Cape Town
2,455 km²
San Diego
964 km²
South Africa
United States
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 2.5x larger than San Diego
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 2.7x more people than San Diego
Cape Town is significantly larger, covering 2.5 times the area of San Diego. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while San Diego covers 964 km² (372 mi²) — a difference of 1,491 km². You could fit San Diego 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, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
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. San Diego, by comparison, equals about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 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.
San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.
Also known as "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. The city dates back to 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.
San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Both cities have comparable density, though Cape Town is slightly more compact.
Size Ratio
San Diego fits inside Cape Town ~2 times
History
Cape Town is ~117 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).
San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to San Diego is 15,919 km (9,891 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~19h 14m.
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