Cairo
3,085 km²
Lagos
1,172 km²
Egypt
Nigeria
Area Comparison
Cairo is 2.6x larger than Lagos
Population Comparison
Cairo has 1.5x fewer people than Lagos
Cairo is significantly larger, covering 2.6 times the area of Lagos. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Lagos covers 1,172 km² (453 mi²) — a difference of 1,913 km². You could fit Lagos inside Cairo approximately 2 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Lagos at 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin.
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. Lagos works out to about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 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.
Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria. As of November 2025, the size of the city's population has been estimated to be between 17 and 21 million residents, making Lagos the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.
Nicknamed "Lasgidi", Lagos has an area of 1,172 km² and is home to 15.4 million people. The city dates back to 1472. Visitors come for Victoria Island, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Lagos Rail (Blue & Red Lines).
Lagos is the most populous urban area on the African continent, with an estimated 17 to 21 million residents as of 2025.
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 2.4x larger than greater Lagos at 2,706 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 21.0 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Lagos, with 13,131 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Lagos is dramatically more crowded, with 4.0x the population density.
Both cities are in Africa, but they represent different national approaches to urban development. Cairo (Egypt) and Lagos (Nigeria) offer a fascinating regional contrast.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Lagos experiences tropical savanna conditions.
Size Ratio
Lagos fits inside Cairo ~2 times
Density Gap
Lagos is 4.0x more densely populated
History
Cairo is ~503 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).
Lagos covers 1,172 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), or Los Angeles (1,302 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Lagos is 3,913 km (2,431 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~5h 6m.
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