It depends on how you define "biggest"! There are two main ways to measure the size of a port:
🎯Cargo volume: This is the total amount of cargo (such as containers, dry bulk cargo, and liquid bulk cargo) that passes through the port in a year. By this measure, the Port of Shanghai in China is the biggest, handling over 47 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) of container cargo in 2022.
🎯Cargo tonnage: This is the total weight of all the cargo that passes through the port in a year. By this measure, the Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan, also in China, is the biggest, handling over 1.2 billion tons of cargo in 2022.
Interesting Facts about Ports:
- The Port of Shanghai has been the busiest port in the world for container traffic since 2010.
- The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is the largest port in the world by total area, covering over 223 square kilometers.
- Both ports are located on the east coast of China in the Yangtze River Delta, a major industrial and economic region.
📚Learn more: Major Ports in India