Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
Riyadh
1,798 km²
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
Area Comparison
Kuala Lumpur is 7.4x smaller than Riyadh
Population Comparison
Kuala Lumpur has 3.5x fewer people than Riyadh
In terms of area, Riyadh is 7.4x the size of Kuala Lumpur. Riyadh spans 1,798 km² (694 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 1,555 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Riyadh approximately 7 times.
To put Kuala Lumpur's size in perspective, its area of 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Riyadh at 1,798 km² is about 1.1x the size of London.
Picture Kuala Lumpur another way: its area is large enough to fit about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park. For Riyadh, that's about 252,000 American football fields, 30 times the area of Manhattan, or 17 times the area of Paris.
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.
Known as "KL", Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² with a population of 2.0 million. The city was established in 1857. Kuala Lumpur is known for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in the 1950s as an expansion of the 18th-century walled town, following the dismantling of its defensive fortifications.
Riyadh has an area of 1,798 km² and is home to 7.0 million people. It was established in 1746. Visitors come for Kingdom Centre Tower, Masmak Fortress, Al Faisaliah Tower, and much more.
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia, sitting on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa.
Kuala Lumpur has a population density of 8,148 people per km² — a densely populated city. Riyadh, with 3,899 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Kuala Lumpur is noticeably denser, packing 2.1 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Riyadh ~7 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 2.1x more densely populated
History
Riyadh is ~111 years older
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).
Riyadh covers 1,798 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Houston (1,725 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), Shenzhen (1,997 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), or London (1,572 km²).
The straight-line distance from Kuala Lumpur to Riyadh is 6,344 km (3,942 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~7h 58m.
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