Chengdu
14,378 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
People's Republic of China
Kenya
Area Comparison
Chengdu is 20.7x larger than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Chengdu has 4.4x more people than Nairobi
In terms of area, Chengdu is 20.7x the size of Nairobi. Chengdu spans 14,378 km² (5,551 mi²) while Nairobi covers 696 km² (269 mi²) — a difference of 13,682 km². You could fit Nairobi inside Chengdu approximately 20 times.
To put Chengdu's size in perspective, its area of 14,378 km² is about 2.3x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
Picture Chengdu another way: its area is large enough to fit about 2,000,000 American football fields, 140 times the area of Paris, or 120 times the area of San Francisco. Nairobi works out to about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.
Chengdu is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a population of 20,937,757 at the 2020 census, it is the fourth most populous city in China, and it is the only city with a population of over 20 million apart from provincial-level municipalities. It is traditionally the hub of Western China.
Known as "Land of Abundance", Chengdu covers 14,378 km² with a population of 20.9 million. The city was founded around 310 BC. Chengdu is known for Giant Panda Breeding Base, Jinli Ancient Street, Wuhou Shrine, among other attractions.
Chengdu has a population of over 20.9 million, making it the fourth most populous city in China.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Also known as "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. It was established in 1899. Visitors come for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Chengdu has a population density of 1,456 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Nairobi is dramatically more crowded, with 4.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Nairobi fits inside Chengdu ~20 times
Density Gap
Nairobi is 4.7x more densely populated
History
Chengdu is ~2,209 years older
Chengdu covers 14,378 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Brisbane (15,826 km²), Beijing (16,411 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), Hangzhou (16,854 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 km²).
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Chengdu to Nairobi is 7,924 km (4,924 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 49m.
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