Beijing
16,411 km²
Cairo
3,085 km²
China
Egypt
Area Comparison
Beijing is 5.3x larger than Cairo
Population Comparison
Beijing has 2.1x more people than Cairo
Yes — Beijing is 5.3x larger than Cairo by area. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while Cairo covers 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) — a difference of 13,326 km². You could fit Cairo inside Beijing approximately 5 times.
To put Beijing's size in perspective, its area of 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Cairo at 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg.
Picture Beijing another way: its area is large enough to fit about 2,300,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco. Cairo, by comparison, equals about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris.
Beijing, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's most populous national capital city, as well as China's second-largest city by urban area, after Shanghai. It is located in Northern China, and is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban districts.
Known as "Northern Capital", Beijing covers 16,411 km² with a population of 21.5 million. The city was founded around 1045 BC. Beijing is known for Forbidden City, Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Beijing Subway.
With over 22 million residents, Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city.
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. It was established in 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 Beijing metropolitan area covers 16,411 km², which is 2.5x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The Beijing metro area is also more populous, with 21.5 million people compared to 21.3 million.
Beijing has a population density of 1,313 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Cairo, with 3,274 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Cairo is noticeably denser, packing 2.5 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Beijing in Asia versus Cairo in Africa. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Beijing has a humid continental climate while Cairo experiences hot desert conditions. Winters differ dramatically: Cairo stays around 14°C while Beijing drops to -3°C. When it's noon in Beijing, it's 6:00 AM in Cairo — a 6-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Cairo fits inside Beijing ~5 times
Density Gap
Cairo is 2.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
6 hours apart
History
Beijing is ~2,014 years older
Beijing covers 16,411 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hangzhou (16,854 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), Chengdu (14,378 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 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 Beijing to Cairo is 7,544 km (4,688 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 23m.
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