Edinburgh
259 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
United Kingdom
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 39.0x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 26.4x fewer people than Xi'an
Xi'an is significantly larger, covering 39.0 times the area of Edinburgh. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 9,838 km². You could fit Edinburgh inside Xi'an approximately 38 times.
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
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. Xi'an, by comparison, equals about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 96 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.
Xi'an is the capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populous city in Northwestern China. Its total population was 12.95 million in the 2020 census, including an urban population of 9.28 million.
Often called "Ancient Capital", Xi'an has an area of 10,097 km² and is home to 12.9 million people. Visitors come for Terracotta Army, Xi'an City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and much more.
Xi'an's 2020 census recorded 12.95 million residents, making it the most populous city in Northwestern China.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Both cities have comparable density, though Edinburgh is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Edinburgh fits inside Xi'an ~38 times
Density Gap
Edinburgh is 1.5x more densely populated
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).
Xi'an covers 10,097 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Melbourne (9,993 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), or Chengdu (14,378 km²).
The straight-line distance from Edinburgh to Xi'an is 8,119 km (5,045 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 3m.
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