Cairo
3,085 km²
Zurich
88 km²
Egypt
Switzerland
Area Comparison
Cairo is 35.1x larger than Zurich
Population Comparison
Cairo has 23.5x more people than Zurich
Cairo is significantly larger, covering 35.1 times the area of Zurich. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Zurich covers 88 km² (34 mi²) — a difference of 2,997 km². You could fit Zurich inside Cairo approximately 35 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Zurich at 88 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Paris (city proper).
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. Zurich works out to about 12,000 American football fields, 180 times the area of Vatican City, or 44 times the area of Monaco.
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.
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. As of the end of 2024, the municipality had a population of 436,551, while the urban area was home to 1.45 million people (2020), and the Zurich metropolitan area had a total population of 2.1 million (2020). Zurich is a hub for railways, roads, and air traffic.
Zurich has an area of 88 km² and is home to 0.4 million people. Its history stretches back to 15 BC. Visitors come for Lake Zurich, Bahnhofstrasse, Grossmünster, and much more. Getting around is easy with the ZVV (S-Bahn & Tram).
Zurich is Switzerland's largest city and sits at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich in north-central Switzerland.
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 4.9x larger than greater Zurich at 1,334 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 1.4 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Zurich, with 4,886 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Both cities have comparable density, though Zurich is slightly more compact.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Zurich in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Zurich experiences oceanic conditions. Summers are notably different: Cairo averages 29°C compared to 19°C in Zurich.
Size Ratio
Zurich fits inside Cairo ~35 times
Density Gap
Zurich is 1.5x more densely populated
History
Zurich is ~984 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).
Zurich covers 88 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Copenhagen (91 km²), Lisbon (100 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), Paris (105 km²), or Vancouver (115 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Zurich is 2,736 km (1,700 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~3h 43m.
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