Edinburgh
259 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
United Kingdom
China
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 24.5x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 50.8x fewer people than Shanghai
In terms of area, Shanghai is 24.5x the size of Edinburgh. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 6,082 km². You could fit Edinburgh inside Shanghai approximately 24 times.
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
In more relatable units, Edinburgh's 259 km² is about 36,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Monaco, or 76 times the area of Central Park. Shanghai, by comparison, equals about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 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.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. Its history stretches back to 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is noticeably denser, packing 2.1 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Edinburgh fits inside Shanghai ~24 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 2.1x more densely populated
History
Edinburgh is ~690 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).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Shanghai is 9,001 km (5,593 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 5m.
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