Tehran
730 km²
Xi'an
10,097 km²
Iran
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Tehran is 13.8x smaller than Xi'an
Population Comparison
Tehran has 1.4x fewer people than Xi'an
In terms of area, Xi'an is 13.8x the size of Tehran. Xi'an spans 10,097 km² (3,898 mi²) while Tehran covers 730 km² (282 mi²) — a difference of 9,367 km². You could fit Tehran inside Xi'an approximately 13 times.
To put Tehran's size in perspective, its area of 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City. Meanwhile, Xi'an at 10,097 km² is about 1.6x the size of Shanghai.
Picture Tehran another way: its area is large enough to fit about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris. For Xi'an, that's about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 96 times the area of Paris.
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 covers 730 km² with a population of 9.1 million. The city was established in 1524. Tehran is known for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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.
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.
Also known as "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.
Tehran has a population density of 12,507 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Xi'an, with 1,283 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Tehran is dramatically more crowded, with 9.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Tehran fits inside Xi'an ~13 times
Density Gap
Tehran is 9.7x more densely populated
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).
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 Tehran to Xi'an is 5,169 km (3,212 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~6h 35m.
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