Barcelona
101 km²
Tehran
730 km²
Spain
Iran
Area Comparison
Barcelona is 7.2x smaller than Tehran
Population Comparison
Barcelona has 5.5x fewer people than Tehran
In terms of area, Tehran is 7.2x the size of Barcelona. Tehran spans 730 km² (282 mi²) while Barcelona covers 101 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 629 km². You could fit Barcelona inside Tehran approximately 7 times.
To put Barcelona's size in perspective, its area of 101 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Tehran at 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.
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 Tehran, that's about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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.
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and West Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo, and the 24th-most-populous metropolitan area in the world.
Tehran has an area of 730 km² and is home to 9.1 million people. It was established in 1524. Visitors come for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Tehran Metro.
Tehran's metropolitan area holds 16.8 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo.
Looking beyond city limits, the Tehran metropolitan area covers 2,235 km², which is 2.8x larger than greater Barcelona at 803 km². The Tehran metro area is also more populous, with 16.0 million people compared to 5.6 million.
Barcelona has a population density of 16,436 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Tehran, with 12,507 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Both cities have comparable density, though Barcelona is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Barcelona in Europe versus Tehran in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Barcelona has a Mediterranean climate while Tehran experiences hot-summer Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Tehran, it's 9.5:00 AM in Barcelona — a 2.5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Barcelona fits inside Tehran ~7 times
Density Gap
Barcelona is 1.3x more densely populated
History
Barcelona is ~1,754 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).
Tehran covers 730 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), or New York (783 km²).
The straight-line distance from Barcelona to Tehran is 4,270 km (2,653 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~5h 31m.
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