Minneapolis
149 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
Minneapolis is 42.6x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Minneapolis has 57.8x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Shanghai is 42.6x larger than Minneapolis by area. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Minneapolis covers 149 km² (58 mi²) — a difference of 6,192 km². You could fit Minneapolis inside Shanghai approximately 42 times.
To put Minneapolis's size in perspective, its area of 149 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Picture Minneapolis another way: its area is large enough to fit about 21,000 American football fields, 74 times the area of Monaco, or 44 times the area of Central Park. Shanghai works out to about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 census, it is the state's most populous city. Located in the state's center near the eastern border, it occupies both banks of the Upper Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota. Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and the surrounding area are collectively known as the Twin Cities, a metropolitan area with 3.69 million residents.
Known as "Twin Cities", Minneapolis covers 149 km² with a population of 0.4 million. The city was established in 1850. Minneapolis is known for Mall of America, Mississippi River, Minnehaha Falls, among other attractions.
Minneapolis straddles both banks of the Upper Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, Minnesota's state capital.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Often called "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. It was established in 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Minneapolis has a population density of 2,886 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Shanghai is slightly more compact.
Minneapolis has a hot-summer humid continental climate climate while Shanghai experiences humid subtropical conditions.
Size Ratio
Minneapolis fits inside Shanghai ~42 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 1.4x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~559 years older
Minneapolis covers 149 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Miami (143 km²), Brussels (161 km²), Washington D.C. (177 km²), San Francisco (121 km²), or Stockholm (188 km²).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Minneapolis to Shanghai is 10,841 km (6,736 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 15m.
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