Sydney
12,368 km²
Tehran
730 km²
Australia
Iran
Area Comparison
Sydney is 16.9x larger than Tehran
Population Comparison
Sydney has 1.7x fewer people than Tehran
Sydney is significantly larger, covering 16.9 times the area of Tehran. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Tehran covers 730 km² (282 mi²) — a difference of 11,638 km². You could fit Tehran inside Sydney approximately 16 times.
To put Sydney's size in perspective, its area of 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Tehran at 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.
Sydney's footprint is roughly about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Tehran, by comparison, equals about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "Sydneysiders", Sydney covers 12,368 km² with a population of 5.3 million. The city was established in 1788. Sydney is known for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and West Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo, and the 24th-most-populous metropolitan area in the world.
Tehran has an area of 730 km² and is home to 9.1 million people. The city dates back to 1524. Visitors come for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Tehran Metro.
Tehran's metropolitan area holds 16.8 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo.
Looking beyond city limits, the Sydney metropolitan area covers 12,368 km², which is 5.5x larger than greater Tehran at 2,235 km². The Tehran metro area is also more populous, with 16.0 million people compared to 5.3 million.
Sydney has a population density of 429 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. Tehran, with 12,507 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Tehran is dramatically more crowded, with 29.2x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Sydney in Oceania versus Tehran in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Sydney has a humid subtropical climate while Tehran experiences hot-summer Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Sydney, it's 5.5:00 AM in Tehran — a 6.5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Tehran fits inside Sydney ~16 times
Density Gap
Tehran is 29.2x more densely populated
Time Difference
6.5 hours apart
History
Tehran is ~264 years older
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).
Tehran covers 730 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), or New York (783 km²).
The straight-line distance from Sydney to Tehran is 12,911 km (8,023 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 41m.
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