Cairo
3,085 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
Egypt
Kenya
Area Comparison
Cairo is 4.4x larger than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Cairo has 2.1x more people than Nairobi
In terms of area, Cairo is 4.4x the size of Nairobi. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Nairobi covers 696 km² (269 mi²) — a difference of 2,389 km². You could fit Nairobi inside Cairo approximately 4 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
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. Nairobi works out to about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Nicknamed "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. Its history stretches back to 1899. Visitors come for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 9.5x larger than greater Nairobi at 696 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Nairobi is noticeably denser, packing 2.1 times more people per square kilometer.
Both cities are in Africa, but they represent different national approaches to urban development. Cairo (Egypt) and Nairobi (Kenya) offer a fascinating regional contrast.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Nairobi experiences subtropical highland conditions. Summers are notably different: Cairo averages 29°C compared to 20°C in Nairobi.
Size Ratio
Nairobi fits inside Cairo ~4 times
Density Gap
Nairobi is 2.1x more densely populated
History
Cairo is ~930 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).
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Nairobi is 3,534 km (2,196 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~4h 39m.
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