How Big Is Nairobi?

Nairobi Size Overview

Nairobi covers an area of 696 km² (269 mi²) in Kenya, Africa. Capital and largest city of Kenya. The city is often called "Green City under the Sun". To put this in perspective, Nairobi is about 1.1x smaller than New York City. In more relatable units, that's about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 times the area of Paris.

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".

With a population of 4.7 million (4.7 million in the metropolitan area), Nairobi has a population density of 6,796 people per km².

Nairobi has a history stretching back to 1899. The city is renowned for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and Kibera.

Nairobi has a subtropical highland climate, with summer temperatures averaging 20°C and winters around 17°C. The city's main public transit system is the Nairobi Commuter Rail. At 1,661 meters above sea level, Nairobi is one of the higher-elevation major cities.