Beijing
16,411 km²
Johannesburg
1,644 km²
China
South Africa
Area Comparison
Beijing is 10.0x larger than Johannesburg
Population Comparison
Beijing has 4.5x more people than Johannesburg
Yes — Beijing is 10.0x larger than Johannesburg by area. Beijing spans 16,411 km² (6,336 mi²) while Johannesburg covers 1,644 km² (635 mi²) — a difference of 14,767 km². You could fit Johannesburg inside Beijing approximately 9 times.
To put Beijing's size in perspective, its area of 16,411 km² is about 2.6x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Johannesburg at 1,644 km² is roughly the same size as London.
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. Johannesburg, by comparison, equals about 230,000 American football fields, 28 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 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.
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.
Also known as "Jozi", Johannesburg has an area of 1,644 km² and is home to 4.8 million people. The city dates 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.
Beijing has a population density of 1,313 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Johannesburg, with 2,920 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Johannesburg is noticeably denser, packing 2.2 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Johannesburg fits inside Beijing ~9 times
Density Gap
Johannesburg is 2.2x more densely populated
History
Beijing is ~2,931 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).
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 Beijing to Johannesburg is 11,707 km (7,274 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 16m.
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