Amsterdam
219 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
Netherlands
China
Area Comparison
Amsterdam is 9.1x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Amsterdam has 19.1x fewer people than Shenzhen
Shenzhen is significantly larger, covering 9.1 times the area of Amsterdam. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Amsterdam covers 219 km² (85 mi²) — a difference of 1,778 km². You could fit Amsterdam inside Shenzhen approximately 9 times.
To put Amsterdam's size in perspective, its area of 219 km² is about 1.2x the size of Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Picture Amsterdam another way: its area is large enough to fit about 31,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 64 times the area of Central Park. Shenzhen works out to about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 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
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong to the south, Dongguan to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, and Macau to the southwest. With a population of 17.5 million in 2020, Shenzhen is the third-most-populous city by urban population in China after Shanghai and Beijing.
Often called "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen has an area of 1,997 km² and is home to 17.6 million people. It was established in 1979. Visitors come for Ping An Finance Centre, Window of the World, OCT Loft, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shenzhen Metro.
Shenzhen grew from a small town into China's third-most-populous urban city, hitting 17.5 million residents by 2020
Looking beyond city limits, the Amsterdam metropolitan area covers 2,580 km², which is 1.3x larger than greater Shenzhen at 1,997 km². The Shenzhen metro area is also more populous, with 17.6 million people compared to 2.5 million.
Amsterdam has a population density of 4,201 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is noticeably denser, packing 2.1 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Amsterdam in Europe versus Shenzhen in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Amsterdam has a oceanic climate while Shenzhen experiences humid subtropical conditions. Summers are notably different: Shenzhen averages 29°C compared to 17°C in Amsterdam. When it's noon in Shenzhen, it's 5:00 AM in Amsterdam — a 7-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Amsterdam fits inside Shenzhen ~9 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 2.1x more densely populated
Time Difference
7 hours apart
History
Amsterdam is ~704 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).
Shenzhen covers 1,997 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Riyadh (1,798 km²), Houston (1,725 km²), or Johannesburg (1,644 km²).
The straight-line distance from Amsterdam to Shenzhen is 9,250 km (5,748 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 23m.
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