Edinburgh
259 km²
Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
United Kingdom
Brazil
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 4.7x smaller than Rio de Janeiro
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 13.8x fewer people than Rio de Janeiro
Yes — Rio de Janeiro is 4.7x larger than Edinburgh by area. Rio de Janeiro spans 1,221 km² (471 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 962 km². You could fit Edinburgh inside Rio de Janeiro approximately 4 times.
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro at 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London.
Edinburgh's footprint is roughly about 36,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Monaco, or 76 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Rio de Janeiro, by comparison, equals about 171,000 American football fields, 21 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.
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.
Often called "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro has an area of 1,221 km² and is home to 6.8 million people. It was established in 1565. Visitors come for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Rio de Janeiro, with 5,528 people per km², is a densely populated city. Rio de Janeiro is noticeably denser, packing 2.9 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Edinburgh fits inside Rio de Janeiro ~4 times
Density Gap
Rio de Janeiro is 2.9x more densely populated
History
Edinburgh is ~964 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).
Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Rio de Janeiro is 9,544 km (5,931 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 44m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.