Chennai
427 km²
Karachi
3,527 km²
India
Pakistan
Area Comparison
Chennai is 8.3x smaller than Karachi
Population Comparison
Chennai has 2.3x fewer people than Karachi
In terms of area, Karachi is 8.3x the size of Chennai. Karachi spans 3,527 km² (1,362 mi²) while Chennai covers 427 km² (165 mi²) — a difference of 3,100 km². You could fit Chennai inside Karachi approximately 8 times.
To put Chennai's size in perspective, its area of 427 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Karachi at 3,527 km² is about 1.1x smaller than Rhode Island.
Chennai's footprint is roughly about 60,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Central Park, or 7 times the area of Manhattan — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Karachi, by comparison, equals about 494,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Manhattan, or 33 times the area of Paris.
Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. As per the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most-populous city in India and forms the fourth-most-populous urban agglomeration. The city is coterminous with Chennai district, which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area, one of the largest metropolitan areas of India.
Known as "Madras", Chennai covers 427 km² with a population of 6.6 million. The city was established in 1639. Chennai is known for Marina Beach, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Fort St. George, among other attractions.
Chennai, formerly Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu and the sixth-most-populous city in India.
Karachi is the capital city of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the largest city in Pakistan and 12th largest in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast and formerly served as the country's capital from 1947 to 1959. Ranked as a beta-global city, it is Pakistan's premier industrial and financial centre, with an estimated GDP of over $200 billion (PPP) as of 2021.
Nicknamed "City of Lights", Karachi has an area of 3,527 km² and is home to 14.9 million people. The city dates back to 1729. Visitors come for Port of Karachi, Mazar-e-Quaid mausoleum, Clifton Beach, and much more.
Karachi is Pakistan's largest city and the 12th largest in the world, with a population of over 20 million.
Chennai has a population density of 15,457 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Karachi, with 4,227 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Chennai is dramatically more crowded, with 3.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Chennai fits inside Karachi ~8 times
Density Gap
Chennai is 3.7x more densely populated
Chennai covers 427 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Vienna (415 km²), Oslo (454 km²), Denver (401 km²), Portland (376 km²), or Philadelphia (370 km²).
Karachi covers 3,527 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hanoi (3,359 km²), Cairo (3,085 km²), Dubai (4,114 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), or Moscow (2,511 km²).
The straight-line distance from Chennai to Karachi is 1,911 km (1,187 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~2h 45m.
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