Cairo
3,085 km²
Cape Town
2,455 km²
Egypt
South Africa
Area Comparison
Cairo is 1.3x larger than Cape Town
Population Comparison
Cairo has 2.7x more people than Cape Town
Cairo is significantly larger, covering 1.3 times the area of Cape Town. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Cape Town covers 2,455 km² (948 mi²) — a difference of 630 km².
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Cape Town at 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow.
Cairo's footprint is roughly about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Cape Town, by comparison, equals about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris.
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 9.8 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world, and the Middle East. The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is one of the largest in the world by population with over 22 million people. Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c.
Known as "The City of a Thousand Minarets", Cairo covers 3,085 km² with a population of 10.1 million. The city was established in 969. Cairo is known for Pyramids of Giza, Great Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Cairo Metro.
Cairo is home to more than 9.8 million people and is part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa and the Arab world.
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.
Nicknamed "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.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Cape Town, with 1,540 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Cairo is noticeably denser, packing 2.1 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Cairo is 2.1x more densely populated
History
Cairo is ~683 years older
Cairo covers 3,085 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hanoi (3,359 km²), Karachi (3,527 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Moscow (2,511 km²), or Cape Town (2,455 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 Cairo to Cape Town is 7,239 km (4,498 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 1m.
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