Beijing
16,411 km²
São Paulo
1,521 km²
China
Brazil
Area Comparison
Beijing is 10.8x larger than São Paulo
Population Comparison
Beijing has 1.7x more people than São Paulo
In terms of area, Beijing is 10.8x the size of São Paulo. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while São Paulo covers 1,521 km² (587 mi²) — a difference of 14,890 km². You could fit São Paulo inside Beijing approximately 10 times.
To put Beijing's size in perspective, its area of 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, São Paulo at 1,521 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Beijing's footprint is roughly about 2,300,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. São Paulo works out to about 213,000 American football fields, 26 times the area of Manhattan, or 14 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "Northern Capital", Beijing covers 16,411 km² with a population of 21.5 million. The city was founded around 1045 BC. Beijing is known for Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Beijing Subway.
With over 22 million residents, Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city.
São Paulo is the capital city of the state of the same name, as well as the most populous city in Brazil, South America, the Americas, and in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. The city exerts international influence in commerce, finance, culture, gastronomy, arts, fashion, technology, entertainment and media, having been listed by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" and the title of "World Capital of Gastronomy", and by the Globalization and World Cities Research…
Often called "Sampa", São Paulo has an area of 1,521 km² and is home to 12.3 million people. It was established in 1554. Visitors come for Avenida Paulista, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo Museum of Art, and much more. Getting around is easy with the São Paulo Metro.
São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, and both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.
Looking beyond city limits, the Beijing metropolitan area covers 16,411 km², which is 2.1x larger than greater São Paulo at 7,947 km². The São Paulo metro area is also more populous, with 22.0 million people compared to 21.5 million.
Beijing has a population density of 1,313 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. São Paulo, with 8,107 people per km², is a densely populated city. São Paulo is dramatically more crowded, with 6.2x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Beijing in Asia versus São Paulo in South America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Beijing has a humid continental climate while São Paulo experiences humid subtropical conditions. Winters differ dramatically: São Paulo stays around 17°C while Beijing drops to -3°C. When it's noon in Beijing, it's 1:00 AM in São Paulo — a 11-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
São Paulo fits inside Beijing ~10 times
Density Gap
São Paulo is 6.2x more densely populated
Time Difference
11 hours apart
History
Beijing is ~2,599 years older
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).
São Paulo covers 1,521 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Mexico City (1,485 km²), Delhi (1,484 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bogotá (1,578 km²).
The straight-line distance from Beijing to São Paulo is 17,599 km (10,936 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~21h 12m.
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