Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
Brazil
China
Area Comparison
Rio de Janeiro is 1.6x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Rio de Janeiro has 2.6x fewer people than Shenzhen
Yes — Shenzhen is 1.6x larger than Rio de Janeiro by area. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² (471 mi²) — a difference of 776 km².
To put Rio de Janeiro's size in perspective, its area of 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
Picture Rio de Janeiro another way: its area is large enough to fit about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris. For Shenzhen, that's about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris.
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.
Known as "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² with a population of 6.8 million. The city was established in 1565. Rio de Janeiro is known for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
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. The city dates back to 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 Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area covers 6,744 km², which is 3.4x larger than greater Shenzhen at 1,997 km². The Shenzhen metro area is also more populous, with 17.6 million people compared to 13.5 million.
Rio de Janeiro has a population density of 5,528 people per km² — a densely populated city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Rio de Janeiro in South America versus Shenzhen in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Rio de Janeiro has a tropical savanna climate while Shenzhen experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Shenzhen, it's 1:00 AM in Rio de Janeiro — a 11-hour time difference.
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 1.6x more densely populated
Time Difference
11 hours apart
History
Rio de Janeiro is ~414 years older
Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 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 Rio de Janeiro to Shenzhen is 17,682 km (10,987 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~21h 18m.
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