Sydney
12,368 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
Australia
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Sydney is 1.2x larger than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Sydney has 2.4x fewer people than Xi'an
Sydney is significantly larger, covering 1.2 times the area of Xi'an. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Xi'an covers 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) — a difference of 2,271 km².
To put Sydney's size in perspective, its area of 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
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. 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.
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.
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.
Sydney has a population density of 429 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Xi'an is noticeably denser, packing 3.0 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Xi'an is 3.0x more densely populated
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).
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 Sydney to Xi'an is 8,763 km (5,445 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 49m.
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