Brussels
161 km²
Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
Belgium
Brazil
Area Comparison
Brussels is 7.6x smaller than Rio de Janeiro
Population Comparison
Brussels has 5.4x fewer people than Rio de Janeiro
Yes — Rio de Janeiro is 7.6x larger than Brussels by area. Rio de Janeiro spans 1,221 km² (471 mi²) while Brussels covers 161 km² (62 mi²) — a difference of 1,060 km². You could fit Brussels inside Rio de Janeiro approximately 7 times.
To put Brussels's size in perspective, its area of 161 km² is roughly the same size as Washington D.C.. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro at 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London.
Brussels's footprint is roughly about 23,000 American football fields, 80 times the area of Monaco, or 47 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Rio de Janeiro works out to about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 times the area of Paris.
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country. It is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, and is separate from the Flemish Region (Flanders), within which it forms an enclave, and the Walloon Region (Wallonia), located less than 4 km (2.5 mi) south.
Known as "Capital of Europe", Brussels covers 161 km² with a population of 1.3 million. The city was established in 1989. Brussels is known for Grand Place, Manneken Pis, Atomium, among other attractions.
The Brussels-Capital Region comprises 19 municipalities and forms an enclave entirely within the Flemish Region.
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.
Often called "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro has an area of 1,221 km² and is home to 6.8 million people. It was established in 1565. Visitors come for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
Brussels has a population density of 7,826 people per km² — a densely populated city. Rio de Janeiro, with 5,528 people per km², is a densely populated city. Both cities have comparable density, though Brussels is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Brussels fits inside Rio de Janeiro ~7 times
Density Gap
Brussels is 1.4x more densely populated
History
Rio de Janeiro is ~424 years older
Brussels covers 161 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Minneapolis (149 km²), Washington D.C. (177 km²), Miami (143 km²), Stockholm (188 km²), or Buenos Aires (203 km²).
Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Brussels to Rio de Janeiro is 9,428 km (5,858 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 35m.
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