Cape Town
2,455 km²
Edinburgh
259 km²
South Africa
United Kingdom
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 9.5x larger than Edinburgh
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 7.7x more people than Edinburgh
Yes — Cape Town is 9.5x larger than Edinburgh by area. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Edinburgh covers 259 km² (100 mi²) — a difference of 2,196 km². You could fit Edinburgh inside Cape Town approximately 9 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Edinburgh at 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam.
Picture Cape Town another way: its area is large enough to fit about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris. Edinburgh, by comparison, equals about 36,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Monaco, or 76 times the area of Central Park.
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.
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. It is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in 2020, making it the second-most-populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most-populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area had a population of 912,490 in the same year.
Also known as "Auld Reekie", Edinburgh has an area of 259 km² and is home to 0.5 million people. Its history stretches back to 601. Visitors come for Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, and much more.
Edinburgh is bounded by the Firth of Forth to the north and the Pentland Hills to the south.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Edinburgh, with 1,892 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Both cities have comparable density, though Edinburgh is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
Edinburgh fits inside Cape Town ~9 times
History
Edinburgh is ~1,051 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).
Edinburgh covers 259 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Taipei (272 km²), Kuala Lumpur (243 km²), Boston (232 km²), Osaka (225 km²), or Amsterdam (219 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Edinburgh is 10,202 km (6,339 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 30m.
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