Hong Kong
1,114 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
China
China
Area Comparison
Hong Kong is 1.8x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Hong Kong has 2.4x fewer people than Shenzhen
Shenzhen is significantly larger, covering 1.8 times the area of Hong Kong. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Hong Kong covers 1,114 km² (430 mi²) — a difference of 883 km².
To put Hong Kong's size in perspective, its area of 1,114 km² is about 1.2x the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Hong Kong's footprint is roughly about 156,000 American football fields, 19 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 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.
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Situated on China's southern coast just south of Shenzhen, it consists of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories. With 7.5 million residents in a 1,114-square-kilometre (430 sq mi) territory, Hong Kong is the fourth-most densely populated region in the world.
Known as "Pearl of the Orient", Hong Kong covers 1,114 km² with a population of 7.4 million. The city was established in 1841. Hong Kong is known for Victoria Harbour, Victoria Peak, Star Ferry, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the MTR Hong Kong.
Hong Kong squeezes 7.5 million residents into 1,114 km2, making it the world's fourth-most densely populated region.
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
Hong Kong has a population density of 6,652 people per km² — a densely populated city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shenzhen is slightly more compact.
Both Hong Kong 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.
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 1.3x more densely populated
History
Hong Kong is ~138 years older
Hong Kong covers 1,114 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Lagos (1,172 km²), San Antonio (1,209 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Dallas (997 km²), or Abu Dhabi (972 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 Hong Kong to Shenzhen is 27 km (17 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~32m.
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