Sultan Kösen (born 10 December 1982) is a Turkish farmer who holds the Guinness World Record for tallest living male at 251 cm (8 ft 2.82 in).
Kösen’s growth resulted from the conditions gigantism and acromegaly, caused by a tumour affecting his pituitary gland. Due to his condition, he uses crutches to walk.
Kösen, a Turkish man of ethnic Kurdish descent, was born in the village of Alibey in Mardin Province of Turkey. Kösen was unable to complete his education because of his height; he instead worked part-time as a farmer.
He describes the advantages of being tall as being able to see a great distance and being able to help his family with domestic tasks such as changing light bulbs and hanging curtains. He lists disadvantages as not being able to find clothes for his legs measuring 126 cm (49.61 in)
and for his arms with a sleeve length measuring 97 cm (38.19 in) or shoes that fit (his once record-breaking length of 36.5 cm (14.4 in) for left and 35.5 cm (14.0 in) for right foot, whereas his hands are the longest measured in a living person at 28.5 cm (11.2 in), as well as finding it difficult to fit into an average-sized car.
