Edinburgh
259 km²
Seattle
369 km²
United Kingdom
United States
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 1.4x smaller than Seattle
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 1.5x fewer people than Seattle
Seattle is significantly larger, covering 1.4 times the area of Edinburgh. Seattle spans 369 km² (142 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 110 km².
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Seattle at 369 km² is about 1.6x smaller than Seoul.
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. For Seattle, that's about 52,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Monaco, or 110 times the area of Central Park.
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.
Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is the 18th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 780,995 in 2024, while the Seattle metropolitan area at over 4.15 million residents is the 15th-most populous metropolitan area in the nation. The city is the county seat of King County, the most populous county in Washington.
Often called "The Emerald City", Seattle has an area of 369 km² and is home to 0.7 million people. The city dates back to 1851. Visitors come for Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Starbucks headquarters, and much more.
Seattle is Washington's most populous city with 780,995 residents in 2024, anchoring the Pacific Northwest.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Seattle, with 2,005 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Seattle is slightly more compact.
History
Edinburgh is ~1,250 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).
Seattle covers 369 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Philadelphia (370 km²), Dhaka (368 km²), Portland (376 km²), Atlanta (348 km²), or Denver (401 km²).
The straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Seattle is 7,189 km (4,467 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~8h 57m.
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