The 2010 edition of Guinness Book of World Records lists Sultan Kosen as the tallest living man as well as having the largest hands (10.8 inches) (27.5 centimeters) and largest feet (14.4 inches) (36.5 centimeters).

According to Guinness, he is the tallest living human reaching an average height of 8'1" (2,46.5 m) when measured by GWR in Ankara, Turkey, in February 2009. He takes over the title from China's Bao Xishun, who stands 'just' 2.36 metres (seven feet 8.95 inches).

Kosen was unable to complete his schooling because of his extreme height, but works occasionally as a farmer to support his family. Kosen has three brothers and a sister, who are all normal-sized, but his rate of growth surged from the age of 10 because of a tumour which caused too much growth hormone to be released from his pituitary gland. The tumour was successfully removed in surgery and he finally stopped growing last year (2008). He uses walking sticks and tires quickly if he is standing. Another pretender to the tallest title, Ukrainian Leonid Stadnyk, who claims to be 10.5 centimetres taller than Kosen, fails to qualify for the record because he refused to be measured by Guinness World Records officials. Guinness editor-in-chief Craig Glenday travelled to Turkey to personally validate Kosen's height under strict guidelines, measuring him three times in one day because bodies expand and shrink throughout the day.

Sultan Kosen has since been touring England, the U.S., Iceland, Spain, The Netherlands and Norway. You can view more images of his visit to The Netherlands here...

Sultan Kosen posing for the Guinness book of Records as the World's Tallest Man in front of the Tower bridge in London.

The New Tallest Man In The World Visits London For The First Time LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 16: The worlds new tallest man Sultan Kosen 26, of Turkey poses in front of Tower Bridge to celebrate the launch of the 2010 Guinness Book of Records, on September 16, 2009 in London, England. Sultan Kosen stands at 8ft 1in and also holds the record for the largest hands and largest feet at 27.5cm and 36.5cm respectively. (scroll down for more pictures of Sultan Kosen's visit to London. Also included is a video).


















































































With the world's smallest man He Pingping, who sadly passed away on 15 March 2010.

Videos about Sultan Kosen:

Video added 17-09-2009.

Video added 18-09-2009. Sultan - The Tallest Man Visits GWR HQ

Video added 18-09-2009.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Video: World’s tallest man: ‘Proud and happy’Sept. 21: TODAY hosts talk to Sultan Kosen, the newly crowned tallest man in the world, about all the attention that comes with being a record holder in the Guinness World Records book. (Today Show)

A woman wanted for ...a giant!

Sultan Kosen meeting George Bell.

Internet articles about Sultan Kosen:

Sultan, cel mai înalt om din lume, e virgin! - 05-07-2010
Things Look Up for World's Tallest Man - 23-09-2009
World’s tallest man: ‘I’ve had difficult life’ - 21-09-2009
I’m 8ft 1 with 10.8in hands and 14.3in feet - 18-09-2009
World's Tallest Man Visits London - For Love - 17-09-2009
Big-hearted giant's search for wife - 17-09-2009
Sultan Kosen is world's tallest man at 8ft 1in - 17-09-2009
World’s tallest man Sultan Kösen seeks love — and a big car - 17-09-2009
The New Tallest Man In The World Visits London For The First Time - 16-09-2009
World's new tallest man longing for love - 16-09-2009

TheTallestMan.com discussion forums - tallest man alive or the tallest man who ever lived in the world

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02-09-2010: Newspaper clipping(s) about Jean Bihin, Louis Moilanen, Jim Tarver, John Aasen, Arthur James Caley and George Auger added.

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01-08-2010: New video(s) of Sultan Kösen meeting George Bell added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Henry Clay Thruston, Henrik Brustad, Mills Darden and Chang Woo-Gow added.

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30-07-2010: A step back in history today, with: New page(s) added for Charles Hamilton, Charles Lampman, John M. Baker, Joseph Morris and the English Colossus. New image(s) of Kin Fu Ki added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Patrick Cotter O'Brien, Jean Bihin, Peter Tuchan, Jim Porter, Charles Gruel D’Indreville and Louis Frenz added. I have also added a new page for Giant Shoes. Many thanks to Warren Raymond.

29-07-2010: New page(s) added for Jacobus Williams added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Ted Evans, Edouard Beaupré, Haji Mohammad Alam Channa, Alexander Sizonenko, Anna Haining Swan, Martin van Buren Bates, Eddie Carmel, S.A. Shields, Baptiste Hugo, Al Tomaini, Noah Orr, Robert Wadlow - later years, Kin Fu Ki, Johann Petursson and Joseph Schippers added.

28-07-2010: Newspaper clipping(s) about Delores Pullard, Robert Wadlow - later years, Cecil Boling, Max Palmer, Ella Ewing, Kaatje van Dyk, Dora Helms, Jack Earle and Feodor Machnow added.

27-07-2010: New image(s) of Clifford Marshall Thompson and Martin van Buren Bates added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Gabriel Estêvão Monjane, Sandy Allen, Cleve Gill, Edouard Beaupré, Delores Pullard, Chang Woo-Gow and Ruth Duncan added.

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24-07-2010: Newspaper clipping(s) about Don Koehler, Clifford Marshall Thompson, Henry Mullens, Hassan Ali, Robert Wadlow - later years, Gabriel Estêvão Monjane, Frederick Kempster, Eddie Carmel, John Paul Ofwono, Sultan Kösen and Conrad Furrows added.

23-07-2010: New image(s) of Ghulam Shabbir added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Suleiman Ali Nashnush, Hu Chun-Chang, Erwin Johnson, Clifford Marshall Thompson, Max Palmer and Gilbert Reichert added.

22-07-2010: New page(s) added for Bernard Wray added. New image(s) of Don Koehler, Jack Earle and Chester Cass added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Conrad Furrows, Zeng Jinlian, Poolad Gurd, Rayford Johnson, Emil Assad Rached, Dave Ballard, George Kieffer, Carl Sandell, Frank Wilcox, Bernard Coyne and Balahu added.

21-07-2010: New image(s) of John Aasen added. New postcard(s) of Mildred, Louis Moilanen and Bernard Coyne added. Biography of Clifford Marshall Thompson added. Opens as a Word Document. Many thanks to Joseph Gordon Hylton.

20-07-2010: New image(s) of Sun Ming Ming added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Christopher Greener, Chang Woo-Gow and Fernand Bachelard added.

19-07-2010: New image(s) of Hugh Murphy and Patrick Cotter O'Brien added. Newspaper clipping(s) about Lionel Brogan, Christopher Greener, Hans Hellmuth, Ted Evans and Manute Bol added.

[....some older news snipped....]

17-06-2009: Installed discussion forum. You can join it here...

12-06-2009: Started building the website.