Beijing
16,411 km²
Cape Town
2,455 km²
China
South Africa
Area Comparison
Beijing is 6.7x larger than Cape Town
Population Comparison
Beijing has 5.7x more people than Cape Town
In terms of area, Beijing is 6.7x the size of Cape Town. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while Cape Town covers 2,455 km² (948 mi²) — a difference of 13,956 km². You could fit Cape Town inside Beijing approximately 6 times.
To put Beijing's size in perspective, its area of 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Cape Town at 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow.
Beijing's footprint is roughly about 2,300,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Cape Town, that's about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 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.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Often called "The Mother City", Cape Town has an area of 2,455 km² and is home to 3.8 million people. The city dates back to 1652. Visitors come for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, and much more.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
Beijing has a population density of 1,313 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Cape Town, with 1,540 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Both cities have comparable density, though Cape Town is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Cape Town fits inside Beijing ~6 times
History
Beijing is ~2,697 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).
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 km²).
The straight-line distance from Beijing to Cape Town is 12,956 km (8,050 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 45m.
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