Cape Town
2,455 km²
Rio de Janeiro
1,221 km²
South Africa
Brazil
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 2.0x larger than Rio de Janeiro
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 1.8x fewer people than Rio de Janeiro
Cape Town is significantly larger, covering 2.0 times the area of Rio de Janeiro. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km² (471 mi²) — a difference of 1,234 km². You could fit Rio de Janeiro inside Cape Town approximately 2 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro at 1,221 km² is about 1.3x smaller than London.
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. For Rio de Janeiro, that's about 171,000 American football fields, 21 times the area of Manhattan, or 12 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.
Rio de Janeiro, also known simply as Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas.
Also known as "Cidade Maravilhosa", Rio de Janeiro has an area of 1,221 km² and is home to 6.8 million people. The city dates back to 1565. Visitors come for Christ the Redeemer, Sugarloaf Mountain, Copacabana beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the MetrôRio.
Rio de Janeiro is the second-most-populous city in Brazil after São Paulo and the sixth-most-populous in the Americas.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Rio de Janeiro, with 5,528 people per km², is a densely populated city. Rio de Janeiro is dramatically more crowded, with 3.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
Rio de Janeiro fits inside Cape Town ~2 times
Density Gap
Rio de Janeiro is 3.6x more densely populated
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).
Rio de Janeiro covers 1,221 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Lagos (1,172 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), Los Angeles (1,302 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro is 6,059 km (3,765 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 38m.
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