Riyadh
1,798 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
Saudi Arabia
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Riyadh is 5.6x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Riyadh has 1.8x fewer people than Xi'an
In terms of area, Xi'an is 5.6x the size of Riyadh. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while Riyadh covers 1,798 km² (694 mi²) — a difference of 8,299 km². You could fit Riyadh inside Xi'an approximately 5 times.
To put Riyadh's size in perspective, its area of 1,798 km² is about 1.1x the size of London. Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
Riyadh's footprint is roughly about 252,000 American football fields, 30 times the area of Manhattan, or 17 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Xi'an, that's about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 96 times the area of Paris.
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s as an expansion of the 18th-century walled town, following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications.
Riyadh covers 1,798 km² with a population of 7.0 million. The city was established in 1746. Riyadh is known for Kingdom Centre Tower, Masmak Fortress, Al Faisaliah Tower, among other attractions.
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, sitting on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa.
Xi'an is the capital of the Chinese province of Shaanxi. A sub-provincial city on the Guanzhong plain, the city is the third-most populous city in Western China after Chongqing and Chengdu, as well as the most populous city in Northwestern China. Its total population was 12.95 million in the 2020 census, including an urban population of 9.28 million.
Nicknamed "Ancient Capital", Xi'an has an area of 10,097 km² and is home to 12.9 million people. Visitors come for Terracotta Army, Xi'an City Wall, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and much more.
Xi'an's 2020 census recorded 12.95 million residents, making it the most populous city in Northwestern China.
Riyadh has a population density of 3,899 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Riyadh is dramatically more crowded, with 3.0x the population density.
Size Ratio
Riyadh fits inside Xi'an ~5 times
Density Gap
Riyadh is 3.0x more densely populated
Riyadh covers 1,798 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Houston (1,725 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), Shenzhen (1,997 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), or London (1,572 km²).
Xi'an covers 10,097 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Melbourne (9,993 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), or Chengdu (14,378 km²).
The straight-line distance from Riyadh to Xi'an is 6,029 km (3,746 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 36m.
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