Guangzhou
7,434 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
China
China
Area Comparison
Guangzhou is 3.7x larger than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Guangzhou has 1.1x more people than Shenzhen
Guangzhou is significantly larger, covering 3.7 times the area of Shenzhen. Guangzhou spans 7,434 km² (2,870 mi²) while Shenzhen covers 1,997 km² (771 mi²) — a difference of 5,437 km². You could fit Shenzhen inside Guangzhou approximately 3 times.
To put Guangzhou's size in perspective, its area of 7,434 km² is about 1.2x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Guangzhou's footprint is roughly about 1,000,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Manhattan, or 71 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Shenzhen, that's about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 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
Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong, bordering Hong Kong to the south, Dongguan to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, and Macau to the southwest. With a population of 17.5 million in 2020, Shenzhen is the third-most-populous city by urban population in China after Shanghai and Beijing.
Often called "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen has an area of 1,997 km² and is home to 17.6 million people. It was established in 1979. Visitors come for Ping An Finance Centre, Window of the World, OCT Loft, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shenzhen Metro.
Shenzhen grew from a small town into China's third-most-populous urban city, hitting 17.5 million residents by 2020
Looking beyond city limits, the Guangzhou metropolitan area covers 7,434 km², which is 3.7x larger than greater Shenzhen at 1,997 km². The Guangzhou metro area is also more populous, with 18.7 million people compared to 17.6 million.
Guangzhou has a population density of 2,513 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is dramatically more crowded, with 3.5x the population density.
Both Guangzhou and Shenzhen are in China, making this a domestic size comparison that reveals how differently cities can develop within the same nation.
Both cities share a humid subtropical climate, though local geography creates distinct microclimates in each.
Size Ratio
Shenzhen fits inside Guangzhou ~3 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 3.5x more densely populated
History
Guangzhou is ~2,193 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).
Shenzhen covers 1,997 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Riyadh (1,798 km²), Houston (1,725 km²), or Johannesburg (1,644 km²).
The straight-line distance from Guangzhou to Shenzhen is 104 km (65 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~37m.
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