Lagos
1,172 km²
Montreal
498 km²
Nigeria
Canada
Area Comparison
Lagos is 2.4x larger than Montreal
Population Comparison
Lagos has 8.7x more people than Montreal
In terms of area, Lagos is 2.4x the size of Montreal. Lagos spans 1,172 km² (453 mi²) while Montreal covers 498 km² (192 mi²) — a difference of 674 km². You could fit Montreal inside Lagos approximately 2 times.
To put Lagos's size in perspective, its area of 1,172 km² is about 1.3x the size of Berlin. Meanwhile, Montreal at 498 km² is about 1.2x smaller than Seoul.
Lagos's footprint is roughly about 164,000 American football fields, 20 times the area of Manhattan, or 11 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Montreal, by comparison, equals about 70,000 American football fields, 150 times the area of Central Park, or 8 times the area of Manhattan.
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.
Known as "Lasgidi", Lagos covers 1,172 km² with a population of 15.4 million. The city was established in 1472. Lagos is known for Victoria Island, Lekki Conservation Centre, Nike Art Gallery, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is 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.
Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the eighth-largest in North America. Founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", it now takes its name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked mountain around which the early settlement was built. The city is centred on the Island of Montreal and a few, much smaller, peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
Nicknamed "MTL", Montreal has an area of 498 km² and is home to 1.8 million people. The city dates back to 1642. Visitors come for Mount Royal, Notre-Dame Basilica, Old Montreal, and much more.
Montreal was founded in 1642 as Ville-Marie, meaning 'City of Mary', before adopting its current name from Mount Royal.
Lagos has a population density of 13,131 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Montreal, with 3,534 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Lagos is dramatically more crowded, with 3.7x the population density.
Size Ratio
Montreal fits inside Lagos ~2 times
Density Gap
Lagos is 3.7x more densely populated
History
Lagos is ~170 years older
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).
Montreal covers 498 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Prague (496 km²), Warsaw (517 km²), Budapest (525 km²), Oslo (454 km²), or Auckland (559 km²).
The straight-line distance from Lagos to Montreal is 8,473 km (5,265 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 28m.
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