21, 2024
Chongqing and Changchung are ridiculously stereotypical. I can't help but laugh every time they are in the same quiz xd.
Marli5
+1
Level 50
Sep 23, 2024
Very cool quiz, can i translate that to german?
LuckyCat
+2
Level 72
May 10, 2025
has anyone told you that gold is misspelled in the caveat?
Upsiquark
+7
Level 66
May 11, 2025
What the hell are those stats? 70% for Chinese cities I've never heard of and barely 5% for Tokyo and Santiago?
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
May 19, 2025
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
TiddlyWinks
+3
Level 87
Jul 16, 2025
That doesn't pass the sniff test. Is there any chance that the stats are inaccurate?
cyceryx
+6
Level 61
May 22, 2025
how the hell did 78% of ppl get changchun and taiyuan?? i got everything except those two
EvanAviator
+1
Level 61
Jul 16, 2025
I was just thinking that
kaibaj
+1
Level 67
Jul 16, 2025
Fabulous quiz - really enjoyed this. Thank you for putting this together!
bantqq1
+3
Level 48
Jul 16, 2025
France, Vietnam and Malaysia are wrong color in dark mode
Cyclonus
+1
Level 88
Jul 16, 2025
5 minutes is a remarkably short amount of time to try to remember a bunch of Asian cities which admittedly have millions of people, but which have very little reason to be known internationally, and so take some time to dredge up from the back of one's mind from simply having seen them on maps or on other trivia quizzes over the years, lol.
ThriceHeartburn
+1
Level 43
Jul 16, 2025
Island estonia will haunt me. Great quiz. I think others should use this map.
NebulaMC
+2
Level 48
Jul 16, 2025
How the heck is DC still ok? It feels like we're flooded now...
RobNobody
+5
Level 80
Jul 16, 2025
Yeah, there's something off with these stats. Not only is there no way that Kano is at 81% and Tokyo is at 20%, but it can't possibly be true that the previous two times I've done this quiz that I got Kunming — which doesn't even sound familiar to me — but missed Washington, DC.
Penguin
+1
Level 50
Jul 16, 2025
china is screwing me up lol
dg48
+1
Level 70
Jul 16, 2025
Phoenix Arizona should be on here.
Scodge
+3
Level 73
Jul 18, 2025
This image is hideous.
SageWolfspeed
+1
Level 44
Jul 18, 2025
Im wondering how any of those small islands are still around lol
ProbablyANerd
+1
Level 46
Nov 10, 2025
44/50 missed 6 Chinese cities :/
BautyArg
+1
Level 52
Jan 13, 2026
france is broken on dark mode
bananaslugs101
+2
Level 49
Jan 21, 2026
Funny enough, the AI thumbnail image is helping the ice melt faster 🙃
PaxSu
+1
Level 55
Jan 22, 2026
Got them all in first round😎
Ceasstricat
+1
Level 65
Mar 24, 2026
ever had some ice cube into a cup which melted? did the water level increased?:D
Ethaboo444
+1
Level 59
Mar 24, 2026
antarctica is famously not floating on top of the ocean :D
sextanddrive
+1
Level 60
Mar 26, 2026
More people know taiyuan than atlanta? Lol
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