Seattle
369 km²
Shenzhen
1,997 km²
United States
China
Area Comparison
Seattle is 5.4x smaller than Shenzhen
Population Comparison
Seattle has 23.7x fewer people than Shenzhen
Yes — Shenzhen is 5.4x larger than Seattle by area. Shenzhen spans 1,997 km² (771 mi²) while Seattle covers 369 km² (142 mi²) — a difference of 1,628 km². You could fit Seattle inside Shenzhen approximately 5 times.
To put Seattle's size in perspective, its area of 369 km² is about 1.6x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shenzhen at 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper).
In more relatable units, Seattle's 369 km² is about 52,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Monaco, or 110 times the area of Central Park. Shenzhen, by comparison, equals about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris.
Seattle is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is the 18th-most populous city in the United States with a population of 780,995 in 2024, while the Seattle metropolitan area at over 4.15 million residents is the 15th-most populous metropolitan area in the nation. The city is the county seat of King County, the most populous county in Washington.
Known as "The Emerald City", Seattle covers 369 km² with a population of 0.7 million. The city was established in 1851. Seattle is known for Space Needle, Pike Place Market, Starbucks headquarters, among other attractions.
Seattle is Washington's most populous city with 780,995 residents in 2024, anchoring the Pacific Northwest.
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. Its history stretches 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
Seattle has a population density of 2,005 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Shenzhen, with 8,793 people per km², is a densely populated city. Shenzhen is dramatically more crowded, with 4.4x the population density.
Size Ratio
Seattle fits inside Shenzhen ~5 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 4.4x more densely populated
History
Seattle is ~128 years older
Seattle covers 369 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Philadelphia (370 km²), Dhaka (368 km²), Portland (376 km²), Atlanta (348 km²), or Denver (401 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 Seattle to Shenzhen is 10,400 km (6,462 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 44m.
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