Barcelona
101 km²
Cairo
3,085 km²
Spain
Egypt
Area Comparison
Barcelona is 30.5x smaller than Cairo
Population Comparison
Barcelona has 6.1x fewer people than Cairo
Yes — Cairo is 30.5x larger than Barcelona by area. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Barcelona covers 101 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 2,984 km². You could fit Barcelona inside Cairo approximately 30 times.
To put Barcelona's size in perspective, its area of 101 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Cairo at 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg.
In more relatable units, Barcelona's 101 km² is about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 30 times the area of Central Park. For Cairo, that's about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris.
Barcelona is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.7 million within city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the province of Barcelona and is home to around 5.7 million people, making it the fifth most populous urban area of the European Union after Paris, the Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan.
Known as "Ciutat Comtal", Barcelona covers 101 km² with a population of 1.7 million. The city was founded around 230 BC. Barcelona is known for Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, La Rambla, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Barcelona Metro (TMB).
Barcelona is the second-most populous municipality in Spain and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia.
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 9.8 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world, and the Middle East. The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is one of the largest in the world by population with over 22 million people. Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c.
Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets", Cairo has an area of 3,085 km² and is home to 10.1 million people. The city dates back to 969. Visitors come for Pyramids of Giza, Great Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Cairo Metro.
Cairo is home to more than 9.8 million people and is part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa and the Arab world.
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 8.2x larger than greater Barcelona at 803 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 5.6 million.
Barcelona has a population density of 16,436 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Cairo, with 3,274 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Barcelona is dramatically more crowded, with 5.0x the population density.
This comparison spans continents — Barcelona in Europe versus Cairo in Africa. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate while Cairo experiences hot desert conditions.
Size Ratio
Barcelona fits inside Cairo ~30 times
Density Gap
Barcelona is 5.0x more densely populated
History
Barcelona is ~1,199 years older
Barcelona covers 101 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Lisbon (100 km²), Paris (105 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), Vancouver (115 km²), or Zurich (88 km²).
Cairo covers 3,085 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hanoi (3,359 km²), Karachi (3,527 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Moscow (2,511 km²), or Cape Town (2,455 km²).
The straight-line distance from Barcelona to Cairo is 2,893 km (1,798 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~3h 54m.
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