Barcelona
101 km²
Johannesburg
1,644 km²
Spain
South Africa
Area Comparison
Barcelona is 16.3x smaller than Johannesburg
Population Comparison
Barcelona has 2.9x fewer people than Johannesburg
Johannesburg is significantly larger, covering 16.3 times the area of Barcelona. Johannesburg spans 1,644 km² (635 mi²) while Barcelona covers 101 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 1,543 km². You could fit Barcelona inside Johannesburg approximately 16 times.
To put Barcelona's size in perspective, its area of 101 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Johannesburg at 1,644 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Barcelona's footprint is roughly about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 30 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Johannesburg, that's about 230,000 American football fields, 28 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 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.
Johannesburg, colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg or "The City of Gold", is the most populous city in South Africa. The City of Johannesburg itself has a population of 5,538,596, while the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality has a population of 6,599,190, making it one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, and seat of the country's highest court, the Constitutional Court.
Nicknamed "Jozi", Johannesburg has an area of 1,644 km² and is home to 4.8 million people. Its history stretches back to 1886. Visitors come for Apartheid Museum, Soweto township, Constitutional Court, and much more.
Johannesburg ranks among the world's 100 largest urban areas, with a metro population of about 6.6 million.
Barcelona has a population density of 16,436 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Johannesburg, with 2,920 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Barcelona is dramatically more crowded, with 5.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
Barcelona fits inside Johannesburg ~16 times
Density Gap
Barcelona is 5.6x more densely populated
History
Barcelona is ~2,116 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).
Johannesburg covers 1,644 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bogotá (1,578 km²), London (1,572 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), Houston (1,725 km²), or São Paulo (1,521 km²).
The straight-line distance from Barcelona to Johannesburg is 7,975 km (4,955 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 53m.
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