Cairo
3,085 km²
London
1,572 km²
Egypt
UK
Area Comparison
Cairo is 2.0x larger than London
Population Comparison
Cairo has 1.1x more people than London
In terms of area, Cairo is 2.0x the size of London. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while London covers 1,572 km² (607 mi²) — a difference of 1,513 km².
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, London at 1,572 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Tokyo (city proper).
Picture Cairo another way: its area is large enough to fit about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris. London works out to about 220,000 American football fields, 27 times the area of Manhattan, or 15 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.
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.
Nicknamed "The Big Smoke", London has an area of 1,572 km² and is home to 9.0 million people. It was established in 43. Visitors come for Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the London Underground.
London has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years, tracing its roots back to Roman times around 47 AD.
Looking beyond city limits, the London metropolitan area covers 8,382 km², which is 1.3x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 14.3 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. London, with 5,712 people per km², is a densely populated city. London is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus London in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while London experiences oceanic conditions. Summers are notably different: Cairo averages 29°C compared to 19°C in London. When it's noon in Cairo, it's 10:00 AM in London — a 2-hour time difference.
Density Gap
London is 1.7x more densely populated
History
London is ~926 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).
London covers 1,572 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bangkok (1,569 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), or Mexico City (1,485 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to London is 3,511 km (2,182 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~4h 38m.
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