Boston
232 km²
Johannesburg
1,644 km²
USA
South Africa
Area Comparison
Boston is 7.1x smaller than Johannesburg
Population Comparison
Boston has 7.1x fewer people than Johannesburg
Johannesburg is significantly larger, covering 7.1 times the area of Boston. Johannesburg spans 1,644 km² (635 mi²) while Boston covers 232 km² (90 mi²) — a difference of 1,412 km². You could fit Boston inside Johannesburg approximately 7 times.
To put Boston's size in perspective, its area of 232 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Johannesburg at 1,644 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Boston's footprint is roughly about 32,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 68 times the area of Central Park — 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.
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It serves as a cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. Boston has an area of 48.4 sq mi (125 km2) and a population of 675,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the Northeastern United States after New York City and Philadelphia.
Known as "Beantown", Boston covers 232 km² with a population of 0.7 million. The city was established in 1630. Boston is known for Fenway Park, Freedom Trail, Harvard University, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the MBTA (The T).
Boston covers just 125 km2 yet serves as the cultural and financial heart of all New England
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.
Boston has a population density of 2,931 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Johannesburg, with 2,920 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Boston is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Boston fits inside Johannesburg ~7 times
History
Boston is ~256 years older
Boston covers 232 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Osaka (225 km²), Kuala Lumpur (243 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), Helsinki (214 km²), or Edinburgh (259 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 Boston to Johannesburg is 12,646 km (7,858 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 23m.
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