How big is The Matrix?

also, if you have seen the Animatrix, it shows in "second Renaissance" that the Machines took many of the humans and tortured them for a long time, keeping them right near death but not quite. now i'm not sure but i think they took others and, while conscious, plugged them into the Matrix. those people were middle aged, and could not possibly be alive. Think of the councillors in Zion, and then think of five of them before that. No one lives that long.

In the Matrix comics I the very first seris I think, there was a story about a man from London & a woman who scaled mount Everest. I don't think the W brothers would sign off on these stories if the Matrix is not meant to encompass the entire world.

I'm sure the AI was capable of creating an entire virtual world, but is able to attract alot of them to the city where nearly all are kept under strict watch. I read somewhere that the matrix actually is a huge city, how else could all of reloaded happen when they shut the power grid down and all that stuff. who knows right?