Abu Dhabi
972 km²
Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
United Arab Emirates
Malaysia
Area Comparison
Abu Dhabi is 4.0x larger than Kuala Lumpur
Population Comparison
Abu Dhabi has 1.3x fewer people than Kuala Lumpur
In terms of area, Abu Dhabi is 4.0x the size of Kuala Lumpur. Abu Dhabi spans 972 km² (375 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 729 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Abu Dhabi approximately 4 times.
To put Abu Dhabi's size in perspective, its area of 972 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur at 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam.
Abu Dhabi's footprint is roughly about 136,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Kuala Lumpur works out to about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park.
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's second-most populous city, after Dubai. The city is situated on a T-shaped island, extending into the Persian Gulf from the central-western coast of the UAE.
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km² with a population of 1.6 million. Abu Dhabi is known for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, among other attractions.
Abu Dhabi sits on a T-shaped island extending into the Persian Gulf from the UAE's central-western coast.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,075,600 as of 2024. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
Often called "KL", Kuala Lumpur has an area of 243 km² and is home to 2.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1857. Visitors come for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, and much more. Getting around is easy with the RapidKL (LRT, MRT & Monorail).
Kuala Lumpur packs 2.07 million people into just 243 km2, making it Malaysia's most populous city by far
Abu Dhabi has a population density of 1,615 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Kuala Lumpur, with 8,148 people per km², is a densely populated city. Kuala Lumpur is dramatically more crowded, with 5.0x the population density.
Abu Dhabi has a desert climate climate while Kuala Lumpur experiences tropical rainforest conditions.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Abu Dhabi ~4 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 5.0x more densely populated
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Diego (964 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), or Santiago (838 km²).
Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Boston (232 km²), Edinburgh (259 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), or Taipei (272 km²).
The straight-line distance from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur is 5,593 km (3,475 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 5m.
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