Abu Dhabi
972 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
United Arab Emirates
Australia
Area Comparison
Abu Dhabi is 12.7x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
Abu Dhabi has 3.4x fewer people than Sydney
Yes — Sydney is 12.7x larger than Abu Dhabi by area. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Abu Dhabi covers 972 km² (375 mi²) — a difference of 11,396 km². You could fit Abu Dhabi inside Sydney approximately 12 times.
To put Abu Dhabi's size in perspective, its area of 972 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
In more relatable units, Abu Dhabi's 972 km² is about 136,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris. Sydney works out to about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco.
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's second-most populous city, after Dubai. The city is situated on a T-shaped island, extending into the Persian Gulf from the central-western coast of the UAE.
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km² with a population of 1.6 million. Abu Dhabi is known for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, among other attractions.
Abu Dhabi sits on a T-shaped island extending into the Persian Gulf from the UAE's central-western coast.
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and is the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.
Often called "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. The city dates back to 1788. Visitors come for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Abu Dhabi has a population density of 1,615 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Abu Dhabi is dramatically more crowded, with 3.8x the population density.
Abu Dhabi has a desert climate climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions.
Size Ratio
Abu Dhabi fits inside Sydney ~12 times
Density Gap
Abu Dhabi is 3.8x more densely populated
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Diego (964 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), or Santiago (838 km²).
Sydney covers 12,368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chengdu (14,378 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), or Beijing (16,411 km²).
The straight-line distance from Abu Dhabi to Sydney is 12,089 km (7,511 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 43m.
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