Cairo
3,085 km²
Madrid
604 km²
Egypt
Spain
Area Comparison
Cairo is 5.1x larger than Madrid
Population Comparison
Cairo has 3.0x more people than Madrid
Cairo is significantly larger, covering 5.1 times the area of Madrid. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Madrid covers 604 km² (233 mi²) — a difference of 2,481 km². You could fit Madrid inside Cairo approximately 5 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Madrid at 604 km² is roughly the same size as Seoul.
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. For Madrid, that's about 85,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Central Park, or 10 times the area of Manhattan.
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.
Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. It had a population of over 3.4 million in the city proper in 2025, and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.8 million. Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), after Berlin, and its metropolitan area is the second-largest in the EU, after Paris. The municipality covers an area of 605.77 square kilometres (233.89 sq mi).
Often called "La Villa y Corte", Madrid has an area of 604 km² and is home to 3.3 million people. Its history stretches back to 852. Visitors come for Royal Palace of Madrid, Prado Museum, Plaza Mayor, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Madrid Metro.
Madrid is the second-largest city in the European Union after Berlin, with over 3.4 million residents in the city proper
Looking beyond city limits, the Madrid metropolitan area covers 8,028 km², which is 1.2x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 6.8 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Madrid, with 5,513 people per km², is a densely populated city. Madrid is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Madrid in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Madrid experiences hot-summer Mediterranean conditions.
Size Ratio
Madrid fits inside Cairo ~5 times
Density Gap
Madrid is 1.7x more densely populated
History
Madrid is ~117 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).
Madrid covers 604 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Seoul (605 km²), Mumbai (603 km²), Chicago (606 km²), Toronto (630 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Madrid is 3,351 km (2,082 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~4h 27m.
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