Amsterdam
219 km²
Cape Town
2,455 km²
Netherlands
South Africa
Area Comparison
Amsterdam is 11.2x smaller than Cape Town
Population Comparison
Amsterdam has 4.1x fewer people than Cape Town
Cape Town is significantly larger, covering 11.2 times the area of Amsterdam. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Amsterdam covers 219 km² (85 mi²) — a difference of 2,236 km². You could fit Amsterdam inside Cape Town approximately 11 times.
To put Amsterdam's size in perspective, its area of 219 km² is about 1.2x the size of Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Cape Town at 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow.
Amsterdam's footprint is roughly about 31,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 64 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Cape Town, by comparison, equals about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris.
Amsterdam is the capital and largest city of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the urban area and 2,480,394 in the metropolitan area. Located in the Dutch province of North Holland, Amsterdam is colloquially referred to as the "Venice of the North", for its large number of canals, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Known as "Venice of the North", Amsterdam covers 219 km² with a population of 0.9 million. The city was established in 1275. Amsterdam is known for Anne Frank House, Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the GVB (Metro & Tram).
Amsterdam's historic canal ring is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, earning it the nickname Venice of the North
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Also known as "The Mother City", Cape Town has an area of 2,455 km² and is home to 3.8 million people. The city dates back to 1652. Visitors come for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, and much more.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
Amsterdam has a population density of 4,201 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Cape Town, with 1,540 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Amsterdam is noticeably denser, packing 2.7 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Amsterdam fits inside Cape Town ~11 times
Density Gap
Amsterdam is 2.7x more densely populated
History
Amsterdam is ~377 years older
Amsterdam covers 219 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Helsinki (214 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Boston (232 km²), Buenos Aires (203 km²), or Kuala Lumpur (243 km²).
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 km²).
The straight-line distance from Amsterdam to Cape Town is 9,685 km (6,018 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 54m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.