Chennai
427 km²
Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
City Map Compare/Chennai vs Kuala Lumpurvs
vs
5 km
India
Malaysia
Area Comparison
Chennai is 1.8x larger than Kuala Lumpur
Population Comparison
Chennai has 3.3x more people than Kuala Lumpur
Chennai is significantly larger, covering 1.8 times the area of Kuala Lumpur. Chennai spans 427 km² (165 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 184 km².
To put Chennai's size in perspective, its area of 427 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur at 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam.
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. Kuala Lumpur, by comparison, equals about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park.
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.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,075,600 as of 2024. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
Also known as "KL", Kuala Lumpur has an area of 243 km² and is home to 2.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1857. Visitors come for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, and much more. Getting around is easy with the RapidKL (LRT, MRT & Monorail).
Kuala Lumpur packs 2.07 million people into just 243 km2, making it Malaysia's most populous city by far
Chennai has a population density of 15,457 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Kuala Lumpur, with 8,148 people per km², is a densely populated city. Chennai is noticeably denser, packing 1.9 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Chennai is 1.9x more densely populated
History
Chennai is ~218 years older
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).
Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Boston (232 km²), Edinburgh (259 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), or Taipei (272 km²).
The straight-line distance from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur is 2,600 km (1,616 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~3h 34m.
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