Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
Brazil
Australia
Area Comparison
Rio de Janeiro is 10.1x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
Rio de Janeiro has 1.3x more people than Sydney
In terms of area, Sydney is 10.1x the size of Rio de Janeiro. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² (471 mi²) — a difference of 11,147 km². You could fit Rio de Janeiro inside Sydney approximately 10 times.
To put Rio de Janeiro's size in perspective, its area of 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
Rio de Janeiro's footprint is roughly about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris — 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.
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.
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.
Often called "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 1.8x larger than greater Rio de Janeiro at 6,744 km². The Rio de Janeiro metro area is also more populous, with 13.5 million people compared to 5.3 million.
Rio de Janeiro has a population density of 5,528 people per km² — a densely populated city. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Rio de Janeiro is dramatically more crowded, with 12.9x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Rio de Janeiro in South America versus Sydney in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Rio de Janeiro has a tropical savanna climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Sydney, it's midnight in Rio de Janeiro — a 13-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Rio de Janeiro fits inside Sydney ~10 times
Density Gap
Rio de Janeiro is 12.9x more densely populated
Time Difference
13 hours apart
History
Rio de Janeiro is ~223 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).
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 Rio de Janeiro to Sydney is 13,521 km (8,402 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~16h 24m.
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