Cape Town
2,455 km²
Tehran
730 km²
South Africa
Iran
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 3.4x larger than Tehran
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 2.4x fewer people than Tehran
In terms of area, Cape Town is 3.4x the size of Tehran. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Tehran covers 730 km² (282 mi²) — a difference of 1,725 km². You could fit Tehran inside Cape Town approximately 3 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Tehran at 730 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.
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. For Tehran, that's about 102,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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.
Tehran is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is also the capital of Tehran province and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District. With a population of around 9 million in the city, and 16.8 million in the metropolitan area, Tehran is the most populous city in Iran and West Asia, the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo, and the 24th-most-populous metropolitan area in the world.
Tehran has an area of 730 km² and is home to 9.1 million people. It was established in 1524. Visitors come for Azadi Tower, Milad Tower, Golestan Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Tehran Metro.
Tehran's metropolitan area holds 16.8 million people, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in the Middle East after Cairo.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Tehran, with 12,507 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Tehran is dramatically more crowded, with 8.1x the population density.
Size Ratio
Tehran fits inside Cape Town ~3 times
Density Gap
Tehran is 8.1x more densely populated
History
Tehran is ~128 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).
Tehran covers 730 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), Nairobi (696 km²), or New York (783 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Tehran is 8,465 km (5,260 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 27m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.