Shenzhen
1,997 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
China
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Shenzhen is 5.1x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Shenzhen has 1.4x more people than Xi'an
Yes — Xi'an is 5.1x larger than Shenzhen by area. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while Shenzhen covers 1,997 km² (771 mi²) — a difference of 8,100 km². You could fit Shenzhen inside Xi'an approximately 5 times.
To put Shenzhen's size in perspective, its area of 1,997 km² is roughly the same size as Tokyo (city proper). Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
In more relatable units, Shenzhen's 1,997 km² is about 280,000 American football fields, 34 times the area of Manhattan, or 19 times the area of Paris. 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.
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.
Known as "China's Silicon Valley", Shenzhen covers 1,997 km² with a population of 17.6 million. The city was established in 1979. Shenzhen is known for Ping An Finance Centre, Window of the World, OCT Loft, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Shenzhen Metro.
Shenzhen grew from a small town into China's third-most-populous urban city, hitting 17.5 million residents by 2020
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.
Often called "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.
Shenzhen has a population density of 8,793 people per km² — a densely populated city. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Shenzhen is dramatically more crowded, with 6.9x the population density.
Size Ratio
Shenzhen fits inside Xi'an ~5 times
Density Gap
Shenzhen is 6.9x more densely populated
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).
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 Shenzhen to Xi'an is 1,395 km (867 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~2h 8m.
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