Buenos Aires
203 km²
Johannesburg
1,644 km²
Argentina
South Africa
Area Comparison
Buenos Aires is 8.1x smaller than Johannesburg
Population Comparison
Buenos Aires has 1.6x fewer people than Johannesburg
In terms of area, Johannesburg is 8.1x the size of Buenos Aires. Johannesburg spans 1,644 km² (635 mi²) while Buenos Aires covers 203 km² (78 mi²) — a difference of 1,441 km². You could fit Buenos Aires inside Johannesburg approximately 8 times.
To put Buenos Aires's size in perspective, its area of 203 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Johannesburg at 1,644 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Picture Buenos Aires another way: its area is large enough to fit about 28,000 American football fields, 100 times the area of Monaco, or 60 times the area of Central Park. For Johannesburg, that's about 230,000 American football fields, 28 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 times the area of Paris.
Buenos Aires, officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− global city, according to the GaWC 2024 ranking. The city proper has a population of 3.1 million and its urban area has a population of 16.7 million, making it the 21st most populous metropolitan area in the world.
Known as "Paris of South America", Buenos Aires covers 203 km² with a population of 3.1 million. The city was established in 1536. Buenos Aires is known for La Boca's Caminito, Recoleta Cemetery, Teatro Colón, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Buenos Aires Subte.
Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− global city according to the GaWC 2024 ranking.
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.
Nicknamed "Jozi", Johannesburg has an area of 1,644 km² and is home to 4.8 million people. It was established in 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.
Buenos Aires has a population density of 15,074 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Johannesburg, with 2,920 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Buenos Aires is dramatically more crowded, with 5.2x the population density.
Size Ratio
Buenos Aires fits inside Johannesburg ~8 times
Density Gap
Buenos Aires is 5.2x more densely populated
History
Buenos Aires is ~350 years older
Buenos Aires covers 203 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Helsinki (214 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), Stockholm (188 km²), Osaka (225 km²), or Boston (232 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 Buenos Aires to Johannesburg is 8,088 km (5,026 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 1m.
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