Manila
43 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
Philippines
Australia
Area Comparison
Manila is 287.6x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
Manila has 2.9x fewer people than Sydney
In terms of area, Sydney is 287.6x the size of Manila. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Manila covers 43 km² (17 mi²) — a difference of 12,325 km². You could fit Manila inside Sydney approximately 287 times.
To put Manila's size in perspective, its area of 43 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Manhattan. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
Manila's footprint is roughly about 6,000 American football fields, 88 times the area of Vatican City, or 21 times the area of Monaco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Sydney works out to about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco.
Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City. According to the 2024 census, it has a population of 1,902,590 people. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on the island of Luzon, it is classified as a highly urbanized city. With 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer (116,380/sq mi), Manila is one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
Known as "Pearl of the Orient", Manila covers 43 km² with a population of 1.9 million. The city was established in 1571. Manila is known for Intramuros walled city, Rizal Park, Manila Bay, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the LRT & MRT Manila.
Manila has 44,935 inhabitants per square kilometer, making it one of the world's most densely populated cities proper.
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and is the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.
Nicknamed "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. Its history stretches back to 1788. Visitors come for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Looking beyond city limits, the Sydney metropolitan area covers 12,368 km², which is 19.9x larger than greater Manila at 620 km². The Manila metro area is also more populous, with 13.9 million people compared to 5.3 million.
Manila has a population density of 43,023 people per km² — one of the most densely packed urban areas on Earth. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Manila is dramatically more crowded, with 100.3x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Manila in Asia versus Sydney in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Manila has a tropical savanna climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Sydney, it's 10:00 AM in Manila — a 2-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Manila fits inside Sydney ~287 times
Density Gap
Manila is 100.3x more densely populated
History
Manila is ~217 years older
Manila covers 43 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Athens (39 km²), Tel Aviv (52 km²), Zurich (88 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
Sydney covers 12,368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chengdu (14,378 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), or Beijing (16,411 km²).
The straight-line distance from Manila to Sydney is 6,268 km (3,895 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 52m.
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