Cape Town
2,455 km²
Melbourne
9,993 km²
South Africa
Australia
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 4.1x smaller than Melbourne
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 1.3x fewer people than Melbourne
Melbourne is significantly larger, covering 4.1 times the area of Cape Town. Melbourne spans 9,993 km² (3,858 mi²) while Cape Town covers 2,455 km² (948 mi²) — a difference of 7,538 km². You could fit Cape Town inside Melbourne approximately 4 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Melbourne at 9,993 km² is about 1.6x 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. Melbourne, by comparison, equals about 1,400,000 American football fields, 170 times the area of Manhattan, or 95 times the area of Paris.
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.
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia. The city's name generally refers to a 9,993-square-kilometre (3,858 sq mi) area, comprising an urban agglomeration of 31 local government areas. The name is also used to specifically refer to the local government area named City of Melbourne, whose area is centred on the Melbourne central business district and some immediate surrounds.
Melbourne has an area of 9,993 km² and is home to 5.1 million people. The city dates back to 1835. Visitors come for Federation Square, Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Cricket Ground, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Melbourne Trams & Metro.
Melbourne's metropolitan area spans 9,993 square kilometers across 31 local government areas, making it Australia's second-most-populous city.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Melbourne, with 508 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Cape Town is dramatically more crowded, with 3.0x the population density.
Size Ratio
Cape Town fits inside Melbourne ~4 times
Density Gap
Cape Town is 3.0x more densely populated
History
Cape Town is ~183 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).
Melbourne covers 9,993 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Xi'an (10,097 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), or Chengdu (14,378 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Melbourne is 10,314 km (6,409 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 38m.
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