Amsterdam
219 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
Netherlands
Australia
Area Comparison
Amsterdam is 56.5x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
Amsterdam has 5.8x fewer people than Sydney
Sydney is significantly larger, covering 56.5 times the area of Amsterdam. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Amsterdam covers 219 km² (85 mi²) — a difference of 12,149 km². You could fit Amsterdam inside Sydney approximately 56 times.
To put Amsterdam's size in perspective, its area of 219 km² is about 1.2x the size of Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
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. 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.
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
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.
Nicknamed "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. Its history stretches 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.
Looking beyond city limits, the Sydney metropolitan area covers 12,368 km², which is 4.8x larger than greater Amsterdam at 2,580 km². The Sydney metro area is also more populous, with 5.3 million people compared to 2.5 million.
Amsterdam has a population density of 4,201 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Amsterdam is dramatically more crowded, with 9.8x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Amsterdam in Europe versus Sydney in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Amsterdam has a oceanic climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Sydney, it's 3:00 AM in Amsterdam — a 9-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Amsterdam fits inside Sydney ~56 times
Density Gap
Amsterdam is 9.8x more densely populated
Time Difference
9 hours apart
History
Amsterdam is ~513 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).
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 Amsterdam to Sydney is 16,643 km (10,341 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~20h 5m.
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