Is the Natural History Museum the Biggest in the World?

The Natural History Museum is one of the most iconic museums in the world. Situated in London, it’s home to over 80 million specimens, ranging from fossils and minerals to live animals and plants. With such an extensive collection, it begs the question: Is the Natural History Museum the biggest in the world?

What is a Natural History Museum?

Before diving into whether or not the Natural History Museum is the biggest in the world, it’s important to understand what a natural history museum actually is. A natural history museum is a type of museum that focuses on collecting, preserving, and exhibiting specimens from nature. This can include anything from rocks and minerals to plants and animals.

The Size of The Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum in London is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. It covers an area of over 70,000 square meters and has over 80 million specimens in its collection. It’s hard to comprehend just how big this collection is – if you were to spend just one minute looking at each specimen in the museum, it would take you over 150 years!

Is The Natural History Museum The Biggest In The World?

While the Natural History Museum in London is undeniably huge, it’s not actually the biggest natural history museum in the world. That title belongs to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which is located in Washington DC.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has a larger floor area than The Natural History Museum – covering around 130,000 square meters – and has over 145 million specimens in its collection. This makes it not only the largest natural history museum but also one of the largest museums overall.

Other Large Natural History Museums

While The Natural History Museum isn’t quite as large as The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, there are still many other large natural history museums around the world. Here are just a few:

  • The American Museum of Natural History, New York City – covers around 50,000 square meters and has over 33 million specimens in its collection
  • The National Museum of Natural History, Paris – covers around 14,000 square meters and has over 68 million specimens in its collection
  • The National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo – covers around 52,000 square meters and has over 41 million specimens in its collection

Conclusion

While The Natural History Museum in London is a truly impressive museum with an extensive collection of specimens from all over the world, it’s not actually the largest natural history museum in the world. The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History takes that title with its larger floor area and more extensive collection. However, there are still many other large natural history museums worth visiting all over the world.