Amsterdam
219 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
Netherlands
Kenya
Area Comparison
Amsterdam is 3.2x smaller than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Amsterdam has 5.1x fewer people than Nairobi
In terms of area, Nairobi is 3.2x the size of Amsterdam. Nairobi spans 696 km² (269 mi²) while Amsterdam covers 219 km² (85 mi²) — a difference of 477 km². You could fit Amsterdam inside Nairobi approximately 3 times.
To put Amsterdam's size in perspective, its area of 219 km² is about 1.2x the size of Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
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. Nairobi works out to about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Often called "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. It was established in 1899. Visitors come for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Looking beyond city limits, the Amsterdam metropolitan area covers 2,580 km², which is 3.7x larger than greater Nairobi at 696 km². The Nairobi metro area is also more populous, with 4.7 million people compared to 2.5 million.
Amsterdam has a population density of 4,201 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Nairobi is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Amsterdam in Europe versus Nairobi in Africa. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Amsterdam has a oceanic climate while Nairobi experiences subtropical highland conditions. When it's noon in Nairobi, it's 10:00 AM in Amsterdam — a 2-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Amsterdam fits inside Nairobi ~3 times
Density Gap
Nairobi is 1.6x more densely populated
History
Amsterdam is ~624 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).
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Amsterdam to Nairobi is 6,670 km (4,144 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~8h 21m.
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