Cape Town
2,455 km²
Chengdu
14,378 km²
South Africa
People's Republic of China
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 5.9x smaller than Chengdu
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 5.5x fewer people than Chengdu
In terms of area, Chengdu is 5.9x the size of Cape Town. Chengdu spans 14,378 km² (5,551 mi²) while Cape Town covers 2,455 km² (948 mi²) — a difference of 11,923 km². You could fit Cape Town inside Chengdu approximately 5 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Chengdu at 14,378 km² is about 2.3x the size of Shanghai.
Cape Town's footprint is roughly about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Chengdu works out to about 2,000,000 American football fields, 140 times the area of Paris, or 120 times the area of San Francisco.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Known as "The Mother City", Cape Town covers 2,455 km² with a population of 3.8 million. The city was established in 1652. Cape Town is known for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, among other attractions.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth most populous city in China, and it is the only city with a population of over 20 million apart from provincial-level municipalities. It is traditionally the hub of Western China.
Often called "Land of Abundance", Chengdu has an area of 14,378 km² and is home to 20.9 million people. It was founded around 310 BC. Visitors come for Giant Panda Breeding Base, Jinli Ancient Street, Wuhou Shrine, and much more.
Chengdu has a population of over 20.9 million, making it the fourth most populous city in China.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Chengdu, with 1,456 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Both cities have comparable density, though Cape Town is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Cape Town fits inside Chengdu ~5 times
History
Chengdu is ~1,962 years older
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 km²).
Chengdu covers 14,378 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Brisbane (15,826 km²), Beijing (16,411 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Hangzhou (16,854 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Chengdu is 11,488 km (7,138 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 1m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.