Cape Town
2,455 km²
Vancouver
115 km²
South Africa
Canada
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 21.3x larger than Vancouver
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 5.7x more people than Vancouver
Cape Town is significantly larger, covering 21.3 times the area of Vancouver. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Vancouver covers 115 km² (44 mi²) — a difference of 2,340 km². You could fit Vancouver inside Cape Town approximately 21 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Vancouver at 115 km² is roughly the same size as San Francisco.
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. Vancouver, by comparison, equals about 16,000 American football fields, 57 times the area of Monaco, or 34 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.
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. The Metro Vancouver area had a population of 2.6 million in 2021, making it the third-largest metropolitan area in Canada. Greater Vancouver, along with the Fraser Valley, comprises the Lower Mainland with a regional population of over 3 million.
Also known as "Hollywood North", Vancouver has an area of 115 km² and is home to 0.7 million people. The city dates back to 1886. Visitors come for Stanley Park, Granville Island, Capilano Suspension Bridge, and much more.
Vancouver grew from 631,486 residents in 2016 to 662,248 by the 2021 census, leading all of British Columbia.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Vancouver, with 5,739 people per km², is a densely populated city. Vancouver is dramatically more crowded, with 3.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Vancouver fits inside Cape Town ~21 times
Density Gap
Vancouver is 3.7x more densely populated
History
Cape Town is ~234 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).
Vancouver covers 115 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Francisco (121 km²), Paris (105 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), Lisbon (100 km²), or Miami (143 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cape Town to Vancouver is 16,443 km (10,217 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~19h 51m.
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