Edinburgh
259 km²
Los Angeles
1,302 km²
United Kingdom
USA
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 5.0x smaller than Los Angeles
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 8.1x fewer people than Los Angeles
In terms of area, Los Angeles is 5.0x the size of Edinburgh. Los Angeles spans 1,302 km² (503 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 1,043 km². You could fit Edinburgh inside Los Angeles approximately 5 times.
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Los Angeles at 1,302 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London.
Picture Edinburgh another way: its area is large enough to fit about 36,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Monaco, or 76 times the area of Central Park. For Los Angeles, that's about 182,000 American football fields, 22 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris.
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. It is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in 2020, making it the second-most-populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most-populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area had a population of 912,490 in the same year.
Known as "Auld Reekie", Edinburgh covers 259 km² with a population of 0.5 million. The city was established in 601. Edinburgh is known for Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, among other attractions.
Edinburgh is bounded by the Firth of Forth to the north and the Pentland Hills to the south.
Los Angeles (LA) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Southern California. With an estimated 3.88 million residents within the city limits as of 2024, it is the second-most populous city in the United States, behind New York City, and the largest city in the Western United States. The city has an ethnically and culturally diverse population, and is the principal city of a metropolitan area of 12.9 million people (2024).
Often called "The City of Angels", Los Angeles has an area of 1,302 km² and is home to 4.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1781. Visitors come for Hollywood Sign, Santa Monica Pier, Beverly Hills, and much more. Getting around is easy with the LA Metro.
Los Angeles is the second-most populous city in the United States, home to 3.88 million residents within city limits as of 2024.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Los Angeles, with 3,049 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Los Angeles is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Edinburgh fits inside Los Angeles ~5 times
Density Gap
Los Angeles is 1.6x more densely populated
History
Edinburgh is ~1,180 years older
Edinburgh covers 259 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Taipei (272 km²), Kuala Lumpur (243 km²), Boston (232 km²), Osaka (225 km²), or Amsterdam (219 km²).
Los Angeles covers 1,302 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Rome (1,285 km²), Phoenix (1,341 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), San Antonio (1,209 km²), or Lagos (1,172 km²).
The straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Los Angeles is 8,282 km (5,146 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 15m.
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