Athens
39 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
Greece
Kenya
Area Comparison
Athens is 17.8x smaller than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Athens has 7.4x fewer people than Nairobi
Yes — Nairobi is 17.8x larger than Athens by area. Nairobi spans 696 km² (269 mi²) while Athens covers 39 km² (15 mi²) — a difference of 657 km². You could fit Athens inside Nairobi approximately 17 times.
To put Athens's size in perspective, its area of 39 km² is about 1.5x smaller than Manhattan. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
In more relatable units, Athens's 39 km² is about 5,500 American football fields, 80 times the area of Vatican City, or 19 times the area of Monaco. Nairobi works out to about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
Athens is the capital and largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica region and is the southernmost capital on the European mainland. With its urban area's population numbering over 3.6 million, it is the eighth-largest urban area in the European Union (EU).
Known as "Cradle of Western Civilization", Athens covers 39 km² with a population of 0.6 million. The city was founded around 7000 BC. Athens is known for Acropolis of Athens, Parthenon, Plaka neighborhood, among other attractions.
Athens is the southernmost capital on the European mainland and capital of the Attica region.
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".
Nicknamed "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. The city dates back to 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.
Athens has a population density of 16,410 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Athens is noticeably denser, packing 2.4 times more people per square kilometer.
Athens has a Mediterranean climate climate while Nairobi experiences subtropical highland conditions.
Size Ratio
Athens fits inside Nairobi ~17 times
Density Gap
Athens is 2.4x more densely populated
History
Athens is ~8,899 years older
Athens covers 39 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Manila (43 km²), Tel Aviv (52 km²), Zurich (88 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), or Lisbon (100 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 Athens to Nairobi is 4,570 km (2,839 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~5h 53m.
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