Seoul
605 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
South Korea
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Seoul is 16.7x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Seoul has 1.3x fewer people than Xi'an
Xi'an is significantly larger, covering 16.7 times the area of Seoul. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while Seoul covers 605 km² (234 mi²) — a difference of 9,492 km². You could fit Seoul inside Xi'an approximately 16 times.
To put Seoul's size in perspective, its area of 605 km² is about 1.3x smaller than New York City. Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
Seoul's footprint is roughly about 85,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Central Park, or 10 times the area of Manhattan — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Xi'an works out to about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 96 times the area of Paris.
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital and largest city of South Korea, and the largest city in the whole of Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris, and London, and hosts more than half of South Korea's population.
Seoul covers 605 km² with a population of 9.8 million. The city was founded around 18 BC. Seoul is known for Gyeongbokgung Palace, Gangnam district, Myeongdong shopping, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Seoul Metro.
Seoul Metropolitan Area emerged as the world's sixth largest metropolitan economy in 2022, behind only NYC, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and London.
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.
Seoul has a population density of 16,149 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Seoul is dramatically more crowded, with 12.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
Seoul fits inside Xi'an ~16 times
Density Gap
Seoul is 12.6x more densely populated
Seoul covers 605 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chicago (606 km²), Madrid (604 km²), Mumbai (603 km²), Toronto (630 km²), or Hyderabad (650 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 Seoul to Xi'an is 1,662 km (1,033 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~2h 27m.
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