Amsterdam
219 km²
San Diego
964 km²
Netherlands
United States
Area Comparison
Amsterdam is 4.4x smaller than San Diego
Population Comparison
Amsterdam has 1.5x fewer people than San Diego
San Diego is significantly larger, covering 4.4 times the area of Amsterdam. San Diego spans 964 km² (372 mi²) while Amsterdam covers 219 km² (85 mi²) — a difference of 745 km². You could fit Amsterdam inside San Diego approximately 4 times.
To put Amsterdam's size in perspective, its area of 219 km² is about 1.2x the size of Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
In more relatable units, Amsterdam's 219 km² is about 31,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 64 times the area of Central Park. For San Diego, that's about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.
Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the Dutch province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", for its large number of canals, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Known as "Venice of the North", Amsterdam covers 219 km² with a population of 0.9 million. The city was established in 1275. Amsterdam is known for Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the GVB (Metro & Tram).
Amsterdam's historic canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, earning it the nickname Venice of the North
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.
Often called "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. The city dates back to 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Amsterdam has a population density of 4,201 people per km² — a moderately dense city. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Amsterdam is noticeably denser, packing 2.9 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Amsterdam fits inside San Diego ~4 times
Density Gap
Amsterdam is 2.9x more densely populated
History
Amsterdam is ~494 years older
Amsterdam covers 219 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Helsinki (214 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Boston (232 km²), Buenos Aires (203 km²), or Kuala Lumpur (243 km²).
San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Amsterdam to San Diego is 9,014 km (5,601 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 6m.
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