Athens
39 km²
Beijing
16,411 km²
Greece
China
Area Comparison
Athens is 420.8x smaller than Beijing
Population Comparison
Athens has 33.7x fewer people than Beijing
Yes — Beijing is 420.8x larger than Athens by area. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while Athens covers 39 km² (15 mi²) — a difference of 16,372 km². You could fit Athens inside Beijing approximately 420 times.
To put Athens's size in perspective, its area of 39 km² is about 1.5x smaller than Manhattan. Meanwhile, Beijing at 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai.
Picture Athens another way: its area is large enough to fit about 5,500 American football fields, 80 times the area of Vatican City, or 19 times the area of Monaco. Beijing, by comparison, equals about 2,300,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's population numbering over 3.6 million, it is the eighth-largest urban area in the European Union (EU).
Known as "Cradle of Western Civilization", Athens covers 39 km² with a population of 0.6 million. The city was founded around 7000 BC. Athens is known for Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon, Plaka neighborhood, among other attractions.
Athens is the southernmost capital on the European mainland and capital of the Attica region.
Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city, as well as China's second-largest city by urban area, after Shanghai. It is located in Northern China, and is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban districts.
Often called "Northern Capital", Beijing has an area of 16,411 km² and is home to 21.5 million people. It was founded around 1045 BC. Visitors come for Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Beijing Subway.
With over 22 million residents, Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city.
Athens has a population density of 16,410 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Beijing, with 1,313 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Athens is dramatically more crowded, with 12.5x the population density.
Athens has a Mediterranean climate climate while Beijing experiences humid continental conditions.
Size Ratio
Athens fits inside Beijing ~420 times
Density Gap
Athens is 12.5x more densely populated
History
Athens is ~5,955 years older
Athens covers 39 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Manila (43 km²), Tel Aviv (52 km²), Zurich (88 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
Beijing covers 16,411 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hangzhou (16,854 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), Chengdu (14,378 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 km²).
The straight-line distance from Athens to Beijing is 7,617 km (4,733 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 28m.
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