Chennai
426,830,040 km²
Lagos
1,172 km²
India
Nigeria
Area Comparison
Chennai is 364189.5x larger than Lagos
Population Comparison
Chennai has 2.3x fewer people than Lagos
In terms of area, Chennai is 364189.5x the size of Lagos. Chennai spans 426,830,040 km² (164,799,932 mi²) while Lagos covers 1,172 km² (453 mi²) — a difference of 426,828,868 km². You could fit Lagos inside Chennai approximately 364189 times.
Meanwhile, Lagos at 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin.
Chennai's footprint is roughly about 59,780,100,000 American football fields — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Lagos, that's about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 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 426,830,040 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.
Lagos, or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan port city in southwestern Nigeria. As of November 2025, the size of the city's population has been estimated to be between 17 and 21 million residents, making Lagos the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and one of the fastest-growing megacities in the world.
Nicknamed "Lasgidi", Lagos has an area of 1,172 km² and is home to 15.4 million people. Its history stretches back to 1472. Visitors come for Victoria Island, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Lagos Rail (Blue & Red Lines).
Lagos is the most populous urban area on the African continent, with an estimated 17 to 21 million residents as of 2025.
Chennai has a population density of 0 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. Lagos, with 13,131 people per km², is an extremely dense urban environment. Lagos is dramatically more crowded, with Infinityx the population density.
Size Ratio
Lagos fits inside Chennai ~364189 times
Density Gap
Lagos is Infinityx more densely populated
History
Lagos is ~167 years older
Chennai covers 426,830,040 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Doha (132,000,000 km²), Dublin (114,990,000 km²), Hangzhou (16,854 km²), Beijing (16,411 km²), or Brisbane (15,826 km²).
Lagos covers 1,172 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Antonio (1,209 km²), Rio de Janeiro (1,221 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), Rome (1,285 km²), or Los Angeles (1,302 km²).
The straight-line distance from Chennai to Lagos is 8,430 km (5,238 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 25m.
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