Guangzhou
7,434 km²
Los Angeles
1,302 km²
China
USA
Area Comparison
Guangzhou is 5.7x larger than Los Angeles
Population Comparison
Guangzhou has 4.7x more people than Los Angeles
Yes — Guangzhou is 5.7x larger than Los Angeles by area. Guangzhou spans 7,434 km² (2,870 mi²) while Los Angeles covers 1,302 km² (503 mi²) — a difference of 6,132 km². You could fit Los Angeles inside Guangzhou approximately 5 times.
To put Guangzhou's size in perspective, its area of 7,434 km² is about 1.2x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Los Angeles at 1,302 km² is about 1.2x smaller than London.
Picture Guangzhou another way: its area is large enough to fit about 1,000,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Manhattan, or 71 times the area of Paris. Los Angeles, by comparison, equals about 182,000 American football fields, 22 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris.
Guangzhou, also known as Canton, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong in southern China. Located on the Pearl River, about 120 kilometres (75 mi) northwest of Hong Kong and 145 kilometres (90 mi) north of Macau, Guangzhou has a history of over 2,200 years and was a major terminus of the Silk Road.
Known as "Canton", Guangzhou covers 7,434 km² with a population of 18.7 million. The city was founded around 214 BC. Guangzhou is known for Canton Tower, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Shamian Island, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Guangzhou Metro.
Guangzhou boasts a history of over 2,200 years and served as a major terminus of the ancient Silk Road
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).
Also known as "The City of Angels", Los Angeles has an area of 1,302 km² and is home to 4.0 million people. It was established in 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.
Looking beyond city limits, the Los Angeles metropolitan area covers 12,562 km², which is 1.7x larger than greater Guangzhou at 7,434 km². The Guangzhou metro area is also more populous, with 18.7 million people compared to 13.2 million.
Guangzhou has a population density of 2,513 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Los Angeles, with 3,049 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Los Angeles is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Guangzhou in Asia versus Los Angeles in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Guangzhou has a humid subtropical climate while Los Angeles experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Guangzhou, it's midnight in Los Angeles — a 16-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Los Angeles fits inside Guangzhou ~5 times
Time Difference
16 hours apart
History
Guangzhou is ~1,995 years older
Guangzhou covers 7,434 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Wuhan (8,569 km²), Perth (6,417 km²), Shanghai (6,341 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 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 Guangzhou to Los Angeles is 11,646 km (7,236 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 12m.
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