Cairo
3,085 km²
Washington D.C.
177 km²
Egypt
USA
Area Comparison
Cairo is 17.4x larger than Washington D.C.
Population Comparison
Cairo has 14.6x more people than Washington D.C.
In terms of area, Cairo is 17.4x the size of Washington D.C.. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Washington D.C. covers 177 km² (68 mi²) — a difference of 2,908 km². You could fit Washington D.C. inside Cairo approximately 17 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Washington D.C. at 177 km² is roughly the same size as Washington D.C..
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. Washington D.C. works out to about 25,000 American football fields, 88 times the area of Monaco, or 52 times the area of Central Park.
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.
Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly known as simply Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River across from Virginia and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, a Founding Father and the first president of the United States.
Nicknamed "D.C.", Washington D.C. has an area of 177 km² and is home to 0.7 million people. It was established in 1790. Visitors come for White House, U.S. Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Washington Metro.
Washington D.C. sits on the Potomac River across from Virginia and is bordered by Maryland to its north and east
Looking beyond city limits, the Washington D.C. metropolitan area covers 14,412 km², which is 2.2x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 6.3 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Washington D.C., with 3,898 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Washington D.C. is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Washington D.C. in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Washington D.C. experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Cairo, it's 5:00 AM in Washington D.C. — a 7-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Washington D.C. fits inside Cairo ~17 times
Time Difference
7 hours apart
History
Cairo is ~821 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).
Washington D.C. covers 177 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Stockholm (188 km²), Brussels (161 km²), Buenos Aires (203 km²), Minneapolis (149 km²), or Helsinki (214 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Washington D.C. is 9,349 km (5,809 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 30m.
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